Variety Children’s Theatre

To view more photos from past Variety Children's Theatre events, visit our Flickr page.

What do you get when you combine resources from the entire St. Louis performing arts community with professional actors and children of all abilities? Variety Children’s Theatre! The result? An unforgettable experience for theatergoers, cast and crew alike.

This year, Variety was proud to welcome back Tony Award Nominee Lara Teeter as the director of our third annual Variety Children's Theatre Production: THE WIZARD OF OZ!  The production ran from Oct. 21-23 at The Touhill Performing Arts Center at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. Click here to see a complete list of the cast and crew.

From tryouts to production, Variety Children’s Theatre allows children to learn on-stage and backstage production skills from seasoned professionals. The inclusive setting offers an unmatched opportunity to develop important relationships, skills sets and appreciation of the overall workings of a live musical theater program.

Seventeen Variety children were part of THE WIZARD OF OZ cast, with disabilities ranging from spina bifida and cerebral palsy to muscular dystrophy and down syndrome. In addition to the onstage talent, seven major roles in THE WIZARD OF OZ production included a Variety “shadow,” allowing local children with disabilities to learn professional skills alongside the show’s production director, musical director, choreographer, stage manager, sound technician, costume designer and more.

More About Variety Children’s Theatre

In 2010, Variety Children’s Theatre presented OLIVER! the Broadway Musical to an audience of more than 6,200 people, including nearly 1,900 children whose families receive help from Variety through medical equipment, in-house programs, and/or partner agencies. Accolades for Variety’s production of OLIVER! in the fall of 2010 were high, and included the following comments:

“The production of OLIVER! by Variety Children’s Theatre reminded me a lot of the shows we see at The Muny. The adults were played by an excellent group of professional actors and the young people in the leading roles of the chorus lived up to the high standards set by their elders. Right from the start, the people on the stage moved with purpose and precision under the direction of Lara Teeter and choreography of Mark Krupinski.”
- Gerry Kowarski, KDHX Two on the Aisle

Right from the start, the people on the stage moved with purpose and precision…

Gerry Kowarski

KDHX Two on the Aisle

“For many of these kids, being onstage at all was once a distant dream. But through the Variety Children's Theater they are accomplishing more than most kids their age. And as you watch them sing and dance you can't help but grin, and perhaps, wipe a tear or two from your eyes. The look on these kids’ faces as they perform can only be described as pure, unadulterated joy and you walk away feeling deeply blessed and humbled realizing that you were witness to a fulfillment of hope.”
- Kelli Stuart, Tonic.com

Variety Children’s Theatre debuted in 2009 with its presentation of THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, attracting 4,093 attendees to the Touhill Performing Arts Center over the course of four performances.

Information for Educators

While open to the public, Friday's matinee show was designed especially for area students, as we can ALL learn something from the Variety children in THE WIZARD OF OZ. Variety was also proud to offer a study guide to area teachers who were looking for easy ways to incorporate THE WIZARD OF OZ into their classrooms!