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Since moving to Portland in 1991, The Project has served young people in over 40 states with touring programs, and has partnered with schools, community art centers, and organizations including Young Audiences, The Portland Art Museum, and Oregon Zoo to create unique theatre education experiences. The Project facilitates productions, classes, and after-school programs at a variety of public and private schools through the Portland area.
Founded by Jeff Hall in Denver in 1987, The Young People's
Theatre Project has always had a central goal of finding unique and
effective ways to introduce theatre artists and arts opportunities to young
people. When Jeff began accepting opportunities to work with other
organizations, The Project was put on hold. In 1991, however, he and
his wife Koleen (and their 10-month-old daughter) made Portland their home,
with the aim of reinventing ways The Project could fulfill its central
mission.
Highlights from the last 18 years include FROM THE PAGE TO
THE STAGE residencies in communities throughout the Northwest United States
and Guam; FINDING THE TRAIL performances for nearly every elementary school
in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington (celebrating the 150th
anniversary of the Oregon Trail); WHERE IN THE ZOO IS CARMEN SANDIEGO? with
Oregon Zoo; and the development of the FROM THE MAGIC PEN assembly programs,
promoting creative writing and literacy to students from coast to coast
across the US.
For a time, The Project conducted after-school and summer
classes in a leased studio space. It quickly became apparent, however, that
taking the artists to young people provided far greater opportunity than getting young people to come to the artists, and The
Project's sole focus on partnerships was born. By joining forces with
public and private schools, parks and recreation programs, community arts
centers, and a host of other organizations, The Project's resources were
soon in high demand.
In 1998, The Project partnered with Camp Caldera to
provide theatre artists for a new program at Blue Lake near Sisters.
The following year, The Young People's Theatre Project Performing Arts Camp
was begun, with 30 selected middle and high school students attending a
two-week session at Caldera, and returning to Portland to join a Children's
Chorus, Junior Ensemble, and Tech Theatre crew to present the musical
CHILDREN OF EDEN. This program represented a partnership with Caldera as
well as Jesuit High School, where Jeff had become a part-time faculty member
in 1991 (when Jeff was asked to increase his teaching load in 1992, he
recommended that JHS hire Elaine Kloser -- who was then touring with The
Project -- to share the Drama Director position).
The Performing Arts Camp quickly became The Project's
primary focus, and today draws far more interest than can be accommodated
through existing programming. Children's Chorus and Junior Ensemble
sessions fill quickly, and more students audition for the overnight camp
than can be invited to participate. The Project brings one of Caldera's
largest camper population to the facility (over 50), and participants come
from throughout the region. The Senior Campers at Caldera typically
represent 15-25 area schools. Several of
these students meet weekly throughout the year as a part of The Project's
school-year Core Group.
For middle school students and educators, a second summer
show has been added, specifically for 6th through 8th graders. Each
August, a small group of middle school students produce a show designed
especially for them, in a two-week daycamp format.
Their production facilitates the creation of set pieces, props, and
costumes, which are then made available to area middle school teachers,
working to keep the arts alive for their students. Schools have
the choice of renting the sets and costumes, hiring Project artists to help
with their production, or contracting The Project to do the whole thing in
their school with their students.
In the years ahead, The Project hopes to reintroduce a new
generation of elementary school students and educators to its FROM THE MAGIC
PEN assembly programs, with the inaugural production in the series of five,
FROM THE MAGIC PEN: TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN. The entire series of
two-person, musical, audience-participation shows is centered on encouraging
young people to discover the storyteller and writer within themselves, and
each show comes complete with a host of activities for teachers to use in
the classroom.
Since accessibility is a primary concern, new fundraising
efforts have begun, and The Project is actively pursuing new funding sources
as this exciting new phase of the company's development is entered.
Please
join us as we continue our exciting journey of service to young people
of all ages!
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