EAST BAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS

Geographic areas served: West Contra Costa and Northern Alameda counties

Programs: Professional staff: sixty-five highly diverse and professional artist/faculty members, fifteen staff and more than 100 volunteers annually carry out the work of the center across three interconnected program areas: 1. Main site training and performance: comprehensive year round curriculum of international music, dance, theater and film training programs for 600 students beginning with pre-school classes and anchored by our flagship four-year high performance and fully scholarship supported young artist diploma program for 100 middle and high school youth. Training for teens and young adults includes participation in one or more of nine center resident companies. Main stage and recital seasons feature up to 20 performance events annually, including world premieres of theater, dance and music attended by thousands of public audiences from richmond and the greater s. F. Bay area. Signature commissioned and co-produced works emphasize under heard voices and stories by, for, and about our community and play a significant role in the cultural and economic vibrancy of richmond's historic iron triangle neighborhood. The main site training and performance program includes an important student support services component helping to provide age appropriate services to its students. Trained professional staff members provide student counseling, academic support, and referrals to family resources. For our college bound young artist diploma students, we help research and identify schools, programs, grants, scholarships, and financial aid opportunities. We also help with writing and editing student personal statements and preparing audition tapes/artistic documentation or other admission materials. Together these programs identify and engage passionate and committed individual young artists, providing them with the long-term and rigorous training necessary to achieve their academic, professional, and artistic goals. 2. School partnerships: provides hands-on access to high quality instruction and exploration with professional faculty in culturally diverse forms of instrumental music, dance, and theater to nearly 2,000 k-12 public school students annually at an average of 15 public school sites. Programs take place during the academic year and in summer schools with an emphasis under served student populations. After school classes and school day residencies overcome barriers to children's participation in music, dance, and theater while utilizing specific strategies adapted for the school environment. Direct services are also provided to school district personnel through professional development for 35 public school teachers annually and engage an additional 750 students in school-based residencies. 3. Community partnerships: supports 75-100 local neighborhood performances and events annually in partnership with sister and brother community agencies, involving hundreds of youth performers and faculty and reaching audiences of 15,000-20,000. In addition the center partners closely with a wide variety of key civic, educational, social and youth serving entities to implement long-term projects related to social justice and community determined priorities: partnerships like the iron triangle legacy project, the boys and young men of color theater initiative, and growing great families which provides intensive 15-week workshops for families facing significant life challenges illustrate the range of the center's commitment to engaging diverse youth, community members and artists in making the arts an essential part of life in richmond.