Grantee Database

The Young Shakespeareans

Grant Year

2022-23

Grant Program

Creative Youth Development

Award Amount

$38,000.00

Project Description

With continued support from the California Arts Council, TYS will resume delivery of our Performance/Production Programs to Title 1 South LA 4th-8th graders. TYS’ programs effectively develop our students’ academic/life skills while engaging their curiosity, enhancing their awareness of self and others, and cultivating their sense of empowerment and agency.

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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