PROPOSAL Whidbey Children’s Theater STEPS UP to Middle School THE PLAYERS The South Whidbey School District (SWSD), serves the communities located on the south end of Whidbey Island in Washington State, and includes approximately 1,400 students in three traditional schools and two alternative programs. The SWSD’s Educational Vision is for every student to be a successful independent learner, empowered for life in the global society of the 21st century. In partnership with the community, The South Whidbey School District is deeply committed to providing students with the best educational experience, preparing them to become capable, creative, caring, and responsible citizens. Whidbey Children’s Theater (WCT) is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of young people by creating opportunities for them to discover, experience and participate in the performing arts. WCT believes that the performing arts have a valuable place in our community, and that through participation in the arts; young people will develop and build their self-confidence and self-expression. We also believe that the teamwork, discipline and dedication required by the craft of theater teaches life skills that positively influence the lives of young people. WCT endeavors to collaborate with the larger community of arts groups wherever possible. WHEN WCT EMPOWERS YOUNG PEOPLE - THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS Among the positive outcomes of WCT’s programming often noted by parents and educators:  Stronger communication skills and a healthier rapport with teachers and classmates  Boosted self-esteem and confidence, including their ‘first job interview’  Focused enthusiasm and better grades  An increased sense of tolerance and respect for others  A blossoming imagination and a happier child WCT, A LOCAL LEADER IN THEATER EDUCATION – A GOOD MATCH FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION Since 1981 WCT has been the leader in engaging our community in the power of theater to enrich and transform the lives of young people. WCT currently serves more than 500 students a year through classes and productions. Nearly 5,000 people (including 2,200 students) attended WCT performances, workshops, showcases, or special events during the 2011-2012 season. Currently, all WCT productions are sold out and include multi-generational audiences, rare in any theater program. For some students and their parents, WCT’s shows are their first experience seeing ‘live’ theater. WCT currently collaborates with the local schools and is part of the Langley Middle School Apprentice Program. Young interns at WCT’s developing Intern Program are ‘learning by doing’ in every aspect of theater from production to marketing, set design to costume building, and operations to administration. WCT has also produced three musicals at the South Whidbey High School. The last one, Thoroughly Modern Millie in 2009, involved approximately 50 High School students on stage, back stage, and in the technical aspects of sound and lights. The single best-attended performance of Thoroughly Modern Millie had an audience of around 400 people. The popularity of these musicals speaks to their potential within the community to attract an audience and to play a role within the regional public school setting.

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WCT has commissioned and produced three original works including the "Meet the Greens", "Wingspan" and "Magic Fan". WCT owns all three plays. In 2008 WCT produced The Magic Fan and bussed 900 students from South Whidbey, Coupeville, and Oak Harbor school districts to the theater performance. WCT distributed a curriculum guide designed by the Playright that was made available to the teachers for this production. This kind of program could provide new opportunities for theater experiences that are integrated with Washington State’s Educational Learning Requirements and other educational curricula. WCT has also provided reduced-price student tickets to school classes for numerous other shows on WCT’s Martha Murphy Mainstage throughout our history. The increased seating capacity of the LMS Theater would allow WCT to re-instate reduced student tickets and make them available to more students throughout Whidbey Island. WCT continues to ensure, through an active scholarship program, that every child who wants to participate is able to do so, which is imperative in a rural community. WCT is interested in fully developing an ‘Every Child’ Theater Program and our past commitment to scholarship students and diversity of age groups has laid a solid foundation for a more robust and inclusive program. Our programs are currently open to all and WCT is proud of its commitment to diversity, which has made WCT and its theater a safe and natural gathering place for the youth of our community. THE BACKGROUND SETTING…..WHY YOUTH THEATER MATTERS Theater exists in every culture and every era. In Shakespeare's England, youth theater companies were quite prominent. In fact, they were the most legitimate type of theatrical performance to attend. Many actors who grew up to join public playhouses such as the Globe Theater began their careers in the private theaters of youth companies. Theater allows concepts to materialize from page to stage. Collaboration is at the heart of what the theater offers. Whether one lives in an urbane or rural environment today, collaboration is an essential aspect of community life and of a Thriving Community. In a collaborative engagement, such as theater -each participant has equal opportunity to speak, to be heard, and to shape decisions. No one person dominates. People participate as peers with no distinctions made for position, money, status, etc. This is good training for young people as they acquire the skills to become the leaders of tomorrow. All students, not just the designated “gifted-and-talented,” have the ability and should have the opportunity to engage in theater. And that means more than just taking an occasional field trip to see a play. William Shakespeare observed that “the play is the thing,” but the power and promise of theater education lie not only in students observing drama on the stage and screen, but also in their creating and evaluating their own theater for themselves and in the classroom. Children instinctively use pretend play as a means of making sense of the world. They observe and respond to their environment. They imitate words and actions. They create situations to play and assume roles. They interact with peers and arrange space and objects to bring their stories to life. They direct one another to bring order to dramatic play. And they respond to one another’s dramas. In other words, children arrive at school with rudimentary skills as playwrights, actors, designers, directors, and audience members. The approach to theater education, as envisioned in the National Standards for Arts Education, builds on this foundation. In an effort to create a seamless transition from the natural skills of pretend play to the formal study of theater, the Standards call for instruction that integrates all components of the art form. 2

