"Project Discovery represents the very best of what we do here at the Dallas Theater Center,"Â said DTC Managing Director Mark Hadley. "We consider serving the students of Dallas-Ft. Worth a great honor and a top priority. We hope that through Project Discovery, we not only build a future audience for theater, but also enrich the lives of those students the program touches."Â
This year alone, Project Discovery will provide 4,178 tickets to world-class performances, 90 buses, 312 hours of professional development, and 90 pre-show workshops to 27 schools in 6 school districts, including Dallas, Richardson, Irving, Kaufman, Garland and Carrollton/Farmers Branch, all completely free of charge-a grant valued at $93,724.
In 1986, the Dallas Theater Center sought to extend its mission of creating communal experiences that inspire new ways of thinking and living to young people. Project Discovery acquaints students with both the arts and literature by bringing them to the experience of live theater of the highest standard.
Since its inception, Project Discovery has gown to encompass several programs in order to better serve the different needs of individual schools. The ExxonMobil Young Patron Program provides theater tickets and pre-show workshops at no cost. The DTC Residency Program takes that one step further, bringing the workshops directly to the schools. The Chase Student Matinee Series offers midday programs, while both the Teacher Professional Development Workshop and the Creative Adventure Backstage Tour and Workshop bring the participants "behind-the-scenes."Â
Project Discovery, like the Dallas Theater Center, is committed to serving all of North Texas and has hosted schools from at least 35 districts - some as far away as North Hopkins and Waxahachie.
Paying special attention to underprivileged and at-risk adolescents in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, Project Discovery is particularly dedicated to providing the theater experience to those students who might not otherwise have access to the arts. Besides setting aside tickets at no cost for students, the program removes other barriers by providing transportation. Most importantly, Project Discovery gives students ownership of their experience by teaching them to take a deeper look at the material.
"As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of this invaluable program, we reflect on a generation of lives we have encountered,"Â said Lisa Holland, DTC Director of Education and Community Programs. "We remain all the more committed to our community, determined to continue to nurture new ways of thinking and living, in years to come."Â
By www.dallastheatercenter.org
Posted December 23rd, 2006 by ruzik_tuzik
