Whitehill Foundation Grant Supports Pushcart's “LIFT EVERY VOICE.”

Pushcart Players, New Jersey's Emmy nominated and award-winning touring theater for young audiences, has received a generous grant from The Whitehill Foundation (Montclair) to support the development and performance of "Lift Every Voice: The Hope and Promise of America's Civil Rights Movement."

Founded in 1999, The Whitehill Foundation is a private nonprofit organization that awards grants in the areas of elementary and secondary education, health, human services, and sports and recreation. The Foundation supports children and youth, economically disadvantaged people, low income and poor people, academics, and students.

"The Whitehill Foundation is a model of meaningful philanthropy," said Paul Whelihan, Pushcart's producing artistic director, and playwright for "Lift Every Voice."

"As a social-profit organization, Pushcart relies on investments from enlightened foundation, government, and corporate sectors. It is through their participation that Pushcart can develop timely material, and make that material accessible to any community."

Pushcart Players' mission is to bring substantive musical theater productions and innovative educational residencies to young people in their schools. Performances are curriculum oriented, focusing on literacy, history, values clarification, and music. Workshops and residencies focus on the craft of theater itself, promoting the benefits of creating theater.

Pushcart Players has traveled over 2.5 million miles nationally and abroad since 1974 to serve more than 8 million children and their families. From the little red schoolhouse to The White House, this dynamic company has received numerous state and private awards for excellence and innovation. A cast of professional Actors' Equity Association actors and stage managers present with complete scenery, lighting and sound systems, making every performance adaptable to any location.

Pushcart Players will be bringing a variety of productions to schools and theaters throughout the 2018 - 2019 school year. New to the repertoire, "Lift Every Voice" is a multi-media piece that explores the music, images, and spirit of mid-century America. Pushcart celebrates the ordinary people and the extraordinary events of this pivotal time in history.

"Young people are often at the forefront of meaningful societal change," said Whelihan. "I see it in America today, and that's energizing. '...Voice...' commemorates the young people of the 1950's and 60's whose struggles made today's freedoms possible. But their struggles are an important reminder of the goal: true civility in our society."

For further information on this or any of Pushcart's programs and services, contact Pushcart Players at 973.857.1115 or information@pushcartplayers.org; visit the website at www.pushcartplayers.org.

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