KidWorks Festival 2025
July 21-August 1
What is Kidworks?
Theater created by kids
Amy Cave, managing director of Resolute Theatre Project & owner of Amy’s Studio of Performing Arts
Who can participate?
Kids of all ages (kindergarten & up) with all levels of performance experience
Allow us to explain further …
Our inspiration
Children perform. That’s what they do. They sing. They dance. They dress up in costumes. When they have time to take it further, they put on plays—in the living room, on the stairwell landing, in the backyard. They lose track of time, practicing all afternoon. Everyone gets a part. When playtime is up, kids announce their production to any obliging parents nearby. (How can you resist?) Everyone finds a seat as children dim the lights and find their places. When the invisible curtain rises, kids transform into heroes, heroines, and villains. They follow their instincts and find their voices, feeling their way through a story. They work the magic of story-telling until the invisible curtain falls, and the players all join hands and bow, beaming with delight. Parents clap and cheer—not for flawless production, dazzling costumes, or perfect pitch, but for imagination, versatility, and teamwork. This is the inspiration for Resolute Theatre Project’s Kidworks Festival.
We bring kids together to experiment with performance in an extended, supervised time of creative play. The children act, sing, and dance, but also write, direct, and choreograph. To perform in a Kidworks play, no prior experience is necessary. Everyone gets a part—sometimes, a dream role. Peter Pan. The Little Mermaid. Annie. These are among the plays produced by Kidworks in recent years. To produce a Kidworks play, more experienced youth performers run their own shows. Adults mentor and chaperone, careful to give kids the space they need to collaborate and create.
Each summer, a handful of kid directors, usually ages 10-14, makes immense preparations for their Kidworks productions. These directors select their shows, promote auditions, and cast players. They prepare scripts, music, and choreography to equip their casts for the independent work required prior to mandatory rehearsal week. When everyone comes together, shows are staged and rehearsed during one week of intensive workshops and performed for audiences the three days following. Along the way, adult mentors encourage directors to give the least experienced actors the same esteem and encouragement we’ve offered them as young directors. We urge them to give serious consideration to casting children of all ages and levels of experience in exciting roles. And we offer the support and mentoring needed throughout the entire process.
At Resolute Theatre Project, we believe in the creativity, ingenuity, and leadership ability of children. We believe these are qualities they instinctively possess and hone through creative playtime, and we’ve witnessed the powerful results of their collaborative process. As we adults wring our hands over so-called over-supervised, screen-addicted children, and experts beat the drum for more creative play, the vision of Kidworks Festival is simple: To broaden a child’s play space in the creative arts.
A final note: To further our unique vision, all actors and creatives participate with minimal tuition subsidized by donations.
Any more questions? Contact Amy Cave, amyc@amysstudio.net
