4th Annual Shubert Foundation HS Theatre Festival

The Shubert Foundation, High School Theatre Festival, NYC Public Schools

The Shubert Foundation, Inc. poster for the High School Theatre Festival, NYC Public Schools (courtesy of the Shubert Foundation, Inc.)

THE SHUBERT FOUNDATION
ANNOUNCES
 4TH ANNUAL SHUBERT FOUNDATION
HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE FESTIVAL
for NYC PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (Queens),
Talent Unlimited High School (Manhattan),
William Cullen Bryant High School (Queens),
Professional Performing Arts High School (Manhattan),
& LaGuardia High School for Music, Art, and Performing Arts (Manhattan)
confirmed to perform.
BROADWAY’S SHUBERT THEATRE – MONDAY, MARCH 19, 2018
 
NYC Public School Arts Funding gets shout out from Oscar nominee
at March 4 ACADEMY AWARDS!!! 
 
One hundred and fifty talented NYC public school students will make their Broadway debuts this month when the 4th annual SHUBERT FOUNDATION HIGH SCHOOL THEATRE FESTIVAL for NYC Public Schools takes place on Monday, March 19 at the fabled Shubert Theatre (225 W. 45 St. — currently home to the Broadway smash HELLO, DOLLY!)  This high-energy arts and education experience for students is presented by The Shubert Foundation and NYC Department of Education.
Over the course of the day on March 19, students from five NYC high schools – Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens, Talent Unlimited High School in Manhattan, William Cullen Bryant High School in Queens, Professional Performing Arts High School in Manhattan, and LaGuardia High School for Music, Art, and Performing Arts in Manhattan – will make their Broadway debuts from 7:00 to 9:00 pm performing selections from iconic musicals and plays, after having spent the afternoon in rehearsals on stage, as well as attending a full day of acting workshops and technical guidance with teachers, DOE volunteers, college PA’s and professional Broadway backstage crews, musicians and actors, according to Shubert Foundation President, Michael I. Sovern.
Baayork Lee, NYPL for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, League of Professional Theatre Women

Baayork Lee in conversation with Robert Viagas, presented by NYPL for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center and the League of Professional Theatre Women (Carole Di Tosti)

Among the Broadway stars scheduled to interact with the students over the course of the day are Tony Award winner Baayork Lee (choreographer, original cast of A CHORUS LINE) and Sasha Hutchings, from the original cast of HAMILTON and currently in the Broadway revival of MY FAIR LADY.

Additional celebrities and guests to be announced.

The Festival, a celebration featuring five outstanding high school student productions from the 2017-2018 school year, were selected from over 25 schools across the city by a panel of professional theatre artists and theatre educators. Over the course of the festival’s four-year history, school productions from all 5 boroughs have performed at the event. This year, student presentations from the following schools will present excerpted scenes and musical numbers as follows:

The Shubert Foundation, NYC Theatre Festival

The Shubert Foundation, Inc., NYC Theatre Festival (courtesy of The Shubert Foundation, Inc.)

Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (Queens) – RAGTIME
Talent Unlimited High School (Manhattan) – MACHINAL
William Cullen Bryant High School (Queens) – HENRY’S LAW
Professional Performing Arts High School (Manhattan) – WEST SIDE STORY
LaGuardia High School for Music, Art, and Performing Arts (Manhattan) – 42nd    STREET
In an unexpected turn of events during the ABC-TV telecast of the Oscar ceremony on March 4, nominee Timothy Chalamet, nominated for his performance in the film CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, remarked during a live television hook-up with his teacher and students at his alma mater, LaGuardia High School, that his training there — thanks to arts funding in NYC Public Schools – was essential to his success as a rising young actor.
Timothee Chalamet, Hot Summer Nights, SXSW 2017, Red Carpet

Timothée Chalamet graduated from LaGuardia HS which he referenced on the Red Carpet at the Oscars. Here he is at SXSW 2017 on the Red Carpet for ‘Hot Summer Nights.’ (Carole Di Tosti)

