American Theatre Guild wants to help stage the future for young artists
ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There are many young people interested in the performing arts in some capacity, and the American Theatre Guild has a program to help further that interest.
“The American Theater Guild is in 13 markets, including in Wichita, and our Broadway touring shows all take place at the Century II Concert Hall. We're a non-profit organization presenter for the Broadway in Wichita series. We started an education/outreach program called Staging The Future, and it's really about working to put our mission into practice and implemented across our different communities,” Elaine Stolze, senior director of development and community relations for the American Theatre Guild said. “This program, at least in the Wichita area, has been in place for about six years, and across all of our markets, we started out with providing opportunities for underserved students and organizations that support underserved community members so they can have access to our Broadway shows, these high-caliber productions, and learn about the performing arts. We also provide educational opportunities that include master classes and talks so these people can engage with the cast members and others associated with the shows. We are absolutely thrilled to have been able to grow that program to almost 13,000 students, and those students are from communities from all across our markets.”
