Oregon Children's Theatre Dec/Nov | Page 20

A MESSAGE FROM OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATRE Welcome to the premiere of Skippyjon Jones! This is a brand new play, written in collaboration with Dallas Children’s Theater and Oregon Children’s Theatre. Collaboration is essential in creating theater, and OCT is known locally and nationally for its collaborations. Nationally, we have worked with First Stage Children’s Theater, Dallas Children’s Theater, Bay Area Children’s Theatre, and Magik Theatre in San Antonio, Texas. Locally, we collaborate with Portland General Electric to present an electrical safety show, Pedro’s Path to Power. But by far OCT’s longest and most impactful collaboration is with Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program, ETP. ETP reached 35,000 students at their schools and in community organizations last year with a variety of programing. It’s a wildly successful collaboration, headed by Marcella (Marci) Crowson, ETP’s Artistic Director, and made up of seven company members. Under Marci’s strong leadership, this creative company reaches out to the community in many ways. Our talented company of teaching artists write and design plays, workshops, and residencies about social and emotional health, media literacy, interpersonal communication, embracing healthy food choices and physical activity, and more. ETP is a national program of Kaiser Permanente. I am honored that they trust OCT to create theater and classroom residencies for the young people of the Pacific Northwest. I am grateful to Marci and the ETP company for being the standard bearers for this national program. Thank you for coming today. I would like to dedicate this production to my friend and partner, R. Dee. HAVE FUN! Here’s what others have to say about the EDUCATIONAL THEATRE PROGRAM “Fragments served to deepen the conversations with each grieving person, and helped them know that they are not alone in their unique experience of grief. The play had a tremendously positive impact, opening up dialogue in the peer groups and between parents and teens, offering strength, comfort, and insight for their journey.” –Lori Esign, Camp Mighty Oaks Director “Students need to see themselves as empowered to make real change, and to see the positive aspects of their rich community. They need to be able to look past the barriers of poverty, race, and gangs to find the power within themselves. Your program greatly benefits our community.” –Lena Fox, Alder Elementary School Stan Foote Artistic Director Oregon Children’s Theatre “Acting and storytelling give a voice to our students’ unique perspectives and experiences. I believe students want to know and be known, and I think all of these mediums provide fantastic ways for kids to express themselves.” –Jennifer Garcia, Alice Ott Middle School A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR The Regional Arts & Culture Council and its workplace giving program, Work for Art, are pleased to help bring you this performance of Skippyjon Jones. Arts and culture organizations are vital contributors to a vibrant and creative community, and we applaud the work of Oregon Children’s Theatre in bringing exceptional theater experiences to people of all ages. This performance is made possible, in part, because more than 2,000 donors contributed $776,000 to Work for Art last year, most of them through employee giving campaigns. All campaign proceeds are passed on to local arts organizations like OCT. To those 2,000 Work for Art donors: thank you for playing an important role in supporting the local arts community! And if you aren’t a donor yet but would like to start a Work for Art campaign at your company, visit workforart.org for more information. Because funding the arts is everyone’s business. Enjoy the show! The video or audio recording of this performance by any means is strictly prohibited. P2 Oregon Children’s Theatre