Tyler Hutchinson grew up in Indiana and is no stranger to hardship and the trouble life may throw one’s way. He has personal experience with how the arts can produce a change in all that and have a powerful positive impact on youth.
After moving to the North Texas area as a trainer and scout for an acting and modeling company, Tyler recognized the need for a theater program in the area that would train students in character as well as technical skills. Starting simply with summer camps and classes, Christian Youth Theater (CYT) in Flower Mound has grown to over 100 students and four main stage shows per year.
Tyler was raised by his mom, a single mother, and his aunts and he is personally acquainted with the struggle to survive. In 2018, Tyler lost nine family members in a tragic boat accident on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri, and just last month at the age of 28, Tyler suffered a serious heart attack. While in the hospital, Tyler learned of the family history that made life-threatening heart issues a near-certainty.
Through it all, Tyler continues to choose joy with a contagious energy that shows up in all of CYT’s students.
In this especially crazy time of unknowns and rapidly changing circumstances, Tyler continues to commit his time and talents to our students as they find their voice, discover their identity and through it all, “choose joy.”
The hardships that Tyler has experienced with the loss of family, and his recent brush with mortality have only strengthened his resolve to push ahead to build a community and a space for youth to be able to grow and experience life to the fullest.
That community is CYT Dallas.
Tyler is the founder and artistic director of CYT Dallas. He is passionate about God, excited about CYT and expert at all things theater. Tyler has been blessed to be able to travel throughout the US, Canada and South Africa, performing and teaching.
After performing and working in community theater, regional theater and local professional theater, Tyler was introduced to CYT. He has been a member of the CYT family since November of 2012; first as a teacher and then Artistic Director for CYT Indianapolis. After serving CYT Indy, Tyler was led to Dallas where he founded CYT Dallas-Fort Worth, Inc. He is committed to glorifying God while teaching CYT students how to share their gifts and talents through professional quality youth theater.
At CYT we are about building character through the medium of creative arts. In today’s culture, character is something that is often hoped for but seldom realized. At CYT, we impart discipline and integrity, while instilling self-confidence in each student that accepts our challenge.
We believe that God created each of us as equals, uniquely beautiful and wonderfully made in his image with talents and skills that are divine gifts. We desire to train our students in the creative arts so they can realize those talents and skills while learning the value of respect, work ethic, and the importance of time and effort well-spent. We have chosen to reach out to students who love exploring their creative side. While doing so, we plant seeds in their lives that may change the world around them and possibly the whole world in which we live.
Creative arts have influenced the world for millennia – painting, singing, acting, dancing, writing, artisanal crafts – all of these disciplines have impacted history. We want to build, guide and shape character while celebrating each individual for everyone’s enjoyment.
If you have a creative student in your life … CYT has a program just for them.
Learn more at www.cytdallas.org.
(Sponsored content submitted by Shannon Mahoney)
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