Anthony Runfola

The theatre I make lives at the intersection of artistry, education, and community. Storytelling that invites curiosity and affirms children as thoughtful participants is central to my practice. Young people can engage with complexity when it's offered with care, clarity, and joy. When a young person feels seen, learning takes root. Theatre for Young Audiences is not preparation for art later in life. It puts the life they are living now in context. When we bring young people into theatrical spaces and surround them with the same values we afford adult audiences, we signal that their stories and their presence matter.

As a director, the moments I most look forward to are when the whole team is in the room together. First when the design team gathers months before rehearsal to share vision, and again on the first day of rehearsal when actors, designers, and staff meet as a company. My work as a leader is to pull a thread through those moments, building an ensemble that can create the kind of theatre that young audiences deserve. Throughout my career, I have watched what happens when we succeed: young audiences move from laughter into focus and from recognition into pride—not because they were instructed, but because the work invited them in. When storytelling engages the body through rhythm, movement, humor, and music, children feel ideas before they name them.

Developing new plays and musicals for young audiences is central to my work. New plays allow us to respond to the moment in which our young people live, to center voices that have been historically marginalized, and to expand what's possible in Theatre for Young Audiences. The health of our field depends on continuous artistic innovation. Nurturing emerging artists and playwrights is essential.

​Ultimately, my philosophy centers on stewardship: of stories, of people, and of trust. I aim to create work that makes children feel seen and inspired, artists feel supported and challenged, and communities recognize the theatre as an essential partner in learning, imagination, and joy.

Equity and access are fundamental to my work. Theatre is a living practice, one that must continually examine how its values are reflected in its culture, policies, and artistic choices. Committing to a cycle of reflection, action, and re-commitment creates a space where the work and the people making it can flourish. When young people see characters who look and talk like them taking center stage, they claim ownership not just of the story but of the space itself. That sense of belonging transforms what becomes possible.

Ensemble lies at the heart of both my artistic practice and my organizational leadership. This way of working requires equal measures of precision and play—structured discipline alongside creative exploration. When we create space for administrators, educators, and production staff to problem-solve creatively, the entire organization strengthens. When an organization functions as an ensemble, its values are lived, not aspirational.