The High School Theatre Festival showcases the ongoing and excellent theatre work currently taking place in NYC public high schools, as well as highlighting the positive effects of theatre study on skills for the stage and in life: collaboration, artistry, discipline, focus, literacy, student voice, self-awareness, presence, active listening and empathy. The evening focuses on the impact that a full theatre program can have on students and school communities, and enables students to see theatre and the arts as a potential career path.
The Shubert Foundation, 4th Annual NYC HS Theatre Festival

The Shubert Foundation, 4th Annual NYC HS Theatre Festival (courtesy of The Shubert Foundation)

“Theatre instruction teaches students the importance of rehearsing, while building self-confidence and strengthening public speaking skills,” said New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña. “These are critical skills that prepare students for college, careers and beyond. That’s why I’m so pleased that we continue to expand access to theatre programs and arts education across the City. In particular, we are committed to leveraging the incredible connections we have to New York City’s rich cultural resources and developing meaningful arts partnerships with organizations like Shubert.”

“We are so proud to have supported this Festival since its inception,” said Philip J. Smith, Chairman of The Shubert Organization. “The extraordinary talents of the students continue to astound year after year upon our Broadway stages.”

 
Sponsored by The Shubert Foundation, the festival is presented in partnership with the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). Funding for the Festival and for a range of existing Shubert Foundation programs in New York City public schools comes from a grant of $570,000.

Since 2005, The Shubert Foundation has provided more than $4.9 million to the New York City Department of Education for Theatre/Arts programs.

“How inspiring to have Broadway and the broader theatre community embrace our public school student performers. These impressive teen artists, representing varied NYC neighborhoods, points of view and cultural backgrounds, all worked together to produce inspired plays and musicals for their communities. Through their focus on excellence and collaboration, these student ensembles serve as a wonderful reminder for the power of inclusivity on stage and off,” said Peter Avery, the Festival’s producer and the Director of Theatre for the NYC Department of Education.

Timothée Chalamet, SXSW 2017, Hot Summer Nights, LaGuardia HS, 4th Annual NYC HS Theatre Festival, The Shubert Foundation

Timothée Chalamet graduated from LaGuardia HS in NYC and credits the theatre program and the arts funding received as a vital stepping stone to his celebrated work. SXSW 2017, Q and A after the screening for ‘Hot Summer Nights’ (Carole Di Tosti)

The Shubert Foundation, Inc. is the largest institutional funder of theatre education programs throughout NYC public schools and the nation’s largest private foundation dedicated to unrestricted funding of not-for-profit theatres, with a secondary focus on dance. In 2017, the Foundation provided more than $26.8 million to 533 not-for-profit performing arts organizations across the United States. The Shubert Foundation, Inc. was established in 1945 by the legendary team of brothers, Lee and J.J. Shubert, producers of more than 520 plays, musicals and revues, as well as owners and operators of a nationwide network of legitimate theatres. For more information, visit www.shubertfoundation.orgThe New York City Department of Education is the largest system of public schools in the United States, serving about 1.1 million students in more than 1,750 schools. The Department of Education supports universal access to arts education through the ArtsCount initiative, which tracks and reports student participation in arts education and holds schools accountable for meeting New York State Instructional Requirements for the Arts.

 

About caroleditosti

Carole Di Tosti, Ph.D. is an Entertainment Journalist, novelist, poet and playwright. Writing is my life. When I don't write I am desolate. Carole Di Tosti has over 1800 articles, reviews, sonnets and other online writings. Carole Di Tosti writes for Blogcritics.com, Theater Pizzazz and other New York theater websites. Carole Di Tost free-lanced for VERVE and wrote for Technorati for 2 years. Some of the articles are archived. Carole Di Tosti covers premiere film festivals in the NY area:: Tribeca FF, NYFF, DOC NYC, Hamptons IFF, NYJewish FF, Athena FF. She also covers SXSW film. Carole Di Tosti's novel 'Peregrine: The Ceremony of Power,' is being released in November-December. Her two-act plays 'Edgar,' 'The Painter on His Way to Work,' and 'Pandemics' in the process of being submitted for representation and production.

Posted on March 9, 2018, in Theater News, NYC and tagged , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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