from our TAG TEAM program

January 27-29, 2012
Friday 7pm, Saturday 3pm & 7pm, Sunday 3pm

The Media and Arts Center at Met Public
325 Public Street, Providence, RI

Tickets are FREE but reservations are encouraged!
Please call 401-331-7007

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But perhaps the most exciting part of the day was when Chris Hitchener from the Children’s Zoo brought in a radiated tortoise, a eastern box turtle and a black footed ferret for the kids to see up close and even touch – carefully, with two fingers on the animals’ backs.

Finally we asked each child to choose one of the endangered animals we learned about to be one of their characters in the play that they will write, and to draw a picture of that animal, which we’ll using to create the show posters later this month! So keep your eyes peeled for a red panda and a white cheeked gibbon announcing Manton Ave’s next show: Why No Rhino? the endangered species plays, written by this amazing group of first-time playwrights. We look forward to seeing you at the shows in March!

from our PLAY-IT-AGAIN program

The surprise ending plays!
November 18-20, 2011
(Friday @ 7pm, Saturday @ 3pm & 7pm, Sunday @ 3pm)

Performances at the Met School in the Media and Arts Center

325 Public St. Providence, RI

Tickets are free but reservations are encouraged.

Please Call: 401-331-7007

We started with an overview of Dr. King’s words and works, and discussed the Civil Rights Movement as a whole — Segregation, Rosa Parks, the Freedom Riders, and all the young people involved in the marches for freedom. We read parts of King’s  “Mountaintop” speech, and discussed the boycotts and strikes that King led. And we discussed how serious this theme is – the life and death realities of institutionalized racism.

We discussed the main tenets of King’s dream, and decided they were:

• Kindness: that people treat each other with kindness and respect, regardless of skin color, race, religion, background, language, or cultural differences.
• Equality: that all people have equal rights to take part in democracy through voting and peaceful protests.
• Non-violence: that civil disobedience can lead to change.
• Peace: that all people live free from violence.
• Justice: that unjust/unfair laws like segregation be overturned.
• Diversity: that people with different skin colors, cultures, backgrounds, races, and religions be accepted and valued. It is GOOD that not everyone is the same!
• One person (or a small group of people) CAN make a difference to fight injustice by standing up for what is right and by organizing others to do the same! Children CAN make a difference too – thousands of children were involved in the marches and protests that King organized.

Next, we asked the kids to think about the following:

• If you could write a note to Dr. King, what would you say? If he were alive today, do you think he would be happy with how things are?
• What injustices do you see in your daily life or community?
• How does his dream live on today? What is YOUR dream?  How can our MAP play CELEBRATE Dr. King’s dream?

The discussion that ensued was powerful and important.

Dr. King’s dream always inspired his actions, so we decided to create a play about how a dream for social change can inspire positive actions to make the world a better place for all.

The kids decided upon the three characters that will populate their play. I won’t give them away here. Sorry. You’ll just have to wait!

Each child will be responsible for writing one of the six scenes. I’m so excited for you to see what the kids come up with!

At next week’s class, the fabulous Joe Wilson Jr., company member at Trinity Rep and MAP board member, will be performing Dr. King’s Dream speech for the kids. We are thrilled and honored.

See you at the show! January 27-29^th. For reservations, call: 401-331-7007.

“We are thrilled. This gorgeous new space will allow us to hold our classes and rehearsals in the heart of Olneyville, strengthening our ties to the community and giving MAP kids a place of their own to let their imaginations run wild,” said MAP Artistic Director, Meg Sullivan, of the future clubhouse.

The property is a short walk from William D’Abate Elementary, the school that most of the MAP students attend when they start the playwriting program in third grade. The Manton Avenue Project has worked with over 75 Olneyville children since the program’s inception in 2004. The children have created over 240 plays, which are publicly performed enlisting the talents of over 200 volunteer actors, directors, dramaturges, and designers.

At the clubhouse, MAP students will be able to work on their scripts, meet with their dramaturges and directors, attend rehearsals of their plays, and take part in guest artist workshops. The clubhouse will also serve as the meeting place for parents, volunteers, and a planned MAP Teen Voices program.

“This is a very exciting time for The Manton Avenue Project. This space will be transformative for our organization by affording us a central place to focus and strengthen our efforts,” said Sullivan. “We are grateful to Olneyville Housing and HUD for this incredible gesture, not only for MAP, but for the entire neighborhood.”

The Manton Avenue Project’s newest board member Nick Martin, who is also a parent of a current MAP student, expressed his excitement about the clubhouse.

“As a parent in the community, my dream is to see my kids succeed in life with a good education, and the MAP having a clubhouse — personally I think that is a good beginning,” said Martin. “The clubhouse will keep helping our kids stay out of the street, away from drugs, gangs and all those bad things which always want to take our kids away from us.”

Monday’s event is open to the public. The media is invited to attend.

from our WILD CARD! program

the happy-birthday-providence plays
September 9-11, 2011