About Us
Our History and Mission
HOTT Productions, NFP- Helping Others Through Theatre was founded in 1995 by sisters Chris and Donica Seminaro with the mission of providing quality musical theater experiences, while donating proceeds to charitable organizations in the community. Together, with a team of family and friends, all volunteers, HOTT has grown to serve hundreds of families and has donated over $150,000 to charity.
HOTT Productions, NFP is an Illinois not-for-profit company (501c3) created solely for the purpose of Helping Others Through Theatre. HOTT Productions, NFP is proud to be the only inclusive community theater staffed fully by volunteers The audition-only, volunteer cast, in which multiple members of families are involved, invests months of effort to provide an enjoyable, quality musical theatrical production the whole family can enjoy.
In the fall of 2017, after a successful run of musical theatre summer camps for students, Chris, along with Andrew Luzwick, identified a need and designed a program specifically for children and teens to explore the elements of the performing arts while developing and integrating the core fundamentals of musical theatre. Youth HOTT-Hands On Theatre Training was initiated to bring the fundamentals of music, choreography, drama and stagecraft to young persons in our community. Individuals, both neuro-typical and neuro-divergent come together in a mutually inclusive setting, study and create together for a 12-14-week session which culminates in a stage performance. Live orchestral accompaniment was added in 2021 to further enhance the authenticity and experiences of the audience and the Youth HOTT performers! In 2022 we added a college intern and a first-year educator to our volunteer production staff. For a recent production of "Seussical Jr.", we added original artwork created by current and previous actors for our projections and a student director position! Students have had the opportunity to perform in a full theatre, as well as various community performances at spaces such as the Hoffman Estates Village Green, the Arboretum of South Barrington, and the Chicago Auto Show.
In 2023 we furthered our commitment to bringing theatre opportunities to our community by partnering with the Hoffman Estates Park District, which has opened and provided our programming to more performers than ever before.
POSITION STATEMENT
HOTT-Helping Others Through Theatre &
Youth HOTT-Hands On Theatre Training
-A STAGE FOR EVERYONE-
HOTT Productions, NFP believes that everyone should have opportunities to enhance their lives through creative and educational activities in environments that are positive and welcoming to all, regardless of people’s race, culture, community, identities, language, and/or abilities.
-HOTT believes that all people of all abilities have a right to experience and participate in the arts. We also believe that theatre offers uniquely positive avenues for building relationships among people, improving social-emotional skills, and developing creativity and important life skills.
-WE VALUE THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS-
-WE CELEBRATE CREATIVITY-
-HOTT believes in equity, justice, and inclusion for all. We believe our lives are better when the voices, perspectives, and experiences of everyone are heard and seen. We actively welcome and include all people regardless of race, socioeconomic class, color, national origin, religion, diverse perspectives, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, neurological or physical ability, or education level.
-WE CHAMPION DIVERSITY-
-The worth of a civilization is measured by its ability to meet the needs of its youth. We envision a world where every child has access to drama and theatre; where every city has a theatre for young audiences; where every community has a youth theatre; where every school has a theatre arts curriculum. We envision a time when the full spectrum of the theatre arts and its participants becomes a pervasive part of our landscape.
-WE HONOR THE ROLE OF THE ARTS IN HEALTH AND WELL BEING-
-WE EMBRACE COMMUNITY-