When kids take classes at Albuquerque Little Theatre, they have to climb lots of stairs to reach the classroom and rehearsal space.

“People on wheels can’t get up there at all,” said Executive Director Rob Armstrong Martin.

That’s a problem ALT is out to change that through it’s Every Child Deserves Theatre initiative. 

“We want to be welcoming to everybody,” Martin said. “We want everyone to have access.”

ALT launched a fundraising campaign in August but it’s slow going. The theater hopes to get some funding from the Albuquerque City Council and local corporations such as Netflix and Nusenda Credit Union, which have a commitment to helping the community, Martin said.

Built with Works Progress Administration dollars, the 1936 theater building near Old Town is a piece of history. But it needs upgrades to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards, specifically one or two elevators to provide access to the upstairs rehearsal space and possibly the public balcony and lounge area. The stage and most of the 480 audience seats already are fully accessible. An elevator to the rehearsal area will cost an estimated $100,000, Martin said.

“By the time we turn 100, we hope to have it in place,” he said.

Every Child Deserves Theatre also aims to ensure disadvantaged children have access to classes by offering additional classes and different types of classes and by converting a furniture storage room into a second classroom. In addition, dues paid to the Albuquerque Theatre Guild help fulfill that mission through the Youth Scholarship Program for extracurricular theater education programs.

ALT also is partnering with New Day Youth and Family Services — which serves young people who experience marginalization, disconnection, and homelessness — to involve youth in a variety of theater roles such as backstage crew positions. Theater can offer many types of careers and be a pipeline to film jobs, Martin said.

“We think theater is a whole family thing,” Martin said. “To see kids enjoy theater warms your heart.”

To learn more, visit everychilddeservestheatre.org.