Proud Theater is an after-school theater program that supports and nurtures its participants while still pursuing its activist mission to "change the world through the power of theater".

Proud Theater was originally founded in Madison, WI in 2000, but has come a long way since then. The organization now houses four chapters in Wisconsin cities: Wausau, Madison, Milwaukee, and Sun Prarie. Open to teens who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, person-specific or other; youth from queer families; and their allied peers (LGBTQ+) ages 13-19, this organization not only caters to teens' involvement in theater production but also to understanding other points of view.

By serving as role models, inspiration, and educators to one another, youth and adult participants both benefit from the other’s lived experiences. Proud Theater is a surrogate family for those without, a second home for others, and a space of love for all.

Bringing the stories and experiences of queer youth to life and performing them within the community is a clear example of the activism inherent in the Proud Theater experience. However, the company’s mission goes beyond merely “preaching to the choir” in a year-end capstone production. Youth perform for educators and engage with them in dialog about how to increase awareness, improve conditions, or respond to queer youth in their schools.

As they share their stories, youth find commonalities among experiences that empower them to own and acknowledge the importance of all experiences, positive and negative, in their personal growth. Youth have a unique opportunity for role-taking by taking stories, compounding them with numerous points of view, and bringing them to life through improvisation. Youth perform roles across gender, sexuality, race, age, and ideology. By taking on the roles of others youth are able to engage with multiple ways of being in a supportive, reflective environment. Role taking offers a chance for youth to see the world through another’s eyes, and come to terms with the worth of each individual. Activism can also be the seed of an idea planted in a person’s mind: that all points of view have a space to be heard, debated, and respected.

Proud Theater Gives Opportunities:

Proud Theater embraces and promotes all avenues for personal growth, interpersonal development, and community engagement. Youth develop creative and dramatic approaches to dialogue, are given the chance to act, compose, dance, direct, and participate fully in developing a show from conception to closing night. Proud Theater also serves as an inroad to the larger community: youth participants have the opportunity to perform in primary and secondary educational settings, conferences, banquets and ceremonies within the LGBT community, or for Proud Theater benefits. Proud Theater seeks to open up these avenues for its participants, but like all paths, the participant must choose to walk it or not: the individual determines their experience. Proud Theater’s goal is to support all participants on whatever path they choose.

Get Involved

Teens in the Wausau area can get involved by attending a meeting at 3:30 on Wednesdays at the First Universalist Unitarian Church, 504 Grant St in Wausau.

You can donate to Proud Theatre Wausau by going to https://www.gofundme.com/7xtxsgvg