Giving Individuals Fabulous Theatre (GIFT) was originally founded in January 2013 by Jack McCarthy.

Gathering a group of student performers from six different schools across the California Bay Area, GIFT performed its first show, “GIFT’s Comedy Collection,” which was a series of one-act comedy scenes, including juggling and musical performance, in February 2013.

The show was performed at the Saratoga Retirement Center for the Skilled Nursing and Health Center residents.

Within the year, GIFT expanded to perform for dozens of healthcare facilities with students from middle and high schools all over the Bay Area. GIFT performed classic one-acts, plays, musicals, as well as original scripts.

GIFT also brought live musical accompaniment, be it piano, violin, or harp within its first year, and raised money for local charities through public events. In 2016, GIFT expanded to the New Orleans area, and performed shows for healthcare facilities there for several years.

GIFT’s mission is to provide young people the opportunity to bring live performance to those in health centers and hospitals who are unable to experience it otherwise. This mission holds two main parts

1) Provide young people the opportunity to share their talents and take on leadership, directing, producing, and performance roles not typically available to them

2) Provide live entertainment and theatrical performances of all kinds to those who cannot go out to experience it otherwise. We’ve performed for people from the ages of 2 to 104! Sometimes, these residents are bed-bound, which GIFT can and has accommodated by bringing performances to their individual rooms.