VIDEO: Stage and Screen Legend Cicely Tyson Advocates For TDF's Stage Doors

As reported by BroadwayWorld, ALADDIN's Tony Award-winning Genie, James Monroe Iglehart has been named Ambassador of Theatre Development Fund's (TDF) Stage Doors campaign, an effort to grow its most expansive theatre arts education program.

Currently, Stage Doors serves 7500 New York City public school students in 78 schools throughout the five boroughs. This program is so popular among educators that TDF currently has a wait-list of 60 additional schools that want their students to take part in the program. TDF's goal is to get all of those schools off the wait list and into the program, increasing the number of students served annually from 7,500 to 10,000 by the fall of 2018. For most of these students, Stage Doors will take them to their first Live Theatre performance. The program's objective is to create a generation of lifelong and independent theatre goers. Since it was first launched in 1994, Stage Doors has served nearly 100,000 New York City public school students.

Stage Doors has now gained another very persuasive advocate, the legendary star of stage and screen, Cicely Tyson.

"It was my teachers that introduced me to theatre and if they hadn't, I don't know if I would have the life that I have today," says Iglehart. "Theatre education has been drastically cut or eliminated from New York City schools and it's amazing that not-for-profit organizations like TDF are trying to give these kids exposure to something they could have only dreamed of."

Visit stagedoors.tdf.org.