Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
962 Mt. Adams Circle
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Playhouse School Outreach Tours
Grant Application:
The Playhouse will produce fully-staged adaptations of SNOW WHITE, HARE & TORTOISE, and THE LITTLE MERMAID for schools throughout the Tristate region in our 2021-22 season.
The plays, all adapted from cherished works of literature, will bring professional-quality and age-appropriate theatrical productions to underserved schools across our region. All plays are performed by professional actors and feature full sets, costumes, sound effects, and music. To maximize impact, all schools are offered a post-show interaction with the actors as well as comprehensive teacher resource guides. We will utilize digital resources where necessary to ensure the safety of students during the ongoing pandemic, including a video recording of the season’s first show SNOW WHITE to be shared with schools.
The School Outreach Tour travels to schools throughout Greater Cincinnati, including Northern Kentucky and Southeast Indiana. We anticipate reaching over 20,000 K-8 grade children and teachers, most of whom will be from schools with little or no access to the arts. We expect that 50% or more of students will be of diverse backgrounds.
Program Objectives:
The Playhouse School Outreach Tour program will achieve the following objectives:
• The School Outreach Tours will provide more than 100 performances (either live or by in-class video) to at least 80 schools throughout Greater Cincinnati, with some schools receiving multiple performances.
• Approximately 20,000 students and teachers will experience quality children’s theatre performances through the School Outreach Tour program.
• At least 65% of schools will have student populations with 70% or more eligible for the free or reduced-price lunch program.
• At least 50% of students reached will come from racially/ethnically diverse backgrounds.
• 100% of participating teachers will receive useful supplemental education materials and activities to help them make connections between core curriculum studies and the theatre experience.
• 90% or more of teachers will rate the quality of the production as “Good” or “Excellent,” and 70% will rate the relevance of the production to their school’s curriculum as “Good” or “Excellent.”
• 100% of students will be offered a post-performance behind-the-scenes demonstration with the actors, with opportunities for the students to ask questions after live shows.
Grant Evaluation Report:
Participating in the arts and creative pursuits including live theatre encourages the development of a broad range of 21st century skills, including creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. Therefore, the goal of the Playhouse's education programs is to provide quality, professional theatre experiences for children across Greater Cincinnati, supplementing – and, in many cases, replacing – their vanishing school arts programs.
The Playhouse believes that the arts are essential to the basic education of all students, regardless of race or socioeconomic status. To that end, we are proud to have brought the magic of live theatre to 73 Title I schools and to 54% of students from diverse backgrounds in 2021-22. Our efforts in this regard ensure that the arts remain in schools that experience the highest number of cuts to their own arts programs. Plays were performed by culturally diverse actors, allowing more children to see actors who look like them on stage.
Flexibility is a hallmark of Playhouse education programs, ensuring that we are able to take advantage of opportunities that arise for improvement. This flexibility was instrumental in navigating the changing safety requirements during the pandemic, allowing us to provide both virtual and live arts experiences for students and actors safely.
Website:
http://www.cincyplay.com Amount: $30,000
Date: September 2021
