September 8, 2023
A Place to Belong: How Stage III Theatre Helps Wyoming Youth Find Confidence and Community
When Stage III Theatre cast a 16-year-old in the lead role of A Few Good Men, it placed a young actor in a position to take on a major challenge alongside experienced performers. The opportunity allowed them to grow, build confidence, and demonstrate what young people can accomplish when they are trusted and supported.
That experience reflects the approach Stage III Theatre in Casper takes with youth throughout the organization.
For Stage III, community theater is a place where young people build confidence, develop skills, and find meaningful connections. The organization views theater as “a powerful catalyst for youth development,” creating opportunities for young people through creative validation, hands-on education, and meaningful inclusion in productions.
Whether they are performing on stage, building sets behind the scenes, learning technical theater skills, or helping bring elementary students' original stories to life through the Relative Theatrics Play/Write Showcase, Stage III creates opportunities for every type of talent to shine.
As the organization shared, “This ensures young people know there is a place for every type of talent, not just those in the spotlight.”
Young performers are welcomed into main stage productions alongside experienced actors, directors, and volunteers who provide guidance and mentorship throughout the process. Through rehearsals, performances, and collaboration, youth develop communication skills, teamwork, problem-solving abilities, responsibility, and resilience; all skills that extend well beyond the theater.
The impact of those experiences often lasts for years. Many former youth participants have gone on to pursue careers in entertainment and theatrical education, while others have returned to Stage III as volunteers, mentors, and Board members. Their continued involvement reflects the lasting influence of the opportunities, mentorship, and sense of community they experienced as young people.
Stage III believes that participation in community theater can foster “leadership, lifelong engagement, and a commitment to a single production.” Those who return to support the organization help ensure that future generations of young performers have the same opportunities to learn, contribute, and grow.
The organization also recognizes that theater is not only about those who are comfortable in the spotlight. Behind every production are opportunities to learn, create, and contribute. Through a partnership with Casper Children’s Theater, Stage III provides venue tours that help young people better understand the many elements that bring a production to life. For those interested in working behind the scenes, the organization offers hands-on classes focused on technical theater, stage building, and production skills.
These experiences help young people discover that there is a place for every type of talent within the theater community, not just those on stage.
Creating that environment requires intentional support. Stage III assigns a Board Liaison to each production who serves as an additional resource for cast and crew members, helping answer questions, address concerns, and provide support when someone may need another trusted person to turn to.
Accessibility and inclusion are also central to Stage III’s work. The organization strives to accommodate individual needs whenever possible so that every young person has the opportunity to participate in a meaningful creative experience.
One of the greatest impacts of Stage III is the sense of belonging it creates. The organization shared that integrating youth into community theater shows them “that a supportive, in-person community exists outside of their school environment.”
For many young people, that community becomes something they carry with them long after their final performance. As Stage III described it, “long after they graduate, they will always have a creative home, a human connection, and a lifelong community waiting for them in the theater.”
Stage III Theatre offers a reminder of what can happen when young people are given opportunities to create, contribute, and be supported in their dreams.
