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ACT provides quality arts experiences to the youth of
the mid-Columbia through live theatre performances and educational
camps, classes, and workshops. Both the live theatre shows and the
camps/classes are designed specifically for pre-school through high
schooler to learn performance techniques, technical theater skills,
team building, problem solving, creativity, personal responsibilty,
and more! All of our productions are open to the general public
(with some age suggestions) and our classes are availabe for
pre-school through high school all year long. Mission of ACT
It is the mission of the
Academy of Children’s Theatre History of ACT The Academy of Children’s Theatre (ACT) was conceived in 1995 by a small group of local educators, theatre professionals, and parents who sought to create an organization that would provide dramatic arts instruction and performances geared especially toward children. Since that time, ACT has built a reputation as a professionally run, high-quality children’s theatrical organization. From 1995-2004, ACT operated out of a variety of temporary facilities and moved locations seven different times. As ACT grew, moving drained valuable time and energy from providing services. None of the temporary facilities provided optimal rehearsal/performance/education space, and constituents had trouble keeping track of ACT’s location. Without appropriate performance space, ACT is required to rent local school auditoriums for each of our four, yearly MainStage productions. It is becoming increasingly difficult to reserve school auditorium space at times that meets ACT’s needs, as the in-school band, choirs, and drama groups have their own practice and performance schedules. Rental and equipment transportation costs have exceeded $10,000 a year, funds that could be better spent on programming or staff. Both rental costs and scheduling conflicts are significant factors that have limited ACT’s capacity for physical and programmatic growth. In the fall of 2003, ACT was very fortunate to find a 17,000 sq. ft. warehouse facility with the potential to meet all our needs. At the time of purchase, the building had adequate office space, limited restrooms, a mezzanine for costume and props storage, and a large open warehouse area. With the purchase of the facility in April 2004, ACT made its final move into our permanent home! ACT envisions that this facility will allow it to serve a broader community role as a Cultural Center for Children. After moving into the facility in 2004, ACT spent the next three years renovating half of the warehouse area, which has greatly enhanced its ability to provide services. This area now boasts two finished classrooms; a Black Box rehearsal and performance area; an expanded mezzanine used for lighting, sound production and additional storage; adequate bathrooms; a new entrance and ticket booth; a donor recognition plaque; and optimal HVAC, lighting, and electrical capacity. For the first time, multiple classes/rehearsals/performances can comfortably occur simultaneously throughout the building. ACT is now looking forward to finishing this project by building a 300-350 seat theatre in the back half of the warehouse and paying off the mortgage.
Community Need " CBC applauds the educational goals of ACT, and sees where they fill a great need in our community." Bill McKay Dean of Arts & Humanities Columbia Basin College ACT is the only organization in the region that offers theatre arts education and programming available to all children, from preschool through high school. Students who participate in ACT’s classes and productions learn an array of skills from technical theatre to team-building to personal responsibility. Each year, ACT reaches thousands of local children and youth in the greater mid-Columbia region. In our 2007-2008 season: over 650 children participated in classes or on-going performance groups, 5,492 attended school-day performances, and over $2,000 were awarded in scholarships. The youth served by ACT come from far and near to participate in our classes and productions. Much of our programming is centered on the cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, but extends 50 miles up to Grandview and down to Hermiston and everything between. Actors and audiences in this region are drawn from an estimated pool of over 50,000 diverse youth ages 5-19 (2004). In the Pasco School District, 72% of the students are of non-white descent (primarily Hispanic) and 72% qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The Kennewick School District serves a 27% minority population and the Richland School District serves a 14% minority population. Recent changes in federal and state law have set the stage for an exciting new era in arts education. The federal "No Child Left Behind Act" identifies the arts – dance, music, theatre and the visual arts – as core subject areas. Washington State now requires art education for K-12, with mandatory arts assessments to be implemented in grades 5, 8 and 10 by the 2009-2010 school year. Currently, ACT is running two after-school arts educational classes in Pasco at Magee Elementary and Robert Frost Elementary with over 60 students participating. ACT is well-positioned to serve as a valuable community resource for schools as they rise to meet this challenge with limited resources. Since opening 14 years ago, ACT has generally demonstrated upward growth in all aspects of its mission – quality public and school day performances, classes offered at the studio, and community outreach. Public performances and outreach have occurred consistently, regardless of the constraints of the facility. Since moving into the permanent facility, there has been a significant growth in classes because the facility allows ACT to offer more classes and the public can easily find ACT at its new location. With our current facility, ACT is able to host multiple classes, workshops and rehearsals simultaneously. With the addition of the performance theatre in the remaining half of our warehouse facility, ACT will be able to continue growth of our educational offerings with hands-on learning and technical support, skills only accessible when the youth have their own theatre in which to explore and learn. The arts play a crucial role in improving young people’s ability to learn by challenging a wider range of intelligences and learning styles. The College Entrance Examination Board reported in 2005 that SAT scores of students who study the arts were 59 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on math than students with no course work or experience. With limited funding for arts education in schools, ACT fills the need for students to receive arts training. Beyond academic enrichment, ACT provides a home for children looking to find a "place." These children are often not comfortable in other situations including school and sports. Through theatre experiences, varying from onstage acting to behind the scenes lighting and stage managing, children at ACT are nurtured and encouraged to find their personal strengths. Not only are children in the area looking for a "place," but other area arts groups also need performance facilities. Many arts groups in the area have a need for a dedicated, permanent facility for performances and rehearsal space. Currently, most local performing arts groups rely on the use of high school auditoriums. However, because the schools have first priority, arts groups are often restricted in their flexibility. Local arts groups find they sometimes must offer fewer performances than audience demand would allow because of scheduling conflicts. ACT’s 14-year track record of providing quality arts education and fiscal responsibility provides strong testament to its ability to ensure the success of this project. ACT enjoys excellent collaborative relationships and full support from community theatre groups and schools in the area.
"The City (of Richland) has shown in the past by providing grant
funds
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