Grantee Database
UNUSUAL SUSPECTS THEATRE CO
Grant Year
2025-26
Grant Program
Arts and Youth
Award Amount
$20,500.00
Project Description
With support from the California Arts Council, UNUSUAL SUSPECTS THEATRE CO (USTC) will deliver five total 12-week Youth Theatre Conservatory performance residencies at four arts-poor, Title 1 school sites and one community-based site. These 5 after-school residencies will provide 100+ LA County high-school students opportunities to create and perform original plays based on their personal experiences and shared culture. Each residency will provide an intensive, youth-driven creative process that combines a standards-based and culturally-responsive curriculum with deep mentorship to increase access to formative arts education in under-resourced LA County communities for youth (ages 14–19; 98% BIPOC). Each residency will culminate in 1-3 public youth performances—with an additional final “Best of Fest” event—attended by peers, families, neighbors, and site partners. Funds will support key USTC staff and Teaching Artists (TAs) who implement the Conservatory program.
Organization Summary
USTC believes that the future of theatre lives in Los Angeles, and has developed a 5-year plan (2024-2028) to increase the quality and reach of our programs. We are adding partners and updating curricula to better connect with and meet the needs of today’s young people and provide the best possible platform for learning and creating theatre-arts. Through cross-training services and deepening partnerships, USTC also strives to support equity in disenfranchised communities holistically, promoting systemic change beyond our own work. For example, USTC is a founding member of the Arts for Healing and Justice Network (AHJN), an interdisciplinary collaborative of 15 arts organizations working to build resiliency and wellness, eliminate recidivism, and transform the juvenile-justice system.
Programs include:
YOUTH THEATRE CONSERVATORY: Our flagship program offers experiential theatre-arts education and mentoring via two sequential 10-week after-school residencies per site (playwriting then performance) wherein youth collaborate to create and perform an original play. The program is expanding into a sequential, multi-year model to engage high school students across four academic levels.
YOUTH THEATRE RESIDENCY: Standards-based workshops in-and-out of the classroom that help students build teamwork, communication, and socialization skills.
VOICES FROM INSIDE PROGRAM (VIP): Provided in partnership with AHJN, our site-adaptive VIP offers healing-informed, standards-based theatre-arts education and mentoring for incarcerated, justice-involved, and other trauma-impacted minors.
NEIGHBORHOOD VOICES PROGRAM: Intergenerational community residents (ages 11-65+) create and perform an original, modernized morality play that addresses local issues.
VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM: Offered in tandem with select residencies to provide hands-on training and skill-building opportunities in distinct theatrical disciplines (e.g. Costume/Scenic Design).
THEATRE & CULTURE ACCESS PROGRAM: Free field trips introduce students and families from low-income communities to professional theatre.
YOUTH JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP: In collaboration with Stage Raw, the Fellowship provides select students (ages 15-25) with professional critical writing instruction/mentoring and opportunities to publish original pieces.
Organization
The Unusual Suspects Theatre Company
Address
300 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 9
Pasadena
91105
County
Los Angeles
Region
South – Los Angeles & Orange
Phone
(323) 739-0768
Congressional District
California's 28th congressional district
State Assembly District
District 41
State Senate District
District 25
