Grantee Database

The Young Shakespeareans

Grant Year

2022-23

Grant Program

Impact Projects

Award Amount

$19,000.00

Project Description

With support from the California Arts Council, TYS will employ local Teaching Artists to deliver our Performance/Production Design/Technical Arts Program to Title 1 4-8th graders in South Los Angeles. TYS maximizes student potential while developing fundamental academic/life skills through the challenges of understanding classical literature and creating/performing high-quality community productions.

Organization Summary

TYS delivers comprehensive, immersive theatre arts programs designed for LAUSD underserved students in grades 2–12. Each residency centers on a Shakespeare play, selected for thematic resonance & age-appropriate content. Partner schools receive consultations to support classroom educators; TYS provides trained Teaching Artist teams—professionals skilled in both theatre & youth development—to lead workshops in Performance & Production.

Our core Program is Performing Arts – available for all grades. Using an abridged script & our proprietary, copyrighted curriculum, students participate in workshops with structured lesson plans & hands-on activities designed to: develop physical, mental concentration/focus, & energy control; decipher/comprehend Shakespeare’s Elizabethan text; practice stagecraft; support confident final performances. Each workshop offers group & individual coaching, & is enriched by specialty sessions with guest artists. Every residency culminates in a high-quality production for the school & broader community, professionally recorded, edited, & archived.

For grades 6–12, we offer Supplemental Programming that includes instruction & practical exercises in Production Design/Fabrication & Technical Arts.

Our Shakespearean Sports program—focused on the physical storytelling & choreographed encounters that animate Shakespeare’s plays—has been a huge success. Taught by professionals, this module blends movement with dramatic interpretation & is especially effective for students who connect physically before verbally.

Through our Career Pathways Program, select TYS alumni—high school & college students—are hired/paid to serve in leadership & production roles & support younger students. These young professionals receive mentorship, hands-on training in their chosen discipline, experience working with real tasks/deliverables/deadlines, and benefit from TYS mentorship & networks.

At the heart of our vision is the Empowerment Pipeline—a multi-year trajectory that follows students from their first TYS experience through advanced roles in performance, design, mentorship, & leadership. This initiative fosters sustained engagement, skill development, & self-actualization, ensuring students grow into artists, leaders, & change-makers within their communities.

Additional enrichment includes field trips & partnerships with mission-aligned organizations across the arts & education sectors.

Organization

The Young Shakespeareans

Address

445 South Figueroa St. Suite 2230

Los Angeles

90071

County

Los Angeles

Region

South – Los Angeles & Orange

Phone

(626) 644-1442

Congressional District

California's 37th congressional district

State Assembly District

District 57

State Senate District

District 28

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