Five Vancouver arts organizations you should know about

The Children’s Festival is lucky to work in a city with a vibrant arts scene for young audiences. These five organizations provide outstanding professional arts experiences for young people.

* Carousel Theatre: Their children’s shows are legendary. Whether it’s Suessical the Musical, The Wizard of Oz or their fabulous Theatre School for kids, Carousel
has been igniting a passion for live performance in young people for almost 40 years!

* Green Thumb Theatre: For over 30 years, this flagship theatre company has created plays that explore social issues relevant to the lives of children, youth and
young adults. They tap into the stories of today’s generation and culture to stimulate empathy, debate and critical thinking.

* ArtStarts in Schools: This arts education association books over 2,000 live performances into BC schools every year, arranges and funds artist-in-residence programs and hosts monthly performance-based workshops at their downtown gallery.

* Arts Umbrella:  This Granville Island mainstay is the go-to place for children interested in all art forms. Here children learn to dance, paint, sculpt, create computer games and cartoons, and perform. More importantly, they aim to instill a love of the arts, inspiring children to become healthy, confident, productive, creative citizens.

* New Works: This wonderful organization is all about dance. Any kind of dance. From hip hop to ballet, from tap to contemporary, if it involves movement and music,
they’re into it. They present captivating three all-ages dance series throughout the year: Dance Allsorts, Pop UP Dances and All Over The Map.