Rise Up Arts Alliance has the mission of bringing theatre arts to our community regardless of socioeconomic status. Rise Up Arts Theatre Program provides theatrical experiences for all students and adults who want to participate, enhancing their self-esteem and helping to promote and develop each person’s belief in their own unique blend of abilities. Our intention is to provide continuous learning, with the educational process being as important as the finished product. We focus on a positive educational process that can help students become better readers, learners and contributors to society.

Rise Up Arts Alliance began as Rise Up Youth Theatre in 2018. In June of 2019 we became Rise Up Arts Alliance after we added The Writers Circle and Central Ohio Costumers Guild under our umbrella. This allows us to teach in the 3 major areas involved with theatre arts - performance, creative and script writing, and costume and fashion design. The organization has grown quite considerably over the last few years following the pandemic.

Since 2021 we have produced 17 shows, and in 2023 alone, we had 189 students participating in 6 productions/24 Shows, and we gave tuition scholarships for 43 students that could otherwise not afford to participate in our programs. Due to the pandemic, the Lancaster Arts and Civics Club ceased operations and the remaining Board joined our organization in February 2022. This allowed us to focus on more educational productions for students in the community.

We also became a nontraditional thespian troupe through the Educational Theatre Association in 2023 due to our educational focus and the number of Homeschool students that participate in our programs. Rise Up Arts Penguin Project is our program for students with special needs/disabilities. We are the first charter organization in Ohio for the national umbrella for the program The Penguin Project.org. In addition to youth programs, we also offer opportunities for Adults to perform with our organization for all adult shows and mixed-cast shows of usually teens and adults. 

Rise Up Arts Alliance has partnered with the Lancaster Masonic Temple for storage, rehearsal and performance space. This gives us a permanent home and limits the amount of moving from space to space for rehearsals and productions. The Lancaster Masonic Temple is a unique space in it is the last traditional theatre stage in Lancaster Ohio following the demolition of 3 others in the downtown. The seating capacity is 175, with additional seating in the balcony if needed.