The Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation

Support For The Ruskin Group Theatre Company

Grant Information
Requested $20,000
Granted 10000
Categories Arts , Education , Community
Location United States
Grant Cycle2009
Organization Info
Ruskin Group Theatre Company http://www.ruskingrouptheatre.com
Grant Description
Description The Ruskin Group Theatre operates on a budget of $180,000 dollars per year. Our Company's mission is to expose the community to the enlightening experience that theater can be while providing outreach programs to people in need through our "Healing through the Arts" program. We accomplish our goals by producing "world class" plays in our theater and through our outreach work. If awarded a grant the money will be used to continue to fulfill our mission. In 2010 we are producing 3 wold premiere plays, a world premiere musical, and two revivals. Live theatre benefits the community at large in multiple ways. When watching a dramatic play performed live, unlike watching a film, an audience member has a chance to be part of an interactive art form. Audience members may also experience "catharsis," a sudden emotional climax that evokes overwhelming feelings of great sorrow, joy or any other extreme change in emotion, resulting in an emotional or psychological realization in the audience member, allowing them to release or purge pent-up emotions upon completion of the tragedy. This grant will also benefit the Foster Youth in Los Angeles by allowing us to continue to provide them with a nurturing and safe environment. This grant will be specifically used to pay for the teachers that instuct the foster children in film making and theatre classes. The money will also be spent on producing our plays.
Used for If awarded a grant, the Ruskin Group Theatre will use the money for general operating purposes as well as continuing to teach Foster Children acting and Film Making though our healing through the Arts Program.
Benefits Every Year our healing through the arts program mentors over 100 foster kids in the Los Angeles area. As a result of this program many of these at risk teens go onto college, and end up mentoring younger kids who come from similar backgrounds. It is often said that as artists we are not curing cancer. This is true, however somewhere someone who is curing cancer needs a break and reflective time to look at the human condition and that is how live theatre can change the world.