Children’s Theatre of Elgin / Fox Valley Theatre Company Classes & Workshops
Hemmens Cultural Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Room G226-228, Room G226-228, IL 60123
About
Children’s Theatre of Elgin / Fox Valley Theatre Company Classes & Camps include interactive workshops that teach theater skills, theatre workshops, and 2026 Summer Camps. Participants take part in productions such as a full-length Broadway-type musical, a straight play, a virtual show, an outdoor performance, a sensory-sensitive performance, an ASL-interpreted performance, and a show with Spanish supertitles.
• Ages: 7–18 years old
Children’s Theatre of Elgin (CTE) was founded in 1988, and Fox Valley Theatre Company (FVTC) was added as a CTE subsidiary in 1993 as a more advanced option for older students. CTE is for children and youth in 2nd through 9th grades, and FVTC is for youth and young adults in 7th grade through 23 years. CTE produces two large-scale shows each year, and cast sizes can often exceed 100. FVTC presents a full-length Broadway-type musical each year along with a straight play. The two troupes combine whenever a script calls for it, such as the 2024 production of Matilda. Over the years, more than 10,000 cast members have performed for audiences of almost 400,000 people since the first performance of Snow White in 1988. Over the years the company has provided performance opportunities to over 10,000 young people. CTE/FVTC together form one of the oldest, largest, and most exciting children’s theater companies in the state, and CTE/FVTC is in-residence at the Elgin Community College Arts Center.
The program’s mission statement is that Children’s Theatre of Elgin/Fox Valley Theatre Company is a place where all individuals have an equitable opportunity to learn, grow, and enrich their lives through theatre. Programs offer children, youth, and young adults an affordable opportunity to experience the performing arts, either as participants or audience members. The goal of CTE is to cast everyone who auditioned and provide meaningful live-theatre instruction and experiences for all.
Children’s Theatre of Elgin was founded by Peter Akemann and David Akemann, and an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Director was added to the Executive Board in 2023. The organization helped establish a children’s theatre troupe on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization and has received several recognitions, including the Illinois Community Education Association Award in 1991, being named one of 150 Things that Make Elgin Great in 2004, being listed among favorite destinations in the book Kids Love Illinois in 2006, and receiving an Elgin Image Award in 2007 for helping promote a positive impression of Elgin.
Parent, teacher, and audience feedback includes comments that CTE has been an amazing experience for a cast member, that students who attended a performance loved the play and talked about it afterward, and that CTE sets the bar high, includes many kids in productions, and that each child feels like a star.
Last updated May 23, 2026.
• Ages: 7–18 years old
Children’s Theatre of Elgin (CTE) was founded in 1988, and Fox Valley Theatre Company (FVTC) was added as a CTE subsidiary in 1993 as a more advanced option for older students. CTE is for children and youth in 2nd through 9th grades, and FVTC is for youth and young adults in 7th grade through 23 years. CTE produces two large-scale shows each year, and cast sizes can often exceed 100. FVTC presents a full-length Broadway-type musical each year along with a straight play. The two troupes combine whenever a script calls for it, such as the 2024 production of Matilda. Over the years, more than 10,000 cast members have performed for audiences of almost 400,000 people since the first performance of Snow White in 1988. Over the years the company has provided performance opportunities to over 10,000 young people. CTE/FVTC together form one of the oldest, largest, and most exciting children’s theater companies in the state, and CTE/FVTC is in-residence at the Elgin Community College Arts Center.
The program’s mission statement is that Children’s Theatre of Elgin/Fox Valley Theatre Company is a place where all individuals have an equitable opportunity to learn, grow, and enrich their lives through theatre. Programs offer children, youth, and young adults an affordable opportunity to experience the performing arts, either as participants or audience members. The goal of CTE is to cast everyone who auditioned and provide meaningful live-theatre instruction and experiences for all.
Children’s Theatre of Elgin was founded by Peter Akemann and David Akemann, and an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Director was added to the Executive Board in 2023. The organization helped establish a children’s theatre troupe on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization and has received several recognitions, including the Illinois Community Education Association Award in 1991, being named one of 150 Things that Make Elgin Great in 2004, being listed among favorite destinations in the book Kids Love Illinois in 2006, and receiving an Elgin Image Award in 2007 for helping promote a positive impression of Elgin.
Parent, teacher, and audience feedback includes comments that CTE has been an amazing experience for a cast member, that students who attended a performance loved the play and talked about it afterward, and that CTE sets the bar high, includes many kids in productions, and that each child feels like a star.
Last updated May 23, 2026.
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