Arsht Launches First Steam-Focused Musical for Miami-Dade 7th Graders

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County announces the opening of Kitty Hawk, the latest installment of the Center's Learning through the Arts program, from Oct. 2-13.

27,000 Miami-Dade County seventh graders will be invited to take part in Kitty Hawk, which is part performance, part curriculum and all inspiration. Kitty Hawk aims to make history, making scientific discovery come alive on stage through the story of Wilbur and Orville Wright's historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903.

"Through Kitty Hawk, the Arsht Center is putting education at the forefront by delivering seventh graders the tools to succeed in a 21st century world," said John Richard, president and CEO of the Arsht Center. "We know that this is a critical learning time for them, which is why we are deliberately exposing them to the power of Arts combined with STEM."

An original, Broadway-style production commissioned by the Center, Kitty Hawk is fueled by the overwhelming success of the Rock Odyssey musical and curriculum that has educated and entertained the county's fifth graders each year since 2009. The musical adventure is written by playwright Tom Bryant, with music and lyrics by Erik Della Penna and Artistic Director Nathan Allen, founder of The House Theatre of Chicago.

Helping bring to life this great moment in American history will be the Florida Grand Opera, which will lead the charge in making the costumes and building the set.

Transforming STEM to STEAM in real-life settings, the Kitty Hawk program extends well beyond the stage and includes a curriculum, workshops and activities that target populations under-represented in STEM career tracks - specifically women, African-Americans and Latinos.

Created by the Arsht Center in collaboration with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the curriculum includes a classroom guide for seventh grade teachers that also includes numerous activities in line with the learning standards for students at that grade level. Students will be engaged in pre-performance activities, have discussions and debates and participate in classroom activities - all revolving around the Wright Brothers' first flight and their own spirit of innovation.

After students have seen Kitty Hawk on stage, the Kitty Hawk STEAM workshops will begin on Oct. 23, and will reach underserved youth throughout Miami over the course of 10-13 weeks. Students will work with STEM professionals and participate in a series of experiential activities where they will better understand real-life job opportunities. They will also participate in three hands-on activities: drone design and creation, airplane design and creating a concept for solutions to problems specific to our community. These programs will engage innovative thinking - paralleling the artistic process to the scientific process.

In addition, the Center is collaborating with community partner Code Fever. A select group of local students will be working alongside Arsht professionals and Code Fever instructors to develop a Kitty Hawk website - coding the site, documenting their experience, and maintaining the website throughout the fall.

Like many original performing arts pieces, success relies on support of like-minded organizations, individuals and corporations. One of the earliest supporters was The Boeing Company, which generously supported script development for Kitty Hawk and a pre-performance teacher training workshop.

Kitty Hawk is presented in partnership with Betsy and George Sherman, Mary Spencer, The Boeing Company, Alicia Celorio on behalf of Do Unto Others Trust, Peacock Foundation, Inc., The Kirk Foundation, Ira D. & Carole F. Hall Family, SunTrust, The Ansin Foundation, Broadway Across America, AAR, South Florida Aviation Maintenance Council, Key Biscayne Community Foundation, Miami-Dade County, and Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.

Now in its ninth season, Learning Through the Arts has brought nearly 200,000 fifth-grade students from more than 7,000 classrooms to the Arsht Center to see a free live performance of Rock Odyssey. With the addition of Kitty Hawk, the program will reach more than 50,000 students annually. The Arsht Center hopes to further expand Learning Through the Arts with the goal of ultimately reaching 100 percent of the county's fifth, seventh and ninth graders. This would provide arts-integrated learning for more than 75,000 young people each year, enriching their studies, enhancing their exposure to the arts and culti­vating their creativity.

Set in the heart of downtown Miami and designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is one of the world's leading performing arts organizations and venues. Since opening in 2006, the Arsht Center, a 501C3 non-profit organization, has emerged as a leader in presenting innovative programming that mirrors South Florida's diversity as well as a catalyst for billions of dollars in new development in the downtown area. Spotlighting legends and serving as a launch pad for local artists to make their mark on the international stage, the Center presents nearly 400 events each year across its flexible, state-of-the-art performance spaces. The Center programs several Signature Series, including the largest jazz series in South Florida, a major annual Flamenco Festival, and a robust program of new theatrical works as well as free programming for the community and an arts education program that serves nearly 30,000 children each year. As Miami's new Town Square, the Arsht Center also houses BRAVA by Brad Kilgore, a fine dining restaurant; the Café at Books & Books in the historic Carnival Tower and a weekly Farmers Market.

Visit www.arshtcenter.org for more information.

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