Rosie’s Theater Kids
Maravel Arts Center, 445 W 45th Street, New York, NY 10036
About
Rosie’s Theater Kids offers musical theater and arts education that includes music, dance, and drama, along with high school auditions and applications support, SAT prep classes, and college prep classes. The PS Broadway program focuses on musical theater, and ACTE II is a scholarship program that continues performing arts education and academic support for older students. Students in PS Broadway take part in musical theater classes and performances, while ACTE II students participate in ongoing music, dance, and drama training and academic guidance.
• Ages: 10–18 years old
• Schedule: PS Broadway is a 15-week program that includes a weekly one-hour musical theater class
Rosie’s Theater Kids is an arts education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the arts and serves students who might not otherwise experience theater by offering comprehensive classes in music, dance, and drama along with mentoring and structured academic guidance. The organization serves thousands of underserved New York City public school students and has shared musical theater with more than 25,000 New York City public school students and their families, with PS Broadway primarily taught at low income schools. PS Broadway is an in-school program for fifth graders that introduces them to musical theater and artistic expression, includes a private concert with a Broadway performer, and ends with a final student performance. ACTE II is a year-round scholarship program for students in grades 6–12 that provides performing arts education and structured academic support. Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation purchased the building that became the Maravel Arts Center, which is the home of Rosie’s Theater Kids. RTKids produced its first original musical titled “My Life: Today,” informed by the writings and ideas of ACTE II students, and launched a Scholastic and Artistic Merit Scholarship with a $500K gift to support outstanding high school seniors. The organization premiered the musical documentary “Rosie’s Theater Kids,” produced by Board Member and film producer Sheila Nevins, and RTKids students were invited to the White House to perform at the last State Dinner of the Obama Administration. Rosie’s Theater Kids’ Passing It On Gala features performances by students for an audience of over 600 family members and friends. On April 10, 2003, Rosie O’Donnell wrote a letter on the day of the founding of RTKids.
According to Principal Renny Fong of PS 130, the RTKids PS Broadway program has improved student self-confidence and that change has carried into the classroom, especially for English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities, and the school has witnessed the transformation of students through this program. Parent Jessie Chun states that RTKids has provided her sons with a holistic education that has helped them develop crucial soft skills, fostered a love for the arts, and supported their academic growth. Alumni Zach from the Class of 2017 reports that at age 22 he is planning to pursue a master’s degree in theater and that he had not realized the impact an arts education could have. Mentor and choreographer Chase Brock describes the curriculum and ethos of Rosie’s Theater Kids as thoughtful, expert, and tailor-made for each student’s needs, and says he has seen how students blossom in this environment. Fifth grade teacher Jessica Martell from CPEII says RTKids PS Broadway works with and cares about the whole child, and that the way the teaching artists motivate students to embrace something new and continue to support alumni is why the organization is held dear to their hearts.
First Lady Michelle Obama presented the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award to Rosie’s Theater Kids at the White House. RTKids received its first grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and was awarded a $50,000 grant by the New York State Council on the Arts to re-launch an internship program.
Last updated July 29, 2026.
• Ages: 10–18 years old
• Schedule: PS Broadway is a 15-week program that includes a weekly one-hour musical theater class
Rosie’s Theater Kids is an arts education organization dedicated to enriching the lives of children through the arts and serves students who might not otherwise experience theater by offering comprehensive classes in music, dance, and drama along with mentoring and structured academic guidance. The organization serves thousands of underserved New York City public school students and has shared musical theater with more than 25,000 New York City public school students and their families, with PS Broadway primarily taught at low income schools. PS Broadway is an in-school program for fifth graders that introduces them to musical theater and artistic expression, includes a private concert with a Broadway performer, and ends with a final student performance. ACTE II is a year-round scholarship program for students in grades 6–12 that provides performing arts education and structured academic support. Rosie’s For All Kids Foundation purchased the building that became the Maravel Arts Center, which is the home of Rosie’s Theater Kids. RTKids produced its first original musical titled “My Life: Today,” informed by the writings and ideas of ACTE II students, and launched a Scholastic and Artistic Merit Scholarship with a $500K gift to support outstanding high school seniors. The organization premiered the musical documentary “Rosie’s Theater Kids,” produced by Board Member and film producer Sheila Nevins, and RTKids students were invited to the White House to perform at the last State Dinner of the Obama Administration. Rosie’s Theater Kids’ Passing It On Gala features performances by students for an audience of over 600 family members and friends. On April 10, 2003, Rosie O’Donnell wrote a letter on the day of the founding of RTKids.
According to Principal Renny Fong of PS 130, the RTKids PS Broadway program has improved student self-confidence and that change has carried into the classroom, especially for English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities, and the school has witnessed the transformation of students through this program. Parent Jessie Chun states that RTKids has provided her sons with a holistic education that has helped them develop crucial soft skills, fostered a love for the arts, and supported their academic growth. Alumni Zach from the Class of 2017 reports that at age 22 he is planning to pursue a master’s degree in theater and that he had not realized the impact an arts education could have. Mentor and choreographer Chase Brock describes the curriculum and ethos of Rosie’s Theater Kids as thoughtful, expert, and tailor-made for each student’s needs, and says he has seen how students blossom in this environment. Fifth grade teacher Jessica Martell from CPEII says RTKids PS Broadway works with and cares about the whole child, and that the way the teaching artists motivate students to embrace something new and continue to support alumni is why the organization is held dear to their hearts.
First Lady Michelle Obama presented the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award to Rosie’s Theater Kids at the White House. RTKids received its first grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and was awarded a $50,000 grant by the New York State Council on the Arts to re-launch an internship program.
Last updated July 29, 2026.
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