About
Playact builds confident artists through high-quality theatre, meaningful education, and a community where everyone belongs.
Playact Mission
Playact Theatre is committed to cultivating confident, skilled artists through craft, collaboration, and community. We create theatre with high standards and a professional approach to both process and performance, believing that artists grow when they are challenged, trusted, and supported. Through meaningful education, creative innovation, and spaces rooted in belonging, we develop artists who think critically, lead with integrity, and tell stories with purpose. Our mission is to build a theatre community where creativity is taken seriously, voices are valued, and every artist is prepared to contribute onstage and beyond.
VISION Statement
Playact envisions a thriving professional theatre that serves as a creative home for artists and audiences in our region. We see a place where professional artists, emerging talent, and passionate theatre enthusiasts come together to create bold, beautiful work. A place where people of all ages can train in the performing arts, where high-quality theatre education is accessible without the financial barriers of a traditional conservatory, and where artists are paid, valued, and employed. Our vision is a theatre that builds careers, strengthens community, and proves that excellent, professional theatre can grow and flourish right here in Northwest Indiana.
5 Core Pillars
1. Craft With High Standards
We take the work seriously.
We create theatre that feels professional in both process and performance, no matter the age of the cast. That means strong storytelling, thoughtful design, clear direction, and a rehearsal culture that respects everyone’s time and effort. We believe artists rise to the level of expectation they are given, so we set the bar high and coach them up to it. Excellence is not a buzzword here. It is a daily practice.
2. Cultivation of Real Skills
What happens in rehearsal should make you better at life, not just better at theatre.
Our classes, camps, and productions are designed to teach concrete tools including acting technique, vocal skills, movement, text analysis, collaboration, time management, and professionalism. We treat theatre as both an art form and a training ground for confidence, communication, and leadership. Creativity, discipline, and teamwork are not side benefits. They are central outcomes.
3. Centering Youth Voice and Growth
Young people are not future artists. They are artists now.
We give kids and teens real responsibility and real input in the work through leadership opportunities, assistant directing, choreography, design participation, and open dialogue in the rehearsal room. When young artists are trusted, they step up. By working alongside peers and mentors, they learn to see themselves as creators, not just participants.
4. Community and Belonging
No one should feel like a guest in the room. Everyone should feel at home.
We build spaces where artists and families can show up as themselves and know they will be welcomed, seen, and valued. This includes clear expectations, consistent communication, and a culture that actively shuts down gossip, bullying, and exclusion. Community means real relationships, mutual respect, and celebrating each other’s growth both on and off the stage.
5. Collaboration and Creative Innovation
We experiment, build, and move the work forward together.
We treat Playact as a living creative lab. We explore fresh approaches to classic material, support new work, and develop resourceful solutions that make high-quality theatre possible. Collaboration extends beyond our rehearsal rooms through partnerships with schools, universities, and community organizations. By sharing ideas and learning together, we strengthen both our artists and our region.