Vanguard Theater Company was founded in 2015 by two Black artists to address the dearth of opportunity and access to theater among artists and audiences of color and to change the narrative around traditional theater. Through our mission of theater dedicated to DREAM - Diversity, Reciprocity, Education, Activism, and Mentorship, VTC creates a safe space for individuals of different racial and socio-economic backgrounds and life circumstances to work together to address issues of social injustice through theater.
We address our mission through color conscious casting, educational programs that provide mentorship, and opportunities for actors from different zip codes, with different skin tones and means, as well as training and creating a pipeline for diverse technical/production professionals and teaching artists. Our ongoing programming includes presenting plays and musicals with professional, community and intergenerational casts; Broadway Buddy Mentorship that pairs 30 Broadway artists with 30 aspiring professionals ages 12-22 culminating in a cabaret at a professional venue; Summerstock VTC, a two-week residential camp for ages 12-19; DREAM VTC, an education and performance program for ages 12-18 that tours to sites serving populations with specific needs; and VTC Kids, an education and performance program for ages 6-12; as well as a variety of ongoing theater classes for children and adults.
