In 1990, Kathie Burgin had a vision to create a Children’s Workshop Theater during the summer vacation months.  She was looking for a Children’s Theater opportunity for her daughter, Quinn.  The closest Children’s Theater was located in Charlotte.  Many students who came through Shelby High Theatre started in the children’s theater workshop.  

Now named in her memory, the Kathie Burgin Children’s Workshop Theater is the 2nd longest running children’s theater in North Carolina. It is held each summer in Malcolm Brown Auditorium at Shelby High School.  The workshop offers kids from across Cleveland County and its neighbors the opportunity to learn the art of theatre.  By performing onstage in a musical production, kids overcome shyness, learn to accept constructive criticism, and build confidence.  They also make friends and with those friends learn what it takes to create something bigger and more complex than anything they could create alone.  

Each year, The Kathie Burgin Children's Theatre Workshop offers children in rising 3rd through 9th grades the opportunity to produce a musical in three weeks at the end of July.  They can also sign up to learn about the different areas of technical theatre in two one-week sessions held in the afternoon during the first two weeks of the workshop.  Afternoon workshops can be done with the morning musical or separately.