Last week, we were excited to share with you the opportunity to attend the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) Spring event. This conference is a great way to get & stay connected with important & influential professionals in the industry.
This week, we’d like to take a moment to feature one of the Southeast’s premier Theatre organizations: Alliance Theatre.
Based in Atlanta, GA, Alliance Theatre hosts a beautiful 770-seat performance venue. In addition, they have a 200-seat blackbox theatre for more intimate performances. The Theatre was founded in 1968, and reaches over 200,000 patrons each year. They accomplish this through a broad spectrum of programs, each designed to serve the community in a unique way.
Here are just a few ways this influential organization continues to keep Theatre alive & well in the Southeast:
Alliance Theatre Acting Program
Offering classes & workshops for all ages, Alliance Theatre’s acting program serves nearly 50,000 students each year. The Theatre creates programs that even align with Georgia Schools’ Performance Standards. These programs are a great way to introduce the Theatre to young people, which both builds & sustains the community as a whole.
One such program is called The Collision Project. Check out this video for more information:
“For three weeks each summer, the Alliance Theatre assembles a diverse group of 20 teenagers from metro Atlanta to explore and unpack a classic text under the guidance of a professional playwright and director. Through improvisational exercises, oral history, choreography, the individual performing talents they possess, and their writing, the teenagers create a new piece inspired by the classic text but perceived through their own utterly unique and contemporary prism. The Collision Project affords teens a unique theatrical experience and gives them ownership of a performance at the Alliance. It also gives students validity – confidence in their talents, strength for the future, and power in their decisions.”
The Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Competition
Candidates from the country’s leading graduate playwriting programs are invited to submit a play for consideration. This competition serves to help aspiring playwrights move from the academic to the professional world.
Led by Celisa Kalke, this program both challenges and enriches the community by introducing artistic voices from all across the nation. Just listen to these former winners gush about this fantastic opportunity:
This is a great example of a regional Theatre doing its part to connect to a wider audience. Live theatre, like all live event production, is a collaboration of many minds & talents. All productions, large or small, benefit from the support of a community. Organizations like Alliance Theatre are a crucial part of keeping the Performing Arts relevant in an age of disposable entertainment.
Want to know more about Alliance Theatre? Follow them on Twitter & Facebook
