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Bush Foundation and Children's Theatre To Form Unprecedented Partnership with Early Childhood Development Professionals
May 29, 2007
Theatre and early childhood education will combine in a first-of-its-kind initiative at The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. The program, funded by a
$400,000 Bush Foundation grant, will draw on the expertise of early learning professionals and acclaimed national and international theater artists to create new plays and a theatre arts training curriculum for preschool children.
"We believe there is a great opportunity to tap into the scientific and behavioral findings on how preschool children learn and use that knowledge to guide the development of a curriculum that promotes early learning through the arts," said Peter Brosius, artistic director for CTC. "The significant support from the Bush Foundation will also allow us to create new theatrical productions that stimulate, engage and challenge the senses and minds of the preschool population."
Planning will include convening theater artists and early learning experts locally, nationally and internationally to begin the conversation. During the life of the two-year grant, from April 2007 through March 2009, CTC will continue to develop and present plays for the very young and to offer theatre arts training for four- and five-year-olds.
"To the best of our knowledge, the proposed work is the first of its kind in the U.S. and is evidence of The Children's Theatre Company's role as a leader in the field," said Anita M. Pampusch, foundation president. "For Bush, the program represents an attempt to combine our interest in young children with our commitment to strong cultural institutions."
The three convenings will result in the commissioning, developing and evaluating of new classes and productions. CTC intends to share what it learns with other early childhood and theater organizations, a fact noted by Bush in awarding the grant. "We expect that for CTC the preschool programming will increase its service to a new audience in the region and could become a national model," said Pampusch. "For Bush, we may be able to disseminate our learning to other grantmakers in the fields of arts and early childhood education."
The Children's Theatre's building expansion and the creation of a second
performance stage, the Cargill Stage, is creating opportunities to reach broader
audiences, including teens and preschoolers. CTC also has piloted a theatre arts training class for three- to five-year-olds, Creative Storytelling. After beginning in 2004 with six students, the number of offerings was tripled in the 2005-06 season to meet demand. Ten classes for four- and five-year-olds and five classes for six- and seven-year-olds are being offered in the current school year.
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