[received September 12]
Creative Action Emerges with Rebranding of Theatre Action Project
Theatre Action Project, the Austin, Texas arts education nonprofit today announced a rebranding campaign including taking the new name for the organization, Creative Action. The organization began in 1997 as a violence prevention project conducted by University of Texas graduate students in the Drama and Theatre for Youth Program at UT and became a nonprofit organization in 2001. With today’s announcement, Executive Director Karen LaShelle shared the decision behind the rebranding:
Over the past fifteen years we have been busy. Really busy. We (a team of artists, educators and youth development professionals) have tirelessly dedicated ourselves to using our creative skills to engage and educate thousands (close to 100,000!) of young people. We have grown from a handful of volunteers into one of the largest arts organization in Austin, employing more than 60 artists every year. Last spring we were named one of the top 50 arts education organizations in the nation by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. Our programs are in seven local school districts each week.
Our ultimate goal is, and always will be, to provide unique experiences and opportunities that give youth the skills they need to improve their own lives and the world around them. As those of you that know us well can attest, we never set out to make youth into thespians; we simply know that using theatre and dramatic role-play to teach young people really hooks them in a special way.
As we have evolved to best meet the needs of Central Texas youth, we have continued to innovate and find even more ways to engage and spark the hearts and minds of kids. So, what began as a program mostly using theatre, role-play, and drama, has become something much more expansive. Today, we employ a host of creative arts, including film, dance, music, visual art, media arts, and whatever other random acts of creativity the moment calls for to help us meet our mission. And the name, Theatre Action Project, just doesn't describe what we do anymore.
Today, we are happy to announce our new name: Creative Action. This new name reflects our dedication to using a variety of creative art forms to carry out our mission: to activate the academic, social and emotional development of young people. We will still provide our acclaimed interactive classroom performances, after school arts residencies, and community-based youth theatre programs to inspire youth to be creative artists, courageous allies, critical thinkers, and confident leaders in their community. We just have a better name to describe what we are all about!
We are excited to share this new development with you, and thank you for your support as we move forward!
Creative Action serves 16,000 youth annually in six area school districts. The organization is the largest provider of arts education programs in the Central Texas area.
Creative Action uses the creative arts to activate the academic, social and emotional development of young people. Through interactive classroom performances, after school residencies and community based programs, Creative Action's team of professional teaching artists inspire youth to be creative artists, courageous allies, critical thinkers and confident leaders in their community.
Inspiring young minds through the arts.
[AustinLiveTheatre note: website www.austintheatreproject.org is still on-line, while the new URL is not yet active]
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