CLIMB Theatre was founded in 1975 as a theatre company for persons with disabilities.  CLIMB was one of the first theatres in the country to provide this service. Our founder, Peg Wetli, had training and experience in theatre and education, and had worked extensively with people with disabilities.  Peg wanted to give her new audiences theatre experiences that they could understand, relate to, and apply to their lives. But, if she wanted to do this, she couldn't approach theatre in the traditional way.

Traditionally, artistic directors chose plays, performed them in their theatres, and drew an audience that wanted to see those particular plays. Likewise, the usual approaches to using drama in the classroom would not have been particularly useful. So, Peg reversed the traditional process. She started with the specific needs and interests of each of her unique audiences and then wrote and produced plays and theatre-based classes that specifically suited each different group she would travel to.  "Theatre In Reverse" yielded theatre that was interactive, educational, imaginative and fun.  It was a process and a product that was soon in demand, not just for children with disabilities, but for all children.

In the 2006-2007 school year CLIMB served over 479,000 children and their teachers in nine states.