Climb, Inc.

47 Years of Effective Education and Exceptional Entertainment

At CLIMB Theatre our mission is "to inspire and propel people toward actions that benefit themselves, each other, and their community through plays, classes, and other collaborative works." Each year, CLIMB reaches over 100,000 students, teachers, and others across the Midwest with our collaborative works, plays, and interactive classes on topics like bullying prevention, empathy, and diversity.

CLIMB’s artistic process centers on two main principles: Theater in Reverse (TiR) and Radical Play. Most theaters produce plays and then draw audiences that want to see them, CLIMB’s TiR reverses the process, putting audience’s needs and interests first. We then write, produce, and present theater that is specifically relevant to our audiences. Radical Play asks artists and participants to abandon restrictive thinking about what’s “practical” and focus on imagination and play in order to achieve permanent, tangible change. For CLIMB that change occurs by building skill in our five CLIMB A.R.E.A.S: Accountability, Resiliency, Empathy, Advocacy, and Self-Control. These areas are central to the lessons our programming impart and to the processes by which we make our work. 

We serve our communities through our plays, classes, and other collaborative works that are research-based, create safe, age-appropriate spaces to explore issues, and have learning outcomes that uniquely reach each lesson’s goals. Additionally, our education works with the teachers and staff at each school and customizes the lesson to students’ needs.

A teacher of Folwell Middle School, stated, "since CLIMB’s programming…high school students have gotten involved with youth advocacy groups at their schools. My goal was that they find their voices in writing and develop a passion for advocacy. All the embedded social-emotional learning, one of Climb's greatest and underestimated strengths, only strengthened the bond. Thank you for bringing your passionate team out into the community to teach real-world skills in under-served schools."

Your generous donation helps us continue to propel people towards beneficial actions.

For a better world!

Anton Jones, Artistic Director/CEO

Afton Benson, Managing Director