Free 2 Be Kid's Project
Directed by
Written by
Running Dates:
6/25/01 - 7/7/01
Description:
Please help Open Circle Theater put some special kids in the spotlight this summer, by supporting our Free2Be Kids Project.
For two weeks this June and July, 15 teenagers will participate in one of Seattle’s most unique programs – learning the ropes of theater arts, in a safe environment, with professional teachers who want to give them the attention and respect they need. Some of these kids are wards of the state; some are homeless. All of them, however, love the arts and are excited about the chance to spend a summer at Open Circle Theater.
Our Free2Be Kids Project is unique because it offers these kids an opportunity that they normally wouldn’t have: to work and to perform in a professional theater environment.
The Project.
Five years ago, Open Circle Theater started its Kids Project. The program was conceived by company member, and juvenile advocate, Anna Copley. Anna’s observation and experience in the juvenile and family court systems inspired Open Circle’s ongoing commitment to providing a place and a voice for under-served kids living in long term foster care.
This year we have expanded and renamed our project: Open Circle’s Free2Be Kids Project. Open Circle’s team of professional instructors and staff will be working with "veteran" students from past programs, and with local homeless youth centers to inspire 15 teenagers in King County to use theater as a means to gain life-skills and to build a sense of community. We will explore various social and relational themes, examine cooperation and trust-building, and utilize various theatrical exercises. At the end of the Free2Be Kids Project, friends and supporters will be invited to attend a private performance of Free to Be, You and Me showcasing what the kids have learned and created at Open Circle.
The Artist Instructors.
This year’s dedicated instructors include former Open Circle company member Amy Rider. Amy has successfully directed and instructed our program for 3 years. She specializes in working with children in homeless shelters, transitional schools and detention centers throughout King County. Amy holds a B. A. in Theater Arts from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and a diploma in physical theater from England's Circus Arts school, Circomedia. She will bring movement and clowning to this year’s curriculum.
Joining Amy is Clare Mottola, founder of New York’s Mottola Theater Project. Clare works as Director of Student Activities at the Fieldston Ethical-Cultural School in the Bronx. This position combines the roles of advisor and counselor to give Clare a unique viewpoint of the everyday lives of students. She has also taught high school students English and Theater at Fieldston, and directs many of their productions. Through the Mottola Theater Project's education program, Get Down, she spends two weeks out of every summer with 50 kids living in poverty in New York, having fun doing theater arts. She is also currently directing Cloud 9 Off-Broadway. Clare holds an M. F. A. in Directing from Indiana University.
I hope that you will consider supporting Open Circle’s Free 2 Be Kids Project. By providing a place and a program for these children, we are helping them to grow to become inspired, active and productive members of our society.
Please feel free to contact us at 206/382.4250 or at admin@octheater.com if you have any questions about this project or OCT. Sincerest thanks for your consideration.
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