Our Mission
At Friends of the BPYT, we are dedicated to the education of young people in the performing arts, emphasizing character and confidence. We strive to involve the whole family in a supportive, respectful environment that fosters youth theater support.
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Friends of the BPYT
To enhance youth theater support, the Friends of the BPYT was established on March 28, 1995. Friends continue to operate as a 501(c)3 charity dedicated to providing youth theater support for the City of Buena Park's youth theater program, which is part of the city’s Fine Arts department. While the city provides some monetary funds and supplies rehearsal and performance locations, Friends of the BPYT raises additional funds to ensure the program has the necessary supplemental resources. The organization also engages paid professionals and volunteers to manage the day-to-day operations, further enriching the performing arts education available to the youth.
History
In 1981, due to budgetary cutbacks in performing arts education in public schools, Ruth Walp, an elementary school teacher, founded The Buena Park Youth Theater. Since 1980, this youth theater has been producing fully staged Broadway musicals. Over the years, young people aged 5 to 18 have taken part in full-length productions such as Peter Pan, Oklahoma, Wizard of Oz, Annie, Music Man, Into The Woods, Annie Get Your Gun, The Wiz, Oliver, Here's Love, Scrooge, Honk!, Guys n Dolls, Bye Bye Birdie, Footloose, Once on this Island, and many others!