“Proud Theater is an amazing group. At a time in history where a cultural war has been declared on LGBTQ people, it’s been a lifeline for many teens, and combines art, heart, and activism. It’s theater that comes out of our experiences. I truly believe that theater of this kind can change consciousness both within the youth who are involved, and within the community.”
Sol Kelley-Jones, 18-year old activist and co-founder of the group

Proud Theater is an award-winning, exciting and innovative youth program designed to foster self-expression and self-empowerment for Madison-area youth who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (GLBTQ), the sons or daughters of GLBTQ parents, and other allied youth.

Participating youth range in age from 13 to 18. They gather every Wednesday night throughout the school year at 6 pm at First Congregational Church to improvise, create, and perform theatrical pieces, poetry and music that reflect the realities of their young lives. They then share their work at performances throughout the year in the larger community. The teens collaboratively create all the plays and theatrical pieces themselves, with guidance from several adult mentors.

Homophobia presents 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 Theater's tradition of celebrating rainbow symbols has a 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.