The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company

The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company (USTC) believes that the future of theatre lives in LA. Our Youth Theatre Conservatory offers free, experiential theatre-arts education and mentoring to underserved students afterschool; building a platform for self-expression and creative collaboration. With LA2050’s support, we will reach 250+ emerging youth artists and 3,150+ community audience members, while setting the stage for a state-of-the-art Youth Theatre Center and providing equitable pathways to tech and creative industry employment.

Since 1993, The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company (USTC) mentors, educates, and enriches the lives of youth from under-resourced LA County communities to support their socio-emotional and academic well-being through the creation of collaborative, original theatre. USTC has developed a new five-year strategic plan to 1) expand our reach to make theatre arts education free and accessible to youth and families, and 2) elevate the artistic quality of programs to the level of professional theatre companies.

My LA2050 will allow US to expand our free VAST Enrichment Program for Special Education, ELL, and other marginalized students, increasing the breadth and depth of our impact. VAST nurtures under-represented voices with an inclusive, nontraditional curriculum of in-class theatre workshops that reduce barriers to participation for high-needs students, improve their language, communication, and teamwork skills, and boost classroom behavior. To amplify our impact, US will also provide on-campus professional development for partnering schools.