The North Street Playhouse is the only theatre on located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia that regularly produces live theatre. Since its' incorporation in 1996 the Playhouse has become an established part of the community life of the Eastern Shore. As our audience base continues to grow our network of volunteers also grows. The Playhouse's reputation of continually producing new works by local as well as non-residential artists has made it gathering place of artistic development and inspiration on the Eastern Shore. The artistic director of The Playhouse as well as its' board members are continually approached by artists and patrons with new scripts and ideas for future artistic endeavors. Whether it's a local artist seeking approval/opinions regarding a new project or a venue to present a new play, artists are drawn to our theatre for guidance. Although The Playhouse does not exist primarily to provide arts education for youth, we work closely with the children of the Eastern Shore. Our SPARK*les series provides at least 2 different children's productions each season. For several years we have offered student performances of our February production free of charge to the local middle and high schools. These plays are always educational as well as entertaining for the students. We provide the teachers with study guides so that what they learn at the theatre is carried over into the classroom with emphasis on all information that is pertinent to the Virginia Standards of Learning. In spring 2005 we hosted a workshop for the Talented and Gifted students from three local elementary schools. During the summers of 2004 and 2005 the Playhouse offered a summer theatre camp for students which provided experience in many different aspects of live theatre including acting and directing as well as costume design, lighting and sound design. In addition, four of our Main Stage series productions during the past two seasons featured children as actors.