People's Light & Theatre Honored with Harold Oaks Award for Work with Young Actors

People's Light & Theatre was the recipient of the Harold Oaks Award in recognition of their work with young audiences in connection with their recent production of Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. In its inaugural year, the award was established to acknowledge the significant contributions of individuals and organizations in the Theatre for Young Audiences field in the US. Award candidates are nominated based on the regional, national, and/or global impact of their work on the artistic development of the field.

People's Light's engagement with Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale was an international and inter-generational collaboration. It began in 2011 and involved members from the National Theater of Scotland, Citizens Theatre (based in Glasgow, Scotland), Epic Theatre Ensemble (based in New York), People's Light's professional Acting Company and extended artistic community, and People's Light's youth programs. Work that ultimately led to the 2013 production of the play included workshops that explored the play itself, social media projects and campaigns, and the development of a community oriented festival that framed the play-going experience for the production's audiences.

During each stage of the development, participants ranged in age from twelve to mid-sixties. According to Wendy Bable, the Producer for Arts Discovery Programs at People's Light, the young artists involved throughout the process consistently noted and appreciated that they were treated as artistic peers by the adult professional ensemble members. Bable reflected that "bringing young people and professional artists together as equally valued collaborators was a terrifyingly huge endeavor. To take such risks in the current economic climate and in a time of dwindling audiences is a radical act. But it was absolutely worth the sleepless nights, because it was a 'making together' that reminded us of why we are called to this work and that it matters."

Dr. Oaks is a former chair and Professor Emeritus of the Theatre and Media Arts Department at Brigham Young University, where he also served as Associate Dean of the College of Fine Arts & Communications. While at BYU, he developed and coordinated the Drama/Theatre for Young People program, which generated significant national and international attention. He has written over 100 articles, reviews, and publications, edited Outstanding Plays for Young Audiences International Bibliography, and was the founding editor of Assitej International Hot Line with circulation to 72 international centers. He has also taught and directed at colleges and universities in Minnesota, Maryland, Nebraska and Colorado and has directed more than 45 plays, including performances at festivals in the US, Norway, Austria and the former Yugoslavia. Oaks has served as President of ASSITEJ International (1999-2002), President of ASSITEJ/USA (1988-1995), President of The American Alliance for Theatre and Education (1987-88), and has been an officer of the National Association of Schools of Theatre, The American Theatre Association, and The Children's Theatre Association of America. He continues to serve young people throughout the world creating puppet shows that teach about substance abuse and hygiene. They have been translated into over 17 languages and used in over 25 countries.

People's Light, a professional, not-for-profit theatre founded in Chester County, Pennsylvania, makes plays drawn from many sources to entertain, inspire, and engage our community. We extend our mission of making and experiencing theatre through arts education programs that excite curiosity about, and deepen understanding of, the world around us. These plays and programs bring people together and provide opportunities for reflection, discovery, and celebration. Founded in 1974, we produce seven to nine plays each season, in two black box theatres with 350 and 170 seats respectively, mixing world premieres, contemporary plays, and fresh approaches to classic texts for our 6-play and Discovery Series.

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