The Andrew Lloyd Webber Initiative

Arlington Middle School (Lawrence, MA) for $16,900 to purchase lighting equipment to convert a former media center into a black box theater classroom in which their "Language of Play" arts integration program may engage more students with complex text though not only the acting of but the producing of theater. Arlington Middle School is in the urban district of Lawrence, Massachusetts which has been in receivership by the state of Massachusetts for the past five years. Enrollment is 600 students, 39% of whom are English Language Learners (ELLs). They have conducted the "Language of Play" program for the past 3 years with the goal of teaching literacy through theater. Each year, plays are student written and acted but they have not had a space to perform the fruits of the young students' labor. As a result, opportunities for students to engage with text through technical production are non-existent. With the new lighting system, students will be able to design a theatrical experience that will transport the audience to South Sudan, or the farms of Southern California, or the mills of Lawrence, MA in 1912. Their goal is to give students the opportunity to experience a hands on teaching laboratory, so they can they can create the magic themselves.A

Bryan Community Focus Program (Lincoln, NE) for $8,000 for a portable stage to be used in the gymnasium for theater (and other) performances. Bryan Community Focus Program is an alternative high school opportunity for students who struggle in large public schools. Their staff works hard to develop individualized programs to help students graduate. With this funding, they will be able to amplify the benefits of the experience for the students who are already in the theater program, and possibly serve new students who are hesitant to leave their home high schools because of their interest in performing. A stage will legitimize the performances in the eyes of students, families, and their community. It will also show students that help is available for them if they work hard and prove themselves.

Charlestown High School (Boston, MA) for $16,000 for the installation of new lighting instruments in the school auditorium. Charlestown High School serves 932 students from all over the City of Boston. They have an open-enrollment policy, meaning that they welcome students without requiring them to pass through any admissions barriers. They also have one of the highest needs student populations in Boston. It is their mission, therefore, to educate students to be “bold leaders and critical thinkers.” Providing students with high-quality, culturally relevant performing arts opportunities is a key part of their work to celebrate and develop students’ interests, passions, and expertise on a daily basis. This funding will allow them to dramatically enhance students' experience by improving classroom instruction with the use of equipment that is aligned with their rigorous 21st century instructional standards, providing new opportunities for students interested in technical work, and allowing them to stage powerful performances that adapt classical texts to the students' own lives and experiences as teenagers in a major urban city.

Cordova High School (Rancho Cordova, CA) for $12,000 to produce the first musical at Cordova High School in twenty years. Cordova High School is located in Rancho Cordova, California. The students cannot afford any of the local "pay to perform" theater programs, so their only opportunity to gain the experience of performing is with the school. Last year they were able to mount two full productions and are averaging an audience of 100+ per night, with 90% of the students making their acting debut. Their drama teacher continues to give them the best experiences possible, but nothing ever matches the excitement of a musical. With this funding, they will take the next step and produce a musical, using the grant money to purchase show royalties, microphones, and materials for sets and costumes. This will allow the students to have more elaborate sets and costumes, and they will learn what is involved in building and running a show with more elaborate tech.

Cypress Creek High School (Orlando, FL) for $17,000 to purchase new scenery construction tools, sewing machines and sergers, mannequins and lighting equipment. Cypress Creek High School is located in Southeast Orlando with a student population that has a passionate interest in the performing arts. Their program currently has over 300 entry level students and over 400 students in advanced theatrical arts courses. They strive to give students a chance to be involved in quality, professional level theatrical experiences and provide a working understanding of all aspects of theater both performance and technical based. They will be updating their technical theater equipment and resources to offer a more comprehensive, professional experience for students who seek to make their craft into a lifelong pursuit and give them an advantage when continuing into higher learning.

Eagle Rock Elementary School (Los Angeles, CA) for $32,109 to purchase auditorium lighting and a rear screen projector and screen. Eagle Rock Elementary and Magnet Center resides within the second largest school district in the United States: the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The school proudly serves approximately 800 students, including English language learners and students with special needs. The current lighting system in their auditorium is extremely antiquated, ineffective, and dangerous with constant concern of malfunction. Through this grant and the purchase of new lighting materials, Eagle Rock will create a more functional, educational, and beautiful space to serve their school community for years to come. They will also use the equipment to teach students basic scenic and lighting design and how to operate the technical equipment themselves, providing additional learning opportunities in theatrical production.

North Graham Elementary School (Graham, NC) for $20,000 to purchase dance flooring, curtains, sound technology, and lighting equipment for their theater program. At North Graham Elementary it is their vision to develop literate, independent students who are artistic, collaborative, problem solvers who are eager to strive for personal growth and achievement. Their mission is to provide a learning centered, arts enriched environment that is responsive to the needs of the student population, and they are the only elementary school in their district with Theatre Arts, Dance and Orchestra programs. Through the purchase of these materials, they will address three issues that are critical to their development as an arts school: student safety, curriculum needs, and community engagement. These resources will help their Theatre Arts program grow, providing additional quality educational experiences for their students and community.

