theatriQ

/the-at-rik/

a performing arts youth ensemble for queer & Trans creatives

(welcoming ages 13-26)

For over 20 years, theatriQ has provided a welcoming environment for young people to grow in confidence, express themselves, and develop as leaders.

Every year theatriQ invites local multidisciplinary artists to serve as mentors and guides for young people. Together, they create and share original work (theatre, visual art, music, etc.) exploring LGBTQIA+ themes.

Get involved

Want to create a production from the ground up with a group of your peers?

Apply for Dreams of Hope’s theatriQ, a performing arts ensemble for young queer and Trans creatives!

theatriQ welcomes ages 13-26 and runs from Fall to Spring.

The ensemble meets weekly on Wednesday evenings 5:30-8 pm in East Liberty

Participants earn a stipend at the end of the program based on attendance.

Applications for the 2025-2026 season have now closed.

Please save the date for our ensemble's Spring 2026 production, and express your interest for the 2026-2027 season below!

Spring 2026 Production - Friday April 24th 2026 - Sunday April 26th 2026

2026-2027 Season - Fall 2026 - Spring 2027 - Express your interest!

group of black folk taking a selfie in pink tie dye dreams of hope tshirts

Participate

Express interest for the 2026-2027 season!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

If your question is not answered below, please feel free to email us at info@dreamsofhope.org and we will get back to you as soon as we can.

What will I do in theatriQ?

Learn about the intersection of queerness & theatre
Explore the foundations of theater and performance
Be yourself & tell your story through art
Collaborate to create original work
Work with seasoned artists
Educate audiences through performances and workshops

Who can join?

We are open to ANY and ALL creative queer and trans youth!

Great! But, what do you mean by “youth?”

By youth, we mean young people. Our current age range is 13-26.

But, what if I’m not “creative?”

Creative means so many things! You might instead call yourself a crafter, hobbyist, writer, musician, performer, artist, poet, activist, organizer, or leader.

Even if you don’t “create,” we as humans express our unique emotions, feelings, and experiences.

So, we encourage you to join one of our creative sessions even if you don’t identify with having any particular art form!

What are creative sessions?

Creative sessions are what we call are weekly meetings.

This is a time for us to join collectively to learn, create, express, and be.

Folks in attendance are

Young people that are participating
Seasoned, local teaching artists that hold space, facilitate activities, and share knowledge
Dreams of Hope staff members that provide support

In this time together, we explore the foundations of theater and performance, genres, technical theatre, and playwriting, and more. There are often creative exercises like creating charters, writing scenes, reading pieces, or creating your own works of art!

We also focus on devising a full production together over the course of a semester. Visit our productions page or our youtube channel to get an idea of what theatriQ has devised over the last 20 years!

What’s the commitment level?

Our 2024-25 season runs October - April with a winter break.

The ensemble dedicates focus to creating and producing a youth devised mainstage show, presented in April 2025.

We encourage weekly attendance and participation! We hope you can attend as many weekly creative sessions as possible, but its okay if you can’t make them all. Once you have registered, please let us know when you won’t be able to make it!

Sometimes, there are creative prompts that you may take home with you to explore, in a fun and creative way.

In April, there will be a bonus tech week and traditional tech week, which are daily rehearsals the week before performances start. We will have multiple performances one weekend in April – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Dreams of Hope compensates creative labor and has funding to provide stipends to theatriQ participants at the end of the series.

Will there be people my age?

Yes, there will probably be a few! However, with our expansive age range of 13-26, we can’t guarantee that the majority of people participating will be around the same age as you.

Additionally, at Dreams of Hope, mentorship is at the heart of our work. That means many things, but here we highlight it to share about peer mentorship in action: the young people who have been involved with Dreams of Hope for a few years are welcoming and supportive to new members!

Who are the Dreams of Hope staff who will be present?

Our Program Director, Bekezela Mguni, and our Marketing and Outreach Steward malakai koehler, coordinate theatriQ. One or both of them are present at each creative session!

Click their names or photos to learn more about them.

theatriQ

/the-at-rik/

Get involved

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

What will I do in theatriQ?

Who can join?

Great! But, what do you mean by “youth?”

But, what if I’m not “creative?”

What are creative sessions?

Where and where do we meet?

What’s the commitment level?

Will there be people my age?

Who are the Teaching artists?

Who are the Dreams of Hope staff who will be present?

Bekezela Mguni

malakai koehler

theatriQ

/the-at-rik/

Get involved

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

What will I do in theatriQ?