New York City Children’s Theater
The Client
New York City Children's Theater (NYCCT) reaches children and their communities with a wide range of programming, including full-scale productions, small touring shows, interactive workshops and in-school residencies, and engages with them in traditional theater spaces, school auditoriums, classrooms and cultural venues in their neighborhoods. NYCCT consistently demonstrates that engaging young people in the arts has a positive impact on their cognitive, emotional and social development, and furthers a lifelong appreciation of the arts.
The Need
As NYCCT approaches its 30th Anniversary, the leadership team saw a need to develop a new strategic plan with goals and objectives for the next five years. The TOCG consulting team was brought in to design and lead NYCCT through a strategic planning process that would solidify the organization’s position in the children’s theater landscape of New York City and provide the organization with a roadmap to focus its mission and create a sustainable business model to continue serving the children of New York City into the future.
The Process
TOCG Vice President, Edie Demas and Consultant, Kent Davidson worked with the New York City Children's Theater leadership team to:
Design an inclusive strategic planning process where Staff, Board, and leadership were engaged for input and feedback on the plan
Review and update the company’s mission, vision, and values
Design and deliver a series of working sessions with both the Staff and the leadership team to understand the needs and goals of the organization, as well as to reach consensus on the strategies and tactics needed to reach those goals
Define guiding principles, goals, strategies, tactics, and accountability questions based on input from core constituencies
Write a full Strategic Plan in partnership with the NYCCT leadership team
Present the Strategic Plan to the Board of Directors to build buy-in and receive feedback
The Outcome
The resulting strategic plan was voted on and accepted by the NYCCT Board in June 2024. The leadership team has begun the necessary budgetary and infrastructure work to bring the multi-year plan to fruition starting in 2026. They will spend 2025 in “year zero” mode, piloting new models of practice and building a strong foundation for new production and education projects. The TOCG team will continue to meet with NYCCT for ongoing progress and accountability reviews.
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