Youth Learn About Theatre Careers In TheatreWorks “Opening The Curtain” Series

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in partnership with Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) as part of the John F. Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program will inspire the next generation of budding artists with Opening the Curtain, a video series introducing PAUSD elementary students to the breadth of careers available in performing arts, including acting, tech, scenery, costumes, directing, administration, and more.

PAUSD high school students will interview professional theatre artists, asking them about their jobs, their career paths, what they love about working in their field, and their vision of the future of the arts world. Launching in December 2020, videos for Opening the Curtain are available to view on TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's website, with new interviews to be released monthly through May 2021. For more information and to watch the series the public may visit theatreworks.org.

"I am thrilled Opening the Curtain will be a new resource available to students in our communities," says Katie Bartholomew, TheatreWorks's Associate Director of Education. "We want to share information with students about careers in the performing arts available to them. I'm looking forward to the future growth of this series with our Kennedy Center Partnership with Palo Alto Unified School District, and future collaborations to include Stanford Live."

This month, Opening the Curtain has unveiled two new videos. The first interview explores the field of costume design with Bay Area artist and TheatreWorks Costume Rentals Manager Melissa Sanchez, conducted by Mishaal Hussain, a junior from Gunn High School. The second video features a conversation with TheatreWorks Artistic Associate and Director of New Works Giovanna Sardelli, who speaks not only about her career developing new works but also as a director who has worked at regional theatres across the country. Sardelli is interviewed by Erin Brady, a sophomore at Palo Alto High School.

Reaching 15,000 students each year, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley's K-12 education programs include in-school classes that focus on student-generated work centered on playmaking and performance skills, popular summer camps, and student matinees that comprise study guides, pre-show workshops, and a talkback session. The Children's Healing Project is an improvisation-based theatre arts education program that serves hospitalized children and their families with drama workshops and bedside visits at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, El Camino Eating Disorders Unit, and the Ronald McDonald House. TheatreWorks also enjoys a partnership with The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. that includes the Palo Alto Unified School District and Stanford Live.

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley is the recipient of the 2019 Regional Theatre Tony Award. Led by Artistic Director Tim Bond and Executive Director Phil Santora, the Palo Alto-based theatre company serves more than 100,000 patrons per year and has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast locally and from across the country. The company's 51st season has been postponed in accordance with global efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).

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