Events

Live Story Times at the Ballantyne Arts Center will have an inclusive environment for the whole family to come and enjoy the arts. This event will have a live reading of storybooks that match this week's theme and told with the help of our audience! We will have flexible seating available and welcome you to bring your favorite blanket or stuffy from home so you can snuggle up and enjoy yourselves. After story time, we offer a rotation of sensory activities, grown-up and me dance, and a free play room. Registration required for both adult and child.

Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa's permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and that his half-brother doesn't even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas! The Ballantyne Arts Center provides production opportunities throughout the year for youth interested in performance. The rehearsal process utilizes an educational approach, providing theatrical training and direct application in a fun yet challenging environment. Professional directors, stage managers, and theatrical design teams support these quality productions featuring young performers.

The Ballantyne Arts Center provides production opportunities throughout the year for youth interested in performance. The rehearsal process utilizes an educational approach, providing theatrical training and direct application in a fun yet challenging environment. Professional directors, stage managers, and theatrical design teams support these quality productions featuring young performers. Casting is by audition only. A young orphan and his mates are shipped off from Victorian England to a distant island ruled by the evil King Zarboff. They know nothing of the mysterious trunk in the captain’s cabin, which contains a precious, otherworldly cargo. At sea, the boys are discovered by a precocious young girl named Molly, a Starcatcher-in-training who realizes that the trunk’s precious cargo is starstuff, a celestial substance so powerful that it must never fall into the wrong hands. When the ship is taken over by pirates – led by the fearsome Black Stache, a villain determined to claim the trunk and its treasure for his own – the journey quickly becomes a thrilling adventure!

Join us for some fun by painting a piece of pottery to create a unique masterpiece! A professional artist is on site to guide and assist. Pieces are fired in the kiln and ready for pick up within two weeks. Children 12 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Pricing includes a large piece or two smaller pieces, individual pieces available for sale additionally by emailing ballantyneartscenter@ymcacharlotte.org. Pre-registration encouraged. Drop in no later than 30 minutes prior to end time.

Live Story Times at the Ballantyne Arts Center will have an inclusive environment for the whole family to come and enjoy the arts. This event will have a live reading of storybooks that match this week's theme and told with the help of our audience! We will have flexible seating available and welcome you to bring your favorite blanket or stuffy from home so you can snuggle up and enjoy yourselves. After story time, we offer a rotation of sensory activities, grown-up and me dance, and a free play room. Registration required for both adult and child.