Oakland Technical High School (Oakland, CA) for $25,428 to purchase lighting equipment to support a large-scale musical production. Oakland Technical High School is a public high school serving over 2,000 students a year. The school was founded in 1914, and has been producing excellence and overcoming great economic challenges for over 100 years. Known for its emphasis on education and deep learning as much as it is its vibrant history of sports and the arts, Oakland Technical High School offers one of the most diverse experiences and school cultures that a student could ask for. With this grant, they are going to bring their lighting equipment into the current era of bright lights, low energy, and automation to take their productions to the next level.

Mickey Mantle School PS 811 @ 149 (New York, NY) for $9,235 to purchase technology to create an innovative theater and art program. The Mickey Mantle School serves students with autism, emotional challenges and in need of academic support. It provides a supportive, creative environment that takes into account each child's individual needs. Their programs are designed to encourage students’ self-esteem, independence, and creativity while providing a rigorous and in depth academic curriculum. They will use this technology to create rear view projections and use student’s art as a backdrop to their performances. This project will allow students to express their point of view, contribute to the production process, and be introduced to a variety of careers in theater onstage or behind the scenes.

Ron Brown Academy Middle School 57 (Brooklyn, NY) for $23,000 to purchase a cyclorama, and to support the production of their mainstage musical and parent engagement night. The Ron Brown Academy Middle School 57 is a Title 1 middle school in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn that has been transformed by the arts thanks to their former principal and cultural organizations like the Matisse Foundation and Arts Matter. They have taken pride in doing quality theater on a shoe-string budget. They will use the funds from this grant for costumes for 30 students, materials to build small set pieces and props, and a cyclorama so that they can project illustrated scenery. The grant will also fund a parent engagement night where parents see a professional production with their children, to excite them about the work their children are doing and to stress the importance of their attendance. The resources bought with this grant will address the fact that they are an Arts Middle School with very few materials for the arts.

Snipes Academy of Arts and Design (Wilmington, NC) for $16,000 to purchase equipment for their theater program. Snipes Academy of Arts and Design is a magnet school in Wilmington, NC. They are the only elementary school in their district with a theater art, dance and band program. Their mission statement is "To be the best and brightest in all that we do" and they strive to excel, but they do not have the microphones, stage props, and backgrounds needed to create a full theatrical experience. Support from the Initiative will allow for expansion of the theater program to produce work in a fully equipped space with working microphones, light, sound and expanded set design. The students will be able to perform quality shows with costumes while building their skills in theatrical design and performance, allowing them to Dream Big, Sparkle More, and Shine Bright.

South Plantation High School (Plantation, FL) for $5,320 to purchase foldable mirrors for use by the theater, dance, and Deaf and Hard of Hearing programs. South Plantation High School is the only high school in Broward County, Florida, that offers a specialized Deaf and Hard of Hearing program and the only public high school integrating that program into our the theater program, specializing in Theatre for The Deaf, in order to continually and regularly be accessible to all students and the greater community. The Theatre Program at South Plantation High School’s mission is to empower youth through the arts, while embracing a culture that takes risk without fear of failure, and provides excellence in theatrical programming that is accessible to all audience members engaging, challenging, and inspiring the community in which they live. Every mainstage production is interpreted in American Sign Language by actors on stage, side by side with voice, to engage all performers and audiences equally. The purchase of glassless mirrors, which fold and roll for storage, will greatly improve the instruction and practice of theater, dance, mime and American Sign Language, since facial expressions and body language are an essential element.

Western Middle School for the Arts (Louisville, KY) for $18,220 to develop a fully equipped, fully functioning Sound Design Lab that would expand their theater and music education programs during the school day as well as create new opportunities for the students, school and community to experience student – generated work. Western Middle School for the Arts (WMSFA) is located in Louisville, Kentucky. Beginning in 2010-11 with the incoming sixth-grade class, WMS became the districtwide magnet school for visual and performing arts. All students attending WMS choose an area of focus from the following: Dance, Drama, Visual Arts, Band, String Orchestra, and Vocal Music. Visual and performing arts classes include opportunities for interdisciplinary learning to provide students with experience in all areas of the arts. With this funding, the Sound Design Lab will provide new learning and hands-on experiences for their students, and give them a chance to broaden and personalize their learning.

Southaven High School (Southaven, MS) for $21,328 for a new lighting system for their auditorium. The mission statement of Southaven High School is "Providing a Pathway for Success." This is an integral mission for both their core subjects and their electives. As a school, they try to foster an environment in which to create well-rounded students. Their school is the second largest in the state and Mississippi has recently cut funding for education making it difficult for them to get those things that help ensure success is possible in every aspect of education. The new LED system purchased through this grant will be safer for students to use. They will learn to set and focus lighting without running the risk of being shocked or burned by rusted housing or poor electrical connections. Students will learn how to effectively use color in lighting design first hand instead of in theory.