On Sunday, April 24, a celebration was held in recognition of Fountain Hills Youth Theater (FHYT) and its Artistic Director, Ross Collins. Fountain Hills Theater’s (FHT) dedicated Youth Theater was established in 2002, which Collins quickly established as a top-tier youth theater, presenting multiple productions each season and garnering dozens of AriZoni Award nominations and wins.

Incorporated into the youth seasons was a program called Young Actors Benefitting Other Youth (YABOY) in which FHYT would present plays that directly confronted issues facing today’s youth. Homelessness, runaways, drug awareness and teen suicide were among the topics addressed.

Each YABOY production would partner with another non-profit organization that provided expertise, input and assistance by helping young actors understand the issues and how they could help. A portion of ticket sales are donated to the partnering organization.

“These accomplishments were made possible through the inspiration and dedication of Mr. Collins,” a press release of the event said. “Many alumni of his theater showed up to honor him and described the positive influence and lasting life lessons they acquired working on productions under his guidance.”

After 20 years and thousands of kids who have passed through the doors both as actors, techs and audience, FHYT remains a vibrant and energetic program devoted to the needs and talents of the town’s youth community.

“Here’s to another 20 years,” the press release continued. “And in the words of Ross Collins, ‘Let the Magic begin!’”