Huntington Theatre Company's Longtime Director of Education Donna J. Glick to Depart

The Huntington Theatre Company announces that Director of Education Donna Glick is leaving the Huntington on June 30, 2017 after a distinguished 27-year career.

Over the past 27 years, Ms. Glick has led the effort to establish the Huntington's Department of Education and Community Programs as a vital source to engage young people in an inviting space where they can discover their artistic potential, and has served many Boston and Greater Boston schools and community organizations. She has been responsible for unique programming in response to the educational and community needs of Greater Boston, ranging from the Student Matinee Series, to the Huntington's in-depth relationship with Codman Academy Charter Public School, to the creation of after-school programs Know the Law and Not Waiting on the World to Change, and to playing leadership roles in the August Wilson Monologue Competition and Poetry Out Loud recitation contests.

"It is hard to overstate the impact that Donna Glick has had on the Huntington and on theatre education in Greater Boston," says Huntington Theatre Company Managing Director Michael Maso. "When she started at the company eight years into its existence, the Huntington's only education programs were our longstanding Student Matinee Series and the Young Critics and Drama as Discovery Institutes. Donna not only grew the Student Matinee Series program to serve more than 4,500 students each year, but worked to create new and innovative projects engaging tens of thousands of students in theatre to build literacy, leadership, civic pride, and community. Under Donna's leadership, the Huntington has become the Massachusetts facilitator of the Poetry Out Loud recitation contest and the August Wilson Monologue Competition."

In 2000, Ms. Glick co-created an innovative arts integration model in partnership with Boston's Codman Academy Charter Public School where Huntington productions form the basis of the school's humanities curriculum. Huntington staff also work one-on-one with Codman students throughout the school year and in the summer. In 2009, Codman Academy received the Commonwealth Award, Massachusetts' highest award in arts and culture.

"For decades Donna Glick has approached young people with tremendous respect, demanding their best, and training them through drama to discover and claim their own voices," says Codman Academy Charter Public School founder Meg Campbell. "On Veteran's Day 2000, I proposed that we include the Huntington's Education Department in the charter application for Codman Academy. 'What if all our students had the great training my own daughter had with you when she was in high school. We would bring them all here!' She might have shown me to the door. Instead, she said, 'Let me think about. I will talk to Michael Maso. We will try to make something work.' That something grew into our unique partnership, and Donna is our founding mother."

Over a 10-year period, Ms. Glick produced a community arts programs called STAGES: Storytelling for the Ages - Oral History in Performance, combining oral history with theatre, dance, music, and visual art to create a multi-cultural, inter-generational project. STAGES involved over 100 individuals from seven cultural institutions and community groups and was named one of the top five proposals funded by The Boston Foundation for their Fund for Arts and Culture.

Ms. Glick also created two after-school programs - Know the Law and Not Waiting on the World to Change. Know the Law used a devised script to depict authentic scenes of urban teenage life, teaching middle and high school students how knowledge of state law can be helpful if they find themselves in unlawful or dangerous situations. Know the Law was recognized nationally as a Coming Up Taller semifinalist by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Three years ago, a second after-school program, Not Waiting on the World to Change, began in response to the troubling numbers of youth suicide and its connection to bullying. The program culminates in an original script performed by student participants.

"Donna's work has touched the lives of literally thousands of young people in Massachusetts," says Programs Manager Diane Daily, of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. "From Codman Academy to the August Wilson Monologue Competition, young people have discovered their own voices, connected with each other, and deepened their understanding of what it is to be human. We at the Massachusetts Cultural Council are particularly indebted to her for leading the state's Poetry Out Loud program which reaches over 20,000 students each year and is one of the leading programs nationally. But, Donna's greatest gift in her work with young people, I think, is her ability to be authentically herself. What better role model can you have?"

Ms. Glick has shared her commitment and passion for theatre education as a member of the Massachusetts Cultural Council's panel for Teaching Artist grants, the National Endowment for the Arts Theatre Education Program grants, as well as panels for Connecticut State Arts and Tourism. She has served as a member of the Advisory Committee for Barr Foundation's Measuring Up: Strategies for Evaluating and Assessing Arts Education. She has served on EdVestors Arts Expansion Quality Work Group to support Boston Public Schools Arts office. She was a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education Leadership Institute and is a graduate of the Boston University Masters Certificate Program in Creative Educational Leadership.

"It's a bittersweet moment for me," said Donna Glick regarding her decision to leave the Huntington. "There are so many people and organizations that have inspired and supported me, and 'had my back' on many occasions. I'm not looking to retire. I am excited for new opportunities to share my experience and commitment to support the growth of arts education in Boston and beyond."

"Over the past 27 years, Donna has never stopped developing groundbreaking ways to enrich the lives of teens through theatre," says Huntington Managing Director Michael Maso. "She is a fierce advocate for arts education in Greater Boston schools and has helped the Huntington establish close partnerships with school districts throughout the state. The work of Donna and her devoted Education staff has inspired an entire generation of students to find their creative voices."

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