Long Wharf Theatre Partners With Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology on Anti-Bullying Project

Beginning in October, Long Wharf Theatre's education department will offer afterschool classes and performances at the Connecticut Center for Arts and Technology. The school's mission is to prepare youths and adults for educational and career advancement, through after-school arts and job training programming.

Teaching Artist Mallory Pellegrino will work with 7th and 8th grade students to create a performance of Dr. Seuss' "The Sneectches," a children's tale about bullying, and an original piece on the impacts of bullying on the teens' own lives. "Bullying is such a relevant topic these days," Pellegrino said. "I remember from my childhood watching an animated video of the story, and when we were brainstorming about what we should work on with CONNCAT, I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to bring the story to life and then have the students connect on a personal and deeper level."

After the teens create the show, which will use puppetry and student created set pieces, they hope to tour the Seuss story to area elementary schools.

Long Wharf Theatre's relationship with CONNCAT is part of the education department's 30th anniversary season, a year in which the department has doubled the size of its staff thanks to a generous grant from the Werth Foundation. Long Wharf Theatre's teaching artists will have residencies in five schools, including Fair Haven School, Connecticut Experiential Learning Center, Elm City College Prep, and Educational Center for the Arts.

In addition, Long Wharf Theatre will partner with another five schools on its innovative PAIR program. For teachers participating in Long Wharf Theatre's Ed Lab professional development series, a resident teaching artist will be assigned to their classroom to teach an arts-integrated lesson monthly. "The PAIR program aims to assist teachers with effectively employing arts-based techniques for intellectual stimulation and creative growth in students," said Director of Education Annie DiMartino.

Long Wharf Theatre efforts at education expansion are the reflection of a firm institutional belief in the importance of arts education in students' lives – that the arts create well-rounded, creative thinkers, confident in social situation, and empathetic to the world around them. "Arts education helps with the development of analytical, practical, and creative thinking skills, which are the three pillars for successful intelligence," DiMartino said.

For more information about Long Wharf Theatre's education department, contact Annie DiMartino at 203-772-8271 or visit www.longwharf.org.

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