Aloha Teen Theatre: Learning leadership, teamwork and creativity through theater

Aloha Teen Theatre members are: front row, Tabitha Robbins, Teagan Keenay and Zoe Vickers; second row, Julisa Bradley and Addi Lea; third row, Te’a Stuart, Andy Chan, Jasmine Beavins, Grace Webster, Abigail Vickers and Samohn Benavides; back row, Ziven Witczak, Xavier Chuny and Sophia Nuss. Not pictured is Quinn Colvin. (Photo courtesy Engela Edwards/Special to West Hawaii Today)

Theater, by design, forces actors to empathize — to put themselves in someone else’s shoes. In a world often void of empathy, getting children involved in an activity that lays the foundation for compassion is an opportunity worth taking advantage of. The Aloha Teen Theatre (ATT) in Kainaliu offers a free theater program for teens ages 13-18. Under the direction of Engela Edwards, ATT encourages teen leadership through theater education, community outreach projects and public performance opportunities.