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Proud Theater is an award-winning, exciting and innovative youth theater program designed to foster self-expression and self-empowerment for Madison-area youth
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Proud theater is open to any youth who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ), or who are the children of LGBTQ parents, or who are allies of the LGBTQ community at large.
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It’s 2012 – Is the world really going to end? Or could this be a new beginning? Click on the Events tab for upcoming events!
Read moreWelcome to Proud Theater!
PROUD THEATER MISSION
To change the world through the power of theater and the theater arts, and to make a positive difference in the lives of LGBTQ and allied youth through the tenants of art, heart, and activism!
WHAT IS PROUD THEATER?
Proud Theater is an award-winning, exciting and innovative youth theater program designed to foster self-expression and self-empowerment for youth who identify as gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ), or who are the children of LGBTQ parents, or who are allies of the LGBTQ community at large.
Throughout the school year, the teens of Proud Theater collaboratively create original theatrical pieces, poetry, music and dance utilizing improv, group discussion and guidance from prominent adult members of the community they serve. The emphasis on original theater, music, prose and poetry makes Proud Theater stand out.
Founded in 1999 by Sol Kelley-Jones and Callen Harty in Madison, Wisconsin, Proud Theater’s mission is to change the world through the power of theater and the theater arts, and to make a positive difference in the lives of LGBTQ and allied youth through the tenants of art, heart, and activism.
Homophobia and transphobia present many challenges in the lives of young people. As a result, these self-described “queer” youth may be more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to experience depression, family estrangement, school problems, and substance abuse. In response, Proud Theater offers encouragement, inspiration, and support on many different levels. It builds upon the youths’ innate resilience—providing them with community, security, peer support, and mentorship. This in turn, contributes to their positive engagement with school, overall health, self-esteem and stability.
Proud Theaters’ tradition of celebrating rainbow symbols has dual meaning for those members of the group who have multiracial identities. In addition to producing pieces that work to counter homophobia, anti-racist and multicultural themes are integrated into their works.
Proud Theater is a program of Art & Soul Innovations, dedicated to the advancement of queer youth nationwide. The group is also sponsored in part by a generous grant from the Mukti Fund – dedicated to supporting queer youth theater across the country, and PFund – a foundation that supports the LGBT community in the Midwest. Proud Theater also enjoys support from local organizations Fromagination in downtown Madison which specializes in artisanal cheeses and companions, and Life After Hate, an online magazine dedicate to the notion that kindness and compassion are virtues of strength, not weakness.
Proud Theater has recently begun to expand, and has opened a chapter in Wausau, Wisconsin. The group will be opening similar chapters in Milwaukee, Houston and other communities around the country. An older post high-school version of Proud Theater is at UW-Stevens Point in Wisconsin.
Tax-deductible donations can be written out to Proud Theater and sent to ‘Proud Theater, 702 Nichols Rd, Monona, WI – 53716’. For more info, contact Proud Theater at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or visit www.proudtheater.com, or call National Artistic Director Brian Wild at 608-222-9086.
Joint Performance of ALL THREE Proud Theater Chapters at Milwaukee Pride Fest!

All three current Proud Theater chapters in the state will be performing together for the first time at the Milwaukee Pride Festival being held in June on the Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee. Each performance will be 45 minutes long and will showcase original skits, poetry, and music developed by the youth involved with each chapter. Proud Theater Madison and Proud Theater Wausau will be joined by the brand-new and never before publicly appearing Proud Theater Milwaukee! The groups will be doing three joint performances on Saturday, June 8, 2013 on the Milwaukee LGBT Community Center’ Community Room Stage at 1PM, 2PM and 4PM. Please come and see us perform, and don't forget to buy tickets to Fearless Hearts!
Art and Soul Innovations Presents: Proud Theater: Fearless Hearts

‘Proud Theater: Fearless Hearts’ is a fun and exciting evening of theater, music, spoken word, poetry and dance written by and starring the talented youth of Madison’s premier LGBTQ youth theater. This year the youth look at politics, bullying, gender, profiling and family issues.
Our show runs May 30 and 31, and June 1, 2013 - 7:30 PM and a special matinee on June 1, 2:30 PM. All four presentations will be in the Black Box Theatre in the Stream Building at Edgewood College, 1000 Edgewood College Drive in Madison, Wisconsin. Tickets can be reserved via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling the Proud Theater Hotline at 608-222-9086. Tickets can be paid for only on the day of the show and must be picked up no later than 15 minutes before curtain, or the tickets will be made available for sale. The box office opens one hour before show time.
For more info on Proud Theater or ‘Proud Theater: Fearless Hearts’, contact Executive Director Brian Wild at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call Proud Theater at 608-222-9086. Tax-deductible donations to the organization can be sent to: Proud Theater, 702 Nichols Rd, Monona WI, 53716, or via PayPal to the right of this column!
Pride Youth Theater Alliance (PYTA) announces dates for 2013 national Queer Youth Theater Directors’ Retreat
The Pride Youth Theater Alliance (PYTA), a national network of arts, educational, and social service organizations from across the U.S. and Canada has announced the dates and location for its fourth annual Queer Youth Theater Director’s Retreat. This year’s retreat will be hosted by the New Conservatory Theatre Center in San Francisco and take place August 1 to 4, 2013.
For more information about PYTA or the retreat, please visit www.prideyouththeateralliance.com, or "like" the group’s page on Facebook. You can also contact Trina Jackson, PYTA National Program Coordinator, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To read the entire press release, click below!

