CYT Times

Dear CYT Family,

As we are confronted with the senseless, tragic, unjust death of George Floyd, and the riots that have ensued, we are heartbroken. It is a tragic reminder that we, as humans, can do better. Racism has existed for far too long, and we must work towards finding lasting solutions. 

The mission of CYT states: Christian Youth Theater develops character and creativity in kids of all ages through quality theater arts training that brings families and communities together while reflecting the Creator. Now more than ever we are wholeheartedly committed to bringing families and communities together. That means speaking out against racism, and standing up for peace. It means developing character in our youth founded in love and kindness, while celebrating and embracing diversity.

Our love and prayers are with all those affected by the events facing us during this time. We are committed to teaching our students to use their God given talents to glorify God, and today that means using our voices to speak up to dissolve all types of prejudice and saying, ‘Love thy neighbor’.

We strongly believe in the power of theater arts and that it unites the universal language of music, dance, and storytelling that transcends generations, cultures, and boundaries. But we realize real change for equality only happens when the human heart has been transformed by the Creator. So we collectively stand together as a CYT family against injustice, and will continue to keep listening, including, and loving for the long haul, day after day. 

To all members of our community that are affected by racism, we stand with you. You matter. We love you. Jesus loves you. We’re praying that God would do a work in our hearts to bring about wisdom, humility, and empathy so that we can learn to love like Jesus in word and deed. We encourage everyone to listen, learn, and act. And to be gracious and patient with those that we disagree with.

We want to hear from you. How do you think CYT can support, advocate, and contribute to various solutions? Please click HERE to share your voice with us.

Colossians 3:14 Beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 

CYT is a family and when one of us hurts, we all feel it. CYT Nashville has experienced loss and heartache that require the prayers of our entire Christian Youth Theater community to lift them up. Two students in particular are weighing heavy on their hearts, Treven and Noah.

Noah Evans, CYT Nashville student, had been battling with episodic migraines since late July of 2019. An MRI, in September, revealed he has a 5 cm x 5 cm tumor in his brain in his right ventricle. A team of Neurosurgeons and Oncologists worked together to come up with a plan, one which includes surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Noah is currently on a treatment plan to assist his earthly body by maintaining growth of the tumor. CYT Nashville Artistic Director, Katie Whigham, was eager to express how each boy specifically and uniquely impacted the CYT community in their town and here is what she had to say about faith-driven Noah,

“Noah is the most insanely encouraging, faithful 12-year-old you will ever meet. We refer to him often as Pastor Noah. We are blessed with having the entire Evans family a part of our CYT community. Older brother Nathan and younger brother Elijah were quickly brought in to CYT and rarely took breaks from classes and shows. Noah, in the beginning, was more invested in sports but he loved to come and watch his brother’s shows. Finally, we won over the soccer battle and got him to join in on a session and a show and he, till this day, will always say “why didn’t I join sooner?!” Noah is the type of kid you can count on for a hug, a heart-felt compliment and just overall the most encouraging words that are customized to fit your heart’s needs.”  ‘Pastor Noah’ continues to change lives and bring more people closer to Christ by simply living out the gifts God has given him.  Join us in prayer as we continue to pray for a miracle for Noah’s earthly healing.  His family and community request continued prayers that God heals Noah’s body and rids all abnormal cells. 

If you wish to support Noah and his family during this challenging time, a link to their GoFundMe page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/noah-evans-the-warrior

Treven Lenox, CYT Nashville student, was diagnosed with Pre-B All Leukemia back in September of 2017. Since his diagnosis, he and his family have been flooded with community support surrounding his battle. Here is Treven’s CYT story through his AD Katie’s eyes,

“Treven is not your typical CYT-er where they join, willingly, fall in love and then become a lifer. Nonetheless, Treven found a way to make his mark in the community by being someone who embodied the culture and mission of CYT. Treven is very much a go with the flow ‘sure, whatever, I’ll do it’ kind of kid. He was inseparable from his best friend, Cole Bronleewe, who happened to be big brother to Grace who had been in CYT Nashville shows since the start (2012). I imagine that the conversation about how the two of them joined CYT was “I mean, if you do it, I will do it.” And just like that Treven came into our lives. Treven brought an energy to the room like no other. You know that student that you just can’t get to stop goofing off or talking…..that was him, but had this way about him that you could be so frustrated and yet you couldn’t help but laugh. Treven’s energy was unmatched by many. He was the best at welcoming newcomers, lightening the mood when times were stressful, and he had such a way with the younger students. He played the big brother role to many. Treven wasn’t there to improve on his theater skill sets, he was there because he belonged. We needed Treven, whether it was to lighten the mood, make us laugh or roll our eyes, or for him to subconsciously remind us why, as leaders/staff, we continue to show up and lean in, he was there. Treven never wanted people to worry about him, he was always more concerned for others.” 

Treven left his earthly body after 2 years and 8 months of Leukemia treatment. The Nashville community is grieving the loss of this beautiful soul but prays that they continue to honor Treven in the way that he would want to be honored: by reminiscing on a hilarious memory of him or by crying tears if you need to, but always ending with a belly laugh. His family stated their prayer is, “that Treven will impact this world, and the kingdom of God even more through his death than through his life.” 

If you wish to support Treven’s family during this challenging time, a link to their GoFundMe page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/community-support-for-treven

#treventough #noahbrave

Did you see what’s happening on CYT HQ’s Instagram? It’s CYT Q&A Time! Go follow @cythq and play along!

Comment your favorite CYT role you’ve ever played on our Instagram post today. Then tag/mention 3 of your friends to play along. It’s time to celebrate how much CYT Shows have changed our lives over the last 40 years. 💙

DID YOU KNOW: We have officially completed 2 full weeks of the CYT National Talent-Thon. We only have 25 days left! Enter now @ www.cyt.org/talent ⭐️