The Rainbow Company Youth Theatre is a nationally acclaimed, award-winning youth theatre group which operates under the City of Las Vegas Office of Cultural Affairs. The company provides a professional training program for young people and theatre art classes for all ages. The core of the Rainbow Company is its ensemble of 40 dedicated students, ages 10 to 18, selected yearly by open auditions. The Rainbow Company Ensemble members work in all aspects of each production. The costumes, make-up, sets, lights, sound and backstage crew responsibilities are all handled by Ensemble members under the tutelage of professional directors and designers. Serving as an Ensemble member requires participants to make a serious commitment to learning the art of theatre. Casting for Rainbow Company shows is age appropriate-adults in adult roles and children in children's roles-and all auditions are open to members of the community. (There is always a need for adults to audition!)
Classes are offered year-round for young people ages 4-18 at Charleston Heights Arts Center. Those who are 4-12 years of age concentrate on improvisation, acting and creative drama. Older, more experienced, young people explore classes in all aspects of theatre. The Student Ensemble program offers professional-level training to young people, ages 10-18, in all areas of theatre. This nationally recognized program is a huge time commitment; but for the serious theatre student, it is ideal. The Ensemble is for students who want to learn all aspects of theatre, and all students are required to work on all productions, either backstage or on stage. A touring show goes out into the schools on Tuesdays and Thursdays, February-May, to perform for upward of 11,000 young people each year. For more than 25 years, the show has been an original musical production focusing on Nevada history.
