Stella Adler Studio Awarded Grant to Create Bob Hope Scholars Program

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting has been awarded $150,000 by the prestigious Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation to create the Bob Hope Scholars Program at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting.

The funds will support the creation of scholarships for 50 students a year over the next three years to study with Adler Youth and Summer Shakespeare, two programs under the Studio's Outreach Division.

"Bob Hope, legendary comedian, entertainer, humanitarian and American patriot, immigrated to America from England in the early 1900s, where he passed through Ellis Island with his mother and five brothers to join his father in Cleveland. From these humble beginnings, with a lot of hard work and perseverance, in the 'Land of Opportunity,' his 'American Dream' grew into becoming a reality," said Tony Montalto, Executive Director, Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation. "This grant is in keeping with Bob and Dolores' legacy in the 'hope' that it may inspire youth of today from similar backgrounds to experience the joys of the theater, now and beyond."

"We are so honored and grateful to receive the support of the Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation," said Tom Oppenheim, Artistic Director, Stella Adler Studio of Acting. "This grant will allow us to continue to provide ambitious, talented youth in underserved communities with the opportunity to study the craft of theater and bring arts to the greater community."

The Stella Adler Outreach Division has served nearly 5,000 people since its inception in 2004. Outreach currently reaches 1,500 students through 12 different programs, including Adler Youth and Summer Shakespeare. Adler Youth, an after-school program for high school students living at or below the poverty line, is a rigorous two-year program that mirrors the standards of the Studio's professional conservatory programming. The students study the craft of acting, including classes in technique, voice and speech, physical acting, improvisation and Shakespeare. The curriculum includes a semester of each of the following: poetry and movement, great contemporary playwrights, Shakespeare scene study and the rehearsal and performance of a Shakespeare play.

Summer Shakespeare, a five-week intensive program for inner-city teens living at or below the poverty level, offers classes in voice and speech, physical acting, improvisation and scene study. The program culminates each year in an abbreviated performance by the students of a Shakespeare classic such as Romeo and Juliet or Julius Caesar.

The Stella Adler Studio of Acting was founded in 1949 on the principle that growth as an actor and growth as a human being are synonymous. The mission of the Studio is to create an environment that nurtures theater artists and audiences so that they value humanity, their own and others, as their first priority while providing art and education to the greater community. The Stella Adler Studio of Acting's Outreach Division works with numerous underserved populations including inner-city students, drug and rehabilitation centers and inmates on Rikers Island.

Established in 1949 by Stella Adler, the Stella Adler Studio of Acting was founded upon Adler's belief in the supreme seriousness of her art, and has, for the last five decades, enriched every part of the American theater and film arts. Adler's philosophies kept many well-known members of the theater coming back for her intelligent and passionate advice. She trained many of the brilliant actors of our time, including Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Elaine Stritch, Benicio Del Toro and Salma Hayek. The Stella Adler Studio of Acting is a not-for-profit organization, which trains over 500 actors annually and also presents world-class lectures, poetry readings, jazz, classical music, theater, and dance theater events. Visit www.stellaadler.com.

The Bob & Dolores Hope Foundation was established to provide for and to assure the continuation of the philanthropic ideals of Bob & Dolores Hope by supporting organizations that feed, clothe and shelter America's underprivileged. We also honor and preserve the "Spirit of Bob Hope" and his Legacy as an entertainer, comedian, patriot, humanitarian and supporter of U.S. military service members. Bob Hope took his talents to the center of a crisis and used them to heal by showing his compassion, empathy, uplifting spirit and respect for country. In order to reach and assure continuation of these goals, Bob & Dolores Hope provided direction and leadership of the Foundation during their lifetime. Today, it is managed and governed by people who share their attitudes, beliefs, and ideals as to the purposes and goals of partnering with other organizations to create community philanthropy. Go to www.bobhope.org.