Vashon Visionaries: New Youth Theatre Program in the Works!

EMPOWER: Lidia Boijko (Treasurer), Moss D’Artell (Arts Director), Maarten Ribalet-Coesel (Marketing), and Callum Brown (President) huddle together in the VHS theatre before rehearsals. With being so heavily involved in the new theatre company, these teens are excited to show off their leadership skills and bring something fresh and exciting to the local acting scene. 

A group of Vashon Island teens is building something new: a student-led theatre program in partnership with Orbit Youth Space and Vashon Repertory Theatre. Vashon is full of artists eager to share their vision, and this company is no exception. This program is designed to provide young people with an inclusive, supportive space to explore the arts, while also making a point to focus on the economic and political climate of today. With the ultimate goal of offering free or low-cost theatre opportunities, the company is entirely youth driven, with teens taking the lead in choosing shows, helping organize activities, and shaping the program and their new roles from the ground up.

Meg Thompson, the founder and facilitator of the company, shared her story on how the organization came to be.

“The main thing that inspired me to start this was my own experience growing up in a youth theatre program called Bellevue Youth Theatre,” Thompson said. “It was a space that created a second home for a lot of us (teens) and when I moved to Vashon a year ago, while other creative theatre opportunities existed, none specifically provided a free and accessible space for youth to do theatre outside of high school,” Thompson continued.

The idea of accessibility and more creative freedom is something that resonates deeply with the students involved. Moss D’Artell, a 9th grader at VHS and Artistic Director of the company, echoed Thompson’s goal, stating,

“I’d say you get more of an ability to speak your mind, work with others, and have your own input on things. You have more power as a minor and as a student in our organization,” She continued, stating: “The fact that we have the power to express our ideas and opinions contributes to our main goal because we’ll actually be listened to,” D’Artell said.

So far the group has been doing online meetings to set everything in motion. One of the first orders of business is being able to select their first musical.

“Right now we’re voting on which musical to do first, and from what I know, the options are between Cabaret, Next To Normal, Tick, Tick… Boom!, and Spring Awakening. I think all of them are really important social commentary, and it’s exciting to see what we’ll end up doing,” Maarten Ribalet-Coesel, a sophmore and head of the marketing team said.

Many of the students involved have strong opinions about why these shows are the primary candidates, most agreeing that they all touch on topics that are relevant to today's society. Ruby Johnson, a sophmore and secretary of the company, also has thoughts on the progressive themes they intend to tackle.

“A big part of what makes this program different is that we can do shows that are edgier like Cabaret, that you wouldn’t see in a high school theatre,” Johnson said.

Even as the students lean into bold storytelling, they’re also learning how to manage the responsibilities that come with running a theatre company.

“I’m about to go into mentoring on how the treasurer position is going to work. I don’t know too much about it yet, but I’m excited to learn,” said Lidia Boijko, a sophomore and the organization's treasurer.

The spirit of being unafraid to grow, collaborate, and lead is at the heart of what makes this company so exciting. As the organization's president and someone who’s been part of the team from the beginning, I’ve seen first hand how committed we all are in creating something meaningful together. They’re not just putting on shows—we’re creating an experience that will last a lifetime and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.