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The Past:
In the Fall of 2015, Curio Theatre Company embarked upon its 11th anniversary season of providing professional theatre and arts education to the West Philadelphia community. In terms of our Theatre School, we are proud to say that we have never turned a student away for financial reasons, and that we began our company by engaging our beloved community with theatrical education. Simply put: before we were producing plays, we were committed to arts education, and that tradition continues to this day.
Paul Kuhn, our Artistic Director, long held a dream of creating an advanced young company that would provide the opportunity for our veteran students to take their theatrical education to the next level. The realization of this dream came in November 2014 with the introduction of the CuriosiTeens! This program was, and is, a 100% free program for local youth – the only requirements are that they are between the ages of 12 and 18, and have previously completed a Curio Theatre School session. They must also be invited to audition for the program.
They asked to be challenged, and we listened. We worked closely with parents/guardians and the teen members to produce our inaugural production of Bang Bang You’re Dead! in June 2015. This play, by William Mastrosimone, was written in response to the rampant school and gun violence of the 1990s and early 2000’s. The bedrock of our mission with this production was an attempt to answer the question “Why?’.
The Present:
The CuriosiTeens! program is currently filled with 13 veterans of the Curio Theatre School – teenage theatre artists who have shown themselves to be dedicated, hard-working, and passionate about the art of theatre-making. Our members currently range from 12*-17 years old. Among our membership are several teens who have no theatre program available to them through their K-12 school.
Curio Theatre Company provides ongoing logistical, technical, and professional support to aid these young artists in their efforts to eventually establish a largely autonomous arts organization. We stand firmly behind our Young Company as we know they are the future of our craft.
In addition to participation in the yearly production, each member must also select and work with at least one specialty committee: Fundraising, Marketing, and Production / Tech.
***Youth who are nearing their 13th birthday may be accepted early on a case by case basis.
The Future:
We ask global questions of our youth - “What’s next? What are your goals? What are your fears? What excites you? What do you want to improve in yourself over the next three hours of rehearsal?"
We listen to their responses to guide the future of our work. We aim to provide a safe place for these students to risk, to grow, and to succeed. Our short term goals are to arm CuriosiTeen! members with the skills to create a full production from beginning to end. Our long term goals are to use all they have learned to largely run themselves with Curio professional staff support.
Moving forward, we engaged the members in the process of selecting their next play. After several weeks of deliberation, we will move forward to produce Sophocles' Antigone in June 2016. How we do find connection to a 2,500 year old play? We look forward to answering this question as we breathe life into this timeless classic.
Find The CuriosiTeens! on social media:
The Past:
In the Fall of 2015, Curio Theatre Company embarked upon its 11th anniversary season of providing professional theatre and arts education to the West Philadelphia community. In terms of our Theatre School, we are proud to say that we have never turned a student away for financial reasons, and that we began our company by engaging our beloved community with theatrical education. Simply put: before we were producing plays, we were committed to arts education, and that tradition continues to this day.
Paul Kuhn, our Artistic Director, long held a dream of creating an advanced young company that would provide the opportunity for our veteran students to take their theatrical education to the next level. The realization of this dream came in November 2014 with the introduction of the CuriosiTeens! This program was, and is, a 100% free program for local youth – the only requirements are that they are between the ages of 12 and 18, and have previously completed a Curio Theatre School session. They must also be invited to audition for the program.
They asked to be challenged, and we listened. We worked closely with parents/guardians and the teen members to produce our inaugural production of Bang Bang You’re Dead! in June 2015. This play, by William Mastrosimone, was written in response to the rampant school and gun violence of the 1990s and early 2000’s. The bedrock of our mission with this production was an attempt to answer the question “Why?’.
The Present:
The CuriosiTeens! program is currently filled with 13 veterans of the Curio Theatre School – teenage theatre artists who have shown themselves to be dedicated, hard-working, and passionate about the art of theatre-making. Our members currently range from 12*-17 years old. Among our membership are several teens who have no theatre program available to them through their K-12 school.
Curio Theatre Company provides ongoing logistical, technical, and professional support to aid these young artists in their efforts to eventually establish a largely autonomous arts organization. We stand firmly behind our Young Company as we know they are the future of our craft.
In addition to participation in the yearly production, each member must also select and work with at least one specialty committee: Fundraising, Marketing, and Production / Tech.
***Youth who are nearing their 13th birthday may be accepted early on a case by case basis.
The Future:
We ask global questions of our youth - “What’s next? What are your goals? What are your fears? What excites you? What do you want to improve in yourself over the next three hours of rehearsal?"
We listen to their responses to guide the future of our work. We aim to provide a safe place for these students to risk, to grow, and to succeed. Our short term goals are to arm CuriosiTeen! members with the skills to create a full production from beginning to end. Our long term goals are to use all they have learned to largely run themselves with Curio professional staff support.
Moving forward, we engaged the members in the process of selecting their next play. After several weeks of deliberation, we will move forward to produce Sophocles' Antigone in June 2016. How we do find connection to a 2,500 year old play? We look forward to answering this question as we breathe life into this timeless classic.
Find The CuriosiTeens! on social media:
CuriosiTeens! at their first reading of 'Bang Bang You're Dead'
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The inaugural class of CuriosiTeens! includes: Michael Adams, Otter Jung-Allen, Danny Gallagher, Judy Gallagher, Cassandra Hand-Northrop, Dominick Jenkins, Chance Lee, Angelica Moyer, Andy Niedermeier, Liam Swiggard, and Charles Taylor.
New members accepted January 2016: Isabella Walls and Miles Lowe. Curio Theatre Company expresses its sincere gratitude to all parents, guardians, and financial backers who have helped us to make this dream a reality. |
