Program:
CenterStage Programming
- Budget:
-
--
- Category:
-
Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
CenterStage is committed to presenting first class artists from around the world and around the corner. CenterStage is home for its nine resident arts companies and also presents national and international artists including well-known stars such as Tony Bennett, James Taylor, Bale Folclorico da Bahia, and Patti LaBelle. CenterStage is unique in its operation as a private-public partnership, and strives to serve its community in the best way possible.
As we plan our programming for each season, CenterStage always keeps in mind the barriers to access that we must address so that each citizen of our region has the opportunity to experience the transformational power of the performing arts. From offering subsidized tickets or transportation for low to moderate income youth to incorporating parents into the learning experiences of their children, CenterStage’s goal is to make the arts as accessible as possible while providing high-quality performances, workshops, and classes.
Program Long-Term Success:
CenterStage will present a Family Series, Cabaret Series, and Windows on the World Cultural Series during the 2011-2012 season geared towards building equity in access to quality performances in CenterStage venues. Working with our partnering resident arts groups, as well as other community organizations, CenterStage will broaden the demographics of audience patrons that are able to experience the transformative nature of the performing arts. Bringing in nationally recognized performers, these artists will provide educational opportunities while in Richmond, including master classes and workshops that will be recorded by our Digital Arts Learning Center. Providing opportunities for non-traditional audiences to experience rich cultural and family programming is why CenterStage was built for Richmond. The vision for CenterStage is to make our performing arts center a home for audiences to experience artists from around the world and around the corner. Listening to the needs of our community and responding responsibly and creatively, CenterStage can foster an environment of learning and growing that caters specifically to our next generation of patrons.
Program Short-Term Success:
CenterStage’s vision is to be a catalyst for first-class, dynamic, creative and vibrant performing arts in the Richmond region. In fact, CenterStage is an experience -- not just a place. This differentiates us from other performing arts organizations. Our mission is holistic and comprehensive for the entire region and its citizens. In achieving our mission based vision we partner with other professional arts organizations to bring CenterStage into the community. An excellent example is our partnership with Firehouse Theater Project as we engage in a co-production with them of Dessa Rose in May 2012. This production directly ties into our mission as one of our Education Partnerships focuses on jazz and its influence on the civil rights movement, leading to how current students can be modern day change agents.
Program Success Monitored by:
CenterStage gauges success in its programming by evaluating its audience participation and feedback. We actively review the results of each program so that we can continually improve throughout the Season, ensuring that we are reaching the appropriate populations and are providing the appropriate offerings.
Program Success Examples:
In the 2009-2010 Season, CenterStage presented the Broadway smash hit, WICKED. This show brought over 75,000 enthusiastic Broadway fans to CenterStage's Landmark Theater during its two-week run. Local hotels and restaurants saw a huge spike in reservations with many even hiring additional staff to accommodate the patrons traveling from out of town to Richmond for the shows. In fact, $400,000 was collected from admissions tax alone--not to mention the income earned from sales tax, restaurant taxes, and other purchases within the City limits. 43% of the patrons coming to Richmond for WICKED were from outside of the City of Richmond and surrounding Counties, truly increasing the geographic reach of CenterStage's programming. The amazing success of WICKED underscores how a thriving performing arts community can be vital to Downtown Richmond.
Program:
BrightLights Education - Partnerships
- Budget:
-
$399,000
- Category:
-
Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
Program Description:
Since
2009, CenterStage has served as a catalyst in creating Partnerships
that use the arts to reach students struggling with conventional
teaching methods. Working with arts partners and eight regional
school systems, these models use the arts to nurture early childhood
literacy for students in Pre-K - 2nd grades; strengthen
existing elementary music programs; teach the Civil Rights Movement
through jazz; develop presentation skills in middle schoolers; and
teach performing arts design to high school theater students. These
partnerships engage students in cognitive thinking, deductive
reasoning, creativity and innovation, and much more!
Program Long-Term Success:
It
is our intent that, like similar models across the country, these
programs demonstrate how the building of community – artists,
educators, businesses, government and philanthropies – can best
leverage differing resources to develop effective programs that lead
education reform and nurture a future workforce. Our overarching goal
is that, at the end of our first five years of piloting, we will have
five models with identified best practices for the purposes of
further replication and dissemination on a local and national level.
Program Short-Term Success:
Through this program, teachers are learning more effective ways of teaching, through the incorporation of the arts. Short (and long)-term success will be indicated through the increased frequency in using the arts in daily teaching.
Program Success Monitored by:
CenterStage
has hired Dr. Robert Horowitz, a nationally-known evaluator in arts
education from Columbia University, to conduct our external
evaluation. Dr. Horowitz uses a mixed-method design that includes
quantitative and qualitative measurement. Principal methods of data
collection include: 1) initial site visits, interviews and meetings
to refine evaluation design, list of potential variables and
measures; 2) baseline survey of arts education and arts-in-education
practice in participating schools; 3) teacher, artist, principal
surveys (and possibly parents/students); and 4) interviews with
teachers, principals, artists and program staff (and possibly
parents/students).
Program Success Examples:
Program:
Digital Arts Learning Center
- Budget:
-
$75,000
- Category:
-
Arts, Culture & Humanities, General/Other
- Population Served:
-
Poor/Economically Disadvantaged, Indigent, General
-
Children and Youth (0 - 19 years)
Program Description:
Additionally,
through the unique and innovative Digital Arts Learning Center (DALC)
we are able to reach a much broader cross-section of the Greater
Richmond community. The DALC is equipped with state-of-the-art video
and computer equipment that can be used to stream live or edited
performances and educational content, via the Internet, to
participating schools. It also provides hands-on training as students
(guided by working professionals) serve as the primary designers,
editors and producers of the content created – developing
technology skills that transfer to college and career-readiness.
Program Long-Term Success:
Through these efforts, our goal is to develop a digital library of resources for teachers--locally, regionally and nationally--to use in support of their daily curriculum.
Program Short-Term Success:
Program Success Monitored by:
Program Success Examples: