Magical Theatre Company Youth Programs and Camps
Magical Theatre Company / Historic Park Theatre, 565 W Tuscarawas Ave, Barberton, OH 44203
About
Magical Theatre Company Youth Programs and Camps include acting, dancing, singing and improvisation, along with resident productions, workshops, touring shows and camps. Educational programming includes field trips to the theatre and shows that come to schools, libraries, churches and other locations. In some programs, students write stories that are adapted into plays and performed onstage, and professional actors train students in workshops and camps.
• Ages: 3–17 years old
Magical Theatre Company was founded in 1972 as Akron Children’s Theatre to provide high quality professional theatre for young audiences, and the name was changed to Magical Theatre Company in 1989. The company is an award-winning organization whose resident productions, workshops, touring shows, camps and educational programming are created to introduce young people to theatre, provide positive messages through drama, develop creativity, increase communication skills, build teamwork and offer alternative methods to problem-solving. All camps are staffed by experienced professional directors and actors, and Magical Theatre Company employs professional actors, designers and directors whose credentials include work from Broadway to Hollywood. The company’s shows and performances reach 50,000 children and their families each year, covering one-fourth of the state of Ohio, and its programs are offered to schools, libraries, churches and other organizations serving students from pre-K through 12th grade. Founded as a touring company by Barbara Ballance, Magical Theatre Company began a transformation in 1992 under the leadership of Holly Barkdoll and Dennis O’Connell and is entering its 53rd year. The company has received multiple awards, including the Barberton Community Foundation Game Changer Award in 2019, the inaugural Impact Award for Imagination from Peg’s Foundation in 2010, and two outreach awards in 2003 from the Akron Area Arts Alliance and Summit County Housing Network, and in 2018 a permanent endowment trust dedicated to artistic excellence was created in honor of Barkdoll and O’Connell’s silver anniversary and reinvention of the company. The mission of Magical Theatre Company is to enhance learning, growth and civic improvement through professional theatre for young audiences and families.
Last updated June 30, 2026.
• Ages: 3–17 years old
Magical Theatre Company was founded in 1972 as Akron Children’s Theatre to provide high quality professional theatre for young audiences, and the name was changed to Magical Theatre Company in 1989. The company is an award-winning organization whose resident productions, workshops, touring shows, camps and educational programming are created to introduce young people to theatre, provide positive messages through drama, develop creativity, increase communication skills, build teamwork and offer alternative methods to problem-solving. All camps are staffed by experienced professional directors and actors, and Magical Theatre Company employs professional actors, designers and directors whose credentials include work from Broadway to Hollywood. The company’s shows and performances reach 50,000 children and their families each year, covering one-fourth of the state of Ohio, and its programs are offered to schools, libraries, churches and other organizations serving students from pre-K through 12th grade. Founded as a touring company by Barbara Ballance, Magical Theatre Company began a transformation in 1992 under the leadership of Holly Barkdoll and Dennis O’Connell and is entering its 53rd year. The company has received multiple awards, including the Barberton Community Foundation Game Changer Award in 2019, the inaugural Impact Award for Imagination from Peg’s Foundation in 2010, and two outreach awards in 2003 from the Akron Area Arts Alliance and Summit County Housing Network, and in 2018 a permanent endowment trust dedicated to artistic excellence was created in honor of Barkdoll and O’Connell’s silver anniversary and reinvention of the company. The mission of Magical Theatre Company is to enhance learning, growth and civic improvement through professional theatre for young audiences and families.
Last updated June 30, 2026.
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