Mission

The goal of the Young Actors Theater Strasbourg (YATS) is to provide opportunities within the Strasbourg community to promote American theater culture through plays, musicals and educational programs. The objective of YATS activities is to involve young people in the dramatic arts, providing professional theater instruction in a safe and positive environment.

Young Actors Theater Strasbourg is a non-profit association. Our Officers, Executive Board and Board of Directors are all volunteers dedicated to our mission. Every production is led by an entirely volunteer staff of professionals.

It is well-known that theater has a very positive impact on young people. Theater fires the imagination, stimulates creativity, teaches problem solving in a collaborative environment and provides young people a positive and confident self-image. It gives children the skills and the creativity necessary to face the world, to understand it and perhaps to change it too. These qualities will be important in their future lives whether they choose to persue a theater career or something else.

Many American and British young people get this experience through a high school musical but this doesn’t exist in France. So, where do young people living in the Strasbourg area go to have this theater experience? Since 2013, Young Actors Theater Strasbourg (YATS) has provided theater workshops for young people ages 9 to 18 and theater productions similar to an American high school.

YATS is a non-profit association run by parents, friends and theater professionals who volunteer their time. However, theater programs cost money and YATS depends on membership and sponsorship to pay for workshop teachers, royalties, theater rental, costumes and scenery. Please join YATS as a member and/or a sponsor to ensure that every child who wants to experience live theater has that opportunity now and in the future.

Officers

President: Sarah Bachmann
Secretary: Alessandra Aury
Treasurer: Paul Bikard

Founding President: Robert Heuer

Executive Board

Julien Attuil
Alessandra Aury
Sarah Bachmann
Victor Benedetti
Katarina Bikard
Paul Bikard
Karen Dent
Svetlana Kostadinova-Schall
Mack Murray
Alexandru Oancea
Alicia O’Callahan
Juliana Rambaldi
Véronique Zentz

Board of Directors

Julien Attuil
Anne Attuil-Kayser
Allesandra Aury
Marc Aury
Sarah Bachmann
Victor Benedetti
Ben Bentz
Katarina Bikard
Paul Bikard
Karen Dent
Bart Hulley
Svetlana Kostadinova-Schall
Mark LaFata
Isabelle Marx
Anna-Karin Moberg-Nichols
Mack Murray
Alexandru Oancea
Alicia O’Callahan
Estelle Pébay
Annalisa Poirel
Juliana Rambaldi
William Stern
Véronique Zentz

Sponsors & Partners

Our sponsors make YATS possible!

Founding Sponsors

The Wesselink Family: Renée, Krys, Emily, Paige and Jake.
The Heuer/LaFata Family: Robert Heuer and Mark LaFata
The Tennis Seguin Family: Molly, Olivier, Henri, Samuel, Theodore and Nicolas.
The Aury Family: Alessandra, Marc and Francesca.
The Bikard Family: Katarina, Paul, Alexandra and Oliver.
The Sweeney Family: Robin, John, Meg and Ella.
The Sternasty Family: Teresa and Dave

Accès Study Abroad in France. Spend a semester or a summer studying in Strasbourg. Accès is designed for students from American colleges and universities. We arrange housing with host families, organize excursions to sites all over eastern France, and transfer academic credits from the University of Strasbourg. Start your experience at www.accesstudyabroad.fr