The history of FULL IMPACT THEATER (formerly known as Michigan Youth Theater or MYT) truly begins with Class Act Drama 4-H Club, founded by Dr. Lisa Hodge Kander in 1992. This club was founded to give young people ages 5 to 19 an opportunity to explore theater arts. After a number of years, the club had formed a true community of young artists who were doing work of a high caliber. In 2000, Class Act Drama 4-H won the State Award for Project Area, the highest award a Michigan 4-H club can achieve.
Many of these young artists were interested in a more intensive experience. Michigan Youth Theater was founded (also by Dr. Kander) in 2000 to answer this interest for youth ages 12 to 19. MYT filed as a 501(c)3 organization in 2001, and this status was confirmed in 2005.
The summer of 2011 marked the retirement of our fearless leader, Dr. Kander, who, after so many years of love and dedication to MYT, moved on to act on other dreams. The group has established a scholarship fund in her name, the Dr. Lisa Hodge Kander Scholarship Fund, to honor her vision of giving everyone the opportunity to experience the magic of theater.
We changed our name to Full Impact Theater in the spring of 2012, but our mission remains the same—to develop leadership, teamwork, and communication skills in youth ages 12 to 19 through theater production experiences while providing professional quality, classics-based live theater experiences and education for community schools and audiences of all ages.
Here is a list of the plays the FULL IMPACT THEATER has performed since its founding. We will be adding information and photos to this section later so visit again!
2001
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Trickster Tales, an original play by Michigan Youth Theater
Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
2002
The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Faust Project, adapted from Marlowe’s and Goethe’s classic texts
2003
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
The Zoo Story by Edward Albee
2004
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
2005
Clever Girls of Every Age, an original play by Michigan Youth Theater with Megan Callahan and Dr. Lisa Hodge Kander
Julia, an original play by Lisa Hodge Kander, inspired by Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar
2006
Antigone by Sophocles
2007
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Frankenstein, adapted by Lisa Hodge Kander
2008
Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, an original adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s story by Dr. Lisa Hodge Kander
2009
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
As You Like It by William Shakespeare
Nightlight; Vampires Afraid of the Dork, an original parody of the Twilight movie series by Dr. Lisa Hodge Kander
2010
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen
The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare
Fall Festival of Plays, three one-act plays by young authors
2011
Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
The Picture of Dorian Gray adapted by Robert Kauzlaric from the novel by Oscar Wilde
2012
Breath of Spring by Peter Coke
King Lear by William Shakespeare
The Philadelphia Story by Phillip Barry
2013
The Good Person of Szechwan by Bertolt Brecht (spring)
The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare (summer)