OPENING ACT PARTNERS WITH THREE-TIME EMMY-WINNER UZO ADUBA AND OTHER STARS OF STAGE AND SCREEN TO PROMOTE THEATRE EDUCATION FOR ALL
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MEDIA CONTACT: Matthew Greene, Director of Strategy, Innovation, and Operations – (916) 747-8724 – matthew@openingact.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OPENING ACT PARTNERS WITH THREE-TIME EMMY-WINNER UZO ADUBA AND OTHER STARS OF STAGE AND SCREEN TO PROMOTE THEATRE EDUCATION FOR ALL
New York, NY – October 10, 2023 – Today Opening Act, an innovative nonprofit that seeks to close the arts education access gap for students attending New York City’s most under-served schools, announced the launch of their online fundraising campaign #BECAUSETHEATRE. The campaign starts tomorrow, October 11, 2023, and donations can be made at openingact.org/becausetheatre.
The annual campaign aims to raise an ambitious $100,000 in 20 days, from October 11- 30, through crowdfunded donations to support Opening Act’s free theatre arts programming in 53 under-served public schools across New York City. Programs offer opportunities for predominantly-BIPOC students to develop leadership, build community, and exercise creativity in high schools, middle schools, and alternative schools with little-to-no arts education offerings.
Central to the campaign is a question that proponents of these programs are always seeking to answer: Why is theatre education essential and worth financially supporting? Through original video content, interviews, and testimonials from Opening Act alumni, #BECAUSETHEATRE will highlight these programs’ effectiveness in raising test scores, ensuring college and career success, uniting immigrant communities, protecting queer youth, and inspiring young people to imagine a bright future beyond the stage. Supporters, followers, and volunteer fundraisers will participate in the conversation as well, as they will be prompted throughout the campaign to share how theatre made an impact on their lives, with a focus on the areas highlighted above. #BECAUSETHEATRE aims to create small viral moments, connecting people in all walks of life – not just those in the arts – to show the lifelong impact of this work.
CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE TO WATCH UZO ADUBA’S INTRODUCTION TO THE CAMPAIGN
The #BECAUSETHEATRE campaign features three-time Emmy award-winner Uzo Aduba, an Opening Act Artistic Advisory Board member who has long supported and advocated for arts in education. In a video introducing the campaign, Aduba says, “My early experiences in theatre prepared me for a career on stage and screen, but anyone who’s gone through the process of putting on a show knows what an impact it can have, no matter where life takes you. But too many young people will never get that chance. Less than 40 percent of all New York City public high schools have theatre programs, and – you guessed it – low-income students of color are hit the hardest. Those numbers aren’t going to get any better without our help.”
Opening Act is also supported by Aduba’s fellow Artistic Advisory Board members, including Anthony Ramos (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts), Aja Naomi King (How to Get Away With Murder), Dominique Fishback (Emmy Nominee, Swarm), Kristen Bell (The Good Place), Marcus Gardley (screenwriter of the upcoming The Color Purple), Rachel Chavkin (director, Hadestown), Jean Smart (Hacks), and Brittany Adebumola (The Other Black Girl, Opening Act alumna).
Also lending their voices to #BECAUSETHEATRE are Opening Act alumni and special guests whose testimonials and personal stories about early days onstage are backed up by overwhelming data illustrating the value of arts programming. Students with access to theatre education score an average of 100 points higher on the SAT and are three times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than peers without. Nearly three-quarters of employers identify “creativity” as a primary concern while hiring, but arts programs that are proven to build these competencies remain inaccessible to New York City’s most vulnerable populations – only 37% of public high schools have any theatre program at all.
Committed to closing the arts education access gap in NYC, Opening Act centers the voices of students of color through free, high-quality theatre programming. Since inception in 2000, they have grown to reach over 7,000 young people at 53 under-resourced schools throughout New York City. This includes a partnership with District 79, the city’s alternative school district, and expansion into middle school. After graduation, Opening Act alumni join the Act 2 program, which sets them up for academic, professional, and artistic success. Please visit www.openingact.org to learn more.
Opening Act’s #BECAUSETHEATRE campaign lasts twenty days, from October 11 – 30.
To support, go to openingact.org/becausetheatre and donate today.
MEDIA CONTACT: Matthew Greene, Director of Strategy, Innovation, and Operations – (916) 747-8724 – matthew@openingact.org
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