CYT/Christian Youth Theater has a long history that began in San Diego in 1981 as a premiere youth theater program founded by Dr. Paul and Sheryl Russell. After years of CYT involvement, Tom and Bonnie Bienert moved from San Diego to the Chicago area in 1995. They quickly realized there was one thing they left back home that their kids couldn't live without... it was CYT.
The Bienert family proposed a CYT satellite in the Chicagoland area to Paul and Sheryl. With the key addition of Justin Parks as Artistic Director, the Russells agreed.
In 1997 the trio kicked off CYT Chicago with a small touring show based in Crystal Lake called Disney Spectacular, featuring a cast of 21 students. As a result, CYT grew to 110 students in the first session of classes, and the first full scale production drew nearly 3,000 patrons. While McHenry County continued to grow, other families began to ask, "How can I bring CYT to my community?"
In 1998, after viewing a CYT production , several families from Lake County, including the Allen, Balasa, Anderson, Contreras and Plumberg families, invited Justin Parks to help them produce a small Christmas musical, Arch the Angel. It was from that original group of 30 kids that a summer camp program was established, and in 1999, Lake County CYT kicked off its first session and a full-scale production.
A few years later, the Svoboda and Church families inquired about bringing CYT closer to their homes in Northwest Cook County. Soon after, a camp program was implemented at Cutting Hall, and by the fall of 2001, CYT Northwest Cook was opened under their leadership with a production of Annie.
Year after year families have stepped up and asked the same question "How do I bring CYT to my community?" Families like the Gawliks and Scheeles in Kane county; The Duvalls and Libbys in DuPage; The Miller family in Rockford; The Molicas and O'Neills in Aurora; Sonia Noreiga in Oak Park and The Olsen family in Kenosha, WI.
Some former CYT Chicago members have even helped start programs in other metropolitan areas including the Taylor family in Kansas City, KS; the Hallford family in Houston, TX; Beka Hardt in Vancouver, WA and Josh Kirk for Denver, CO.
God willing, there will be a CYT program in every major city so that when families like the Bienerts move to a new city, they can simply look up CYT online and find one.
The Bienert family proposed a CYT satellite in the Chicagoland area to Paul and Sheryl. With the key addition of Justin Parks as Artistic Director, the Russells agreed.
In 1997 the trio kicked off CYT Chicago with a small touring show based in Crystal Lake called Disney Spectacular, featuring a cast of 21 students. As a result, CYT grew to 110 students in the first session of classes, and the first full scale production drew nearly 3,000 patrons. While McHenry County continued to grow, other families began to ask, "How can I bring CYT to my community?"
In 1998, after viewing a CYT production , several families from Lake County, including the Allen, Balasa, Anderson, Contreras and Plumberg families, invited Justin Parks to help them produce a small Christmas musical, Arch the Angel. It was from that original group of 30 kids that a summer camp program was established, and in 1999, Lake County CYT kicked off its first session and a full-scale production.
A few years later, the Svoboda and Church families inquired about bringing CYT closer to their homes in Northwest Cook County. Soon after, a camp program was implemented at Cutting Hall, and by the fall of 2001, CYT Northwest Cook was opened under their leadership with a production of Annie.
Year after year families have stepped up and asked the same question "How do I bring CYT to my community?" Families like the Gawliks and Scheeles in Kane county; The Duvalls and Libbys in DuPage; The Miller family in Rockford; The Molicas and O'Neills in Aurora; Sonia Noreiga in Oak Park and The Olsen family in Kenosha, WI.
Some former CYT Chicago members have even helped start programs in other metropolitan areas including the Taylor family in Kansas City, KS; the Hallford family in Houston, TX; Beka Hardt in Vancouver, WA and Josh Kirk for Denver, CO.
God willing, there will be a CYT program in every major city so that when families like the Bienerts move to a new city, they can simply look up CYT online and find one.
