Project SUCCESS offers students opportunities to participate in an annual artistic enrichment experience, most often a theatrical performance. Project SUCCESS coordinates the entire performance with the support of the participating school. All youth who want to participate are given a role. Students work in front of and behind the scenes, working directly with professional directors and musicians and quality sound, sets and lighting. Often times, our staff, students, and volunteers assist with many aspects of the production (scripts, costume, set construction, technical support, etc.).
In an effort to engage a variety of talents, the artistic enrichment experiences may also take the shape of spoken word performances, modest student-written plays, working with aerial artists (such as Xelias Aerial Arts), or artist residencies. Each school’s experience is customized to the needs of the students and the school. Musical theater productions have included Guys and Dolls, Seussical, Willy Wonka, Just So, student-written performances like Here’s Where I Stand and I Am. Other theatrical performances have included the Stories Project, a four-week long in class program for English Language Learner students utilizing theater as means to empower them to learn to articulate, write, rehearse, and perform their individual migration stories (a collaboration with Mu Performing Arts).
Putting on a very professional and successful theater performance has contributed to these young people’s skills and self-esteem. Teachers report students raising their grade point averages and becoming more motivated after being part of a Project SUCCESS musical.
