Youth Theater Ensemble
NECS Youth Theatre Ensemble is dedicated to inspiring young people to become social agents by engaging with the magic of theatre while developing their artistic skills.
We maintain a commitment to developing a keen sense of moral leadership alongside artistic achievements in each child. Cast members meet from October through March on Saturdays to rehearse and learn the play of the year.
NECS has been producing Children’s Theatre for the past 16 years. CTC promotes theater as a tool for active and critical thinking. Combining a character and ethical education curriculum that emphasizes a culture of inclusivity and service through arts, CTCÂ fosters in young performers a conviction that they are the voices of positive change in society. Our Plays over the years have addressed topics including but not limited to Race, Environmental Issues, Gender Equality, Bullying, and more.
Stay tuned for updates!
- Appropriate for: 5th to 12th Grade
- Dates: Saturdays - 20 sessions (October 5 - March)
Instructors
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Leslie Fields-CruzArtistic DirectorLeslie Fields-Cruz is the Executive Director of the Black Public Media (BPM), and produces the PBS series AfroPOP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange.
Searching for an opportunity to share her love of theater with her children, Leslie Fields-Cruz joined the staff of Peekskill’s Children’s theatre company in 2009 with her own kids in tow. Since then, every fall season Leslie eagerly looks forward to creating the magic that is theater with the CTC community. Leslie served as the Artistic Director of City Lights Youth Theater in NYC from 1998-2000, and spent several years prior to that as an actor performing on stages in New York and Los Angeles.When she is not playmaking at CTC, Leslie spends her time funding and distributing documentary films that explore the cultures of African Americans and people of the African Diaspora. Leslie lives in Cortlandt Manor with her musician husband Gerry Cruz, and their three daughters, Maya, Sumara, and Cierra.
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Matthew BensonServicial, dynamic, dependable. Matthew Benson is a New Yorker who has engaged his time to serve others. He started his studies in Dobbs Ferry and later in the city of Peekskill, where he is currently living and offering his work to the community. He is part of the NECS team as a coach in the theater program and for the empowerED boys club.
