The Culver City Education Foundation today thanked The Culver Studios
for its gift benefiting the School District’s Front and Center Theatre Collaborative, an innovative theater education program for TK-12th grade students in the School District.
The $15,000 donation will help the Front and Center Theatre Collaborative reach more Culver City students.
The gift will give them an opportunity to experience the arts through its sequential, standards-based theatre arts programming. During its eight-year history, Front and Center has offered a variety of assemblies, residencies, workshops, professional development and opportunities to experience professional performances for all elementary and secondary students in Culver City as well as teachers in the District.
“We are immensely appreciative,” said Wendy Hamill, interim Executive Director of the Ed Foundation. “The arts are an essential component in developing the whole child. They empower students to embrace becoming lifelong learners.”
Across the School District’s nine campuses, Front and Center theatre programs have sixth graders acting out ancient Greek myths, fourth graders learning about the roles of character-and- conflict in stories, and fifth graders working one-on-one with theater artists to create their own original stories. Then the stories are performed on stage by professional actors.
The idea behind the program is not to make actors out of students but to broaden their educational base, to offer different ways of processing the learning in the classroom.
While access to every art form is beneficial to students, theatre arts offer a different type of student engagement.
In particular theatre arts encourage students to be brave, daring and expressive by using their bodies, faces and all five senses.
Theatre arts enhance both verbal and non-verbal communication, boost self-esteem, fuel collaboration, create empathy and respect, and offer leadership opportunities.
Furthermore, theatre arts goes beyond performing to offer a wide spectrum of artistic opportunities, from storytelling, music and dance to writing, set design/visual arts and production.
Overseen by the Ed Foundation, the collaborative includes art partners 24th Street Theatre, The Actors’ Gang, Center Theatre Group, Story Pirates, We Tell Stories, and Young Storytellers.
Additional financial support is provided by Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Carol and James Collins Foundation, Fineshriber Family Foundation, mliFUND, the city of Culver City, Culver City PTA/Booster Clubs, and individual donations to the Ed Foundation.
The Culver Studios has long had highly successful partnerships with the School District, its schools, and the Education Foundation by financially supporting school programs, and hosting fundraising events for activities for students on the studio lot.
“We believe strongly in investing in the future, and that includes these students,” said Michael Goldfarb. He is vice president of business development & studio relations for The Culver Studios.
The Education Foundation raises funds to support and enhance a quality education for every student in the School District. http://www.ccef4schools.org.
Mr. Lewis may be contacted at blewis@marathon-com.com