When the lights go down and the curtain rises, something unforgettable happens. The ordinary world melts away and the audience is transported to a place of beauty and magic.
But many children never get to experience the magic of the performing arts in the first place. Their families and their schools simply don’t have the resources. Children in our own communities grow up not knowing what they’re missing.
Today, you can give children an incredible gift: the joy of experiencing the performing arts.
Bringing the Arts Directly to Students
When you give, you sponsor programs like ARTS 360, our in-school arts education program designed to overcome the barriers that keep schools and families away from the performing arts.
For many schools, a trip to the theater simply isn’t possible. Limited budgets, transportation challenges, and restrictive field trip policies can create barriers that keep students from experiencing the transformative power of live performance.
That’s why we pioneered a mobile version of ARTS 360 – bringing the magic of live performance directly into Title I schools. Instead of asking students to find their way to the theater, we bring the arts to them.
ARTS 360 introduces movement and dance through fun, engaging activities; builds skills and confidence through hands-on activities; strengthens literacy by connecting arts experiences to classroom learning; and brings literature to life through professional dancers, beautiful costumes, and music.
Last year, we partnered with Midtown Primary School to bring ARTS 360 directly to them, reaching hundreds of children who otherwise might not have had the opportunity to experience the arts.
One educator described the impact:
“The Herberger Theater came to us, bringing professional dancers and the magic of live performance straight to our students. For so many of our kids, it was the first time they had ever seen a professional dancer move across a stage, the first time they felt the energy of a live performance wash over them. You could see it in their eyes pure amazement and joy.”
Helping Young People Heal Through the Arts
Another outreach program is Camp 360, a performing arts program in collaboration with Art Heals Arizona specially designed for teens living in group homes, shelters, and residential treatment programs.
Through a two-week camp experience, teens are given the opportunity to create, explore, and experience a wide range of theater activities, including improvisation, costumes, props, and technical theater, in a safe and supportive environment.
These teens have experienced hardships no child should face. Your generosity will help at-risk teens heal as they find new possibilities of expression through the arts.
“It was hands-down one of the best experiences of my life,” one teen told us.
ARTS 360 and Camp 360 are both part of the Herberger Theater’s SPARK youth education program: Strengthening Potential through Arts, Resilience, & Knowledge. SPARK programs are designed to help Arizona children excel, learn, and heal through the arts.
Share the Joy of Live Performance
This year, we hope to bring the joy of live performance to more than 1,200 children in Title I and under-resourced schools through ARTS 360. And we want to provide the healing power of Camp 360 to teens facing difficult circumstances.
But we can’t do it without your help.
You can extend the magic and healing of live performing arts to kids around the Valley by making a tax-deductible gift of $25, $50, or $100 – or whatever amount is meaningful to you – today.
Every dollar you give today will be MATCHED dollar-for-dollar up to $5,000.
Will you share that feeling with children who need it the most?
