Metro Theater Company Youth Programs

Metro Theater Company Youth Programs include activities such as dance, play, and learning how to audition for a play. Young people take part in Creative Arts Camp and Grand Theater Camp, where they spend time playing with storytelling through movement and music. The programs also include special events such as the Family Playdate: Back-to-School Rave.

• Ages: 0–12 years old
• Schedule: Family Playdate: Back-to-School Rave on August 7 from 4:30–6:30pm
• Price: Family Playdate: Back-to-School Rave tickets are $10, with free admission for kids ages 5 and under

Metro Theater Company began in 1973, when artist Zaro Weil and educator Lynn Rubright started the organization under the name Metro Theater Circus, and the name changed to Metro Theater Company in 1992. Metro Theater Company creates professional theater and educational programs for young people and tours primarily throughout the St. Louis metropolitan region and outlying communities in Missouri and southern Illinois. Its mission states that, inspired by the intelligence and emotional wisdom of young people, it creates professional theater, fosters inclusive community, and nurtures meaningful learning through the arts.

Metro Theater Company offers a multidisciplinary Creative Arts Camp and a Grand Theater Camp that uses university-level facilities. Metro Theater Company builds inclusive community, encourages students to build community through play and imagination, re-frames challenges as opportunities, and addresses difficult topics facing the community.

Metro Theater Company is a proud partner of the Missouri Touring Performers Directory and collaborates with summer camp partners to offer engaging camps. It participated in a collaboration among 41 Theatre for Young Audiences/USA organizations across the United States for “A Kids Play About Racism,” and it acknowledges that its home is on the traditional homelands of the Osage Nation, Missouria, and Illini Confederacy.

“A Kids Play About Racism” is described as a groundbreaking online performance for families that explains what racism is, how to know it when it is seen and experienced, and ideas for what can be done about it. “A Kids Play About Racism” is adapted and directed by award-winning director and artist Khalia Davis, is brought to life by an entirely Black and BIPOC cast and creative team from across the United States, and offers young children and families a way to engage in meaningful conversation about race. Educational materials developed by Seattle Children’s Theatre in collaboration with the Northwest African American Museum extend the experience and enhance age-appropriate engagement.

Metro Theater Company has been designated a Missouri Historical Theater by the Missouri Arts Council and the state of Missouri (2023) and was named Best Children’s Theater in Riverfront Times’ “Best of St. Louis” (2023). It was invited to the Kennedy Center as one of seven American companies to participate in New Visions/New Voices (2018), was featured in American Theatre’s “28 Summer Camps For Every Age” (2017) and “20 Theatres You Should Take Your Kid To” (2016), and received the “Paulie Award” from NSC for creating positive change through collaborative nonprofit work (2016). Additional recognition includes a resolution from the City of Saint Louis celebrating Muhammad Ali and Metro Theater Company’s production of “And In This Corner… Cassius Clay” (2016), being named GO! Magazine’s “Best Theatre Troupe for Young Audiences” (2015), ALIVE Magazine’s WE HEART STL “Best Theater with a Social Cause” (2015), the Missouri Arts Award for outstanding contributions to the state (1997), an invitation to perform at the Stregagatto Festival in Italy as the only U.S. participant (1994), performing at the Kennedy Center for the fourth time in less than 15 years (1991), and being named “Best New Children’s Theatre” by the Children’s Theatre Association of America in its second year of operation (1974).

Last updated July 5, 2026.