Theatre Group Organizer
Organize a group for underserved youth or seniors which meets regularly to attend a play, whether a community theatre production or a professional one. "Attending a performance can promote a connection with and understanding of humanity in a bigger sense.” “Field trips to live theater also enhance literary knowledge, tolerance, and empathy among students”, according to a study. For seniors the mental stimulation and social interaction of getting out and watching a play is invaluable. It does not have to be Broadway, most areas have fantastic performances and community theatre productions locally too.
How do I get started? In order the do this you will need to plan carefully. You will then need to find a senior or youth group and pitch them the idea, identify the plays, purchase the tickets and organize transportation. It requires some organization but is totally doable. See our PDF of our Ongoing Event-Based Impact Project for step by step instructions on how to organize this.
How much of a time commitment is this? This is a large time commitment. From planning to finding seniors to buying tickets and arranging transportation, this will require a real commitment. On the other hand you will get to help seniors and see some great plays!
How do I expand this narrative arc? If theatre or playwriting are in your narrative arc, consider building on this interest with one of the following:
Help the Penn Playbills Project capture their historical playbills.
Attend a performance arts summer camp to explore and learn about the world of theatre and acting or enroll in a local playwriting workshop for teens like this Writopia Playwriting Workshop
Become involved in school and community theatre, either as an actor, director or backstage.
Organize a group of seniors to actually put on a Broadway play that has been modified for seniors.
HOT TIP: Completing a playbills project or attending a summer program is a great start, but you’re likely to get the most impact out of a community-based project like this one. You’ll have to execute and follow through well, but you’ll get even more out of it than the time you put into it.