California's Premiere Children's Theatre Company

Executive Director Edward Belasco founded Belasco Theatre Company in 1981 for the purpose of introducing theatre arts to young people. He holds a degree in drama from U.C. Berkeley and has worked as a producer and performer for more than thirty years. He studied extensively with The Eric Morris Actor's Workshop in Los Angeles as well as Stella Adler.

Mr. Belasco taught each theatre season, inspired by the amazing and talented youth, "When I see my vision played out on the stage by these young people, it makes it all worth it," he explains. Over the last twenty-six seasons of BTC, Edward has led hundreds of young actors onto the stage in countless Broadway-style productions such as: Grease, Annie, Oliver, Flower Drum Song, A Chorus Line, and Guys & Dolls. His dedicated students grow up on the stage by his side and later go to attend prestigious universities like NYU and the University of Michigan. Mr. Belasco hopes to expand BTC in the future to include divisions throughout the country.

Shanti Belasco is the daughter of Ed Belasco and she now runs BTC in Southern California. Directing and choreographing, Shanti has been dancing for over 20 years and is trained in ballet, jazz and musical theatre dance. She set foot on the stage at the young age of 7 as a student of BTC, singing and dancing her heart out in a variety of musical shows (A Chorus Line, West Side Story, Grease, Oliver, and Cats to name a few). She grew up on the stage and thrived on the energy and excitement of theatre. Today she holds a degree in Psychology from UCLA, where she graduated with a minor in Dance. She also received a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and a Master’s Degree in Multicultural Education from Cal State Dominguez Hills. For four years, she taught 4th grade in Torrance. Now, as she follows in her father’s footsteps, she is incredibly happy to have the opportunity to combine her passion and talent for the arts with her desire to teach young children.