TVY Development Program

The Alliance Theatre & TYA/USA TVY Development Program supports a new Theatre for Very Young Audiences show with funding, residency, and mentorship support at Alliance Theatre, and presented workshops at the TYA/USA Festival & Conference and Woodruff Art Center's Toddler Takeover, powered by PNC.

TYA/USA offers this program every other year, in conjunction with the TYA/USA Festival & Conference happening at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The show is chosen through an application process, reviewed by a committee made up of TYA/USA Board Members, TYA/USA staff, Alliance Theatre staff and TVY practitioners.

The TVY Development Program includes:

  • An $8,000 stipend to cover the creative team’s travel and lodging at the Alliance Theatre and to support the development of the show. Examples of development expenses include: hiring designers or choreographers, recording live music, fabrication of set pieces, puppets, props, or costume pieces.
  • Residency support in the fall/winter at Alliance Theatre including: seeing TVY shows, rehearsal space and opportunities to workshop the show for intended audiences, mentorship support in their own rehearsal process by Alliance Theatre staff members, including Olivia Aston Bosworth, Dan Reardon Director of Youth and Families at Alliance Theatre
  • Residency support in the spring at Alliance Theatre
  • Workshop presentations of the show at the TYA/USA Festival & Conference and Woodruff Art Center’s Toddler Takeover, powered by PNC, attended by over 350 practitioners from all over the world

We are not currently accepting applications for the program. The next application will launch in Summer 2027 for the show to be presented at the 2028 TYA/USA Festival & Conference.

Past Recipients

In 2025, TYA/USA and Alliance Theatre launched the pilot program of the Alliance Theatre & TYA/USA Theatre for the Very Young Development Program. The 2025 Recipient was  “Helping Hands” by Jack Romans and Cameryn Richardson

The “Helping Hands” creative team Jack Romans and Cameryn Richardson were in residence at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia in December and May to develop and eventually present their workshop production during the 2026 TYA/USA Festival & Conference and Toddler Takeover, powered by PNC. They were also provided with $8,000 to cover the creative team’s travel and lodging at the Alliance Theatre and to support the development of the show.