With opportunities to write scripts, act, design, direct, research, compare art forms, analyze, critique, and understand social and historical contexts, all students, from kindergartners to seniors in high school, can experience theater from its many and different perspectives. WCT envisions playing an expanded role in the delivery of an expanded educational theater program in collaboration with the South Whidbey School District transforming young people, the SWSD and WCT in the process. A comprehensive theater education or discipline-based education program provides a cumulative learning continuum that involves the processes of creating, interpreting, understanding contexts, and valuing aesthetics. Such a program involves students as ACTIVE learners in a diversity of challenging and evocative experiences developing the whole person physically, intellectually, and emotionally. The ensemble nature of theater not only enables but requires students and the teacher to work collaboratively in various roles to solve intellectual, creative, communicative, and evaluative problems. It develops language and communication abilities, higher-order thinking, and creativity. It stimulates logical and intuitive thinking, personalizes knowledge and is fun! A discipline-based theater program develops skills, knowledge, and sensitivity basic to a complete education. Finally, and this should not be a surprise, several recent studies show that the earlier a child is exposed to creative drama, the more significant the impact on student academic achievement. Additional other studies have demonstrated that arts education improves SAT test scores, important for entry into college. Last year, three out of four of the graduating senior valedictorians at SWHS were actively involved with WCT throughout their school years, a local confirmation of national statistics. Because of the many benefits of theater, youth theater programs and the integration of community resources --- partnerships with schools is a growing trend in the United States today. A partnership between Whidbey Children’s Theater and the South Whidbey School District will forge a new leadership connection between the arts and experiential education in a community that knows how to lead. SUMMARY OF A SHARED VISION BY ‘THE PLAYERS’: The South Whidbey School District and Whidbey Children’s Theater have mutually supportive educational missions and goals for young people in the South Whidbey School District. Each organization will benefit from this proposed collaboration through increased numbers of students, enhanced programming, shared costs, re-cycled community resources, and new funding sources that will become available to both organizations as a result of this partnership. This shared vision can be a big win for the ‘kids’ and our community. THE PROPOSAL: The Board of Whidbey Children’s Theater Proposes a Partnership with the South Whidbey School District, in which the SWSD Middle School Building, Theater and Offices become the new home for Whidbey Children’s Theater (WCT) by the end of 2013. WCT will remain a separate independent non-profit, and would offer in-kind educational services to the school district such as in-school classes, after-school activities, shared curriculum, and other activities to be mutually determined and offered, beginning in 2014. WCT’s aim is to utilize a largely unused public education building for a renewed public education collaboration between SWSD teachers, administration and other groups to create a youth theater program for the maximum benefit of students and the community of South Whidbey. WCT believes this public-private collaboration is an excellent overlap of the mission of WCT and the SWSD to provide the best educational experience that the community can provide for our 3

young people --- preparing them to become capable, creative, caring, and collaborative citizens who have developed skills through experiential learning. The Langley Middle School Building The Langley Middle School was built in 1960. Consequently, many elements of the auditorium are out-ofdate or in poor condition. It is our understanding that the roof and other major facility issues were addressed by the South Whidbey School District about two years ago. For WCT to use the auditorium for theatrical productions, upgrades will be necessary. Some of the potential renovations include the lighting system and the heating system. The stage is narrower than our current one (24’ vs. 35’) and ways to expand the stage will be investigated. The large rooms for office space will need to be designed for best-use functions, including where and what areas to wire for phone and internet. WCT anticipates a 3-staged renovation process beginning as soon as possible in early 2013 and continuing until the end of 2016. WCT proposes no rent be paid during 2013; in-kind services be traded for rent in 2014 and 2015; and half rent and half in-kind services be paid in 2016. Stage 1: Immediate renovation required for WCT to move into the space, such as electricity, heat, and offices; theater lighting and electrical renovations (2013); Stage 2: Seating partitions that might provide more audience flexibility; the heating system; (2013-2014); Stage 3: Final renovations required to complete office and program space resulting in a wholly functioning WCT office, program space(s), and theater (2014-2016). WCT is in the process of assembling quotes for renovation work in stages one-three. Other Considerations:   

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WCT will need to provide the lighting and sound technicians for any performance in the theater space by any organization. Fees associated for these direct personnel services will be negotiated by WCT with each organization. It will be necessary that WCT control and/or share the locking system for the building and control access to prevent the theft of property. WCT electricity costs will be more than current expenses at the Porter building. (WCT understands from Brian Miller that The District will be installing meters, which will provide the electrical use information in the future. WCT also understands that the heat in the Middle School building is electric, so that heating and other electrical use will be lumped together and that the District has the capacity to customize the heating schedule for the building to best fit a WCT reuse use plan.) WCT will need to verify with the SWSD that any toxic substances that may have been in the building have been removed or remediated from the building, such as asbestos. Parking space for drop off and pick-up and for audience parking at productions will need to be addressed.

Whidbey Children’s Theater believes ‘Other Considerations’ all have solutions and that a mutually beneficial agreement can move forward in a timely manner that will allow WCT’s Board sufficient time to transition from current space to ‘new’ space by the end of 2013. 4

BENEFITS OF PARTNERSHIP & COLLABORATION Mission-related : According to the President's Committee on the Arts & Humanities, "Reinvesting in Arts Education," arts education is a particularly powerful tool in reaching students who are otherwise ‘turned off’ by standard school subjects. a) WCT will be more accessible to young people in the Middle School campus location and will lead to more student and community involvement in performances and programs. b) WCT will be able to serve 2-3x more young people at various grade levels and can address the SWSD’s concern in the decline in cohort numbers. (Although the high school has 107 and 145 students from ninth to 12th grade, the elementary school’s cohorts are smaller with between 92 and 103 students in first through fifth grades.) c) WCT, working with SWSD teachers, will be better positioned to engage low-income students and special needs students in the SWSD. d) WCT and the SWSD, working with SWSD teachers, can offer school credit for participation in WCT programs. e) WCT will have a bigger audience potential and greater geographic draw, leveraging the SWSD’s existing relationships with parents and the SW community and beyond. f) WCT will have more flexibility in our programming with a bigger space. g) WCT will be able to involve SWSD teachers to offer curricula and discipline-based programs in productions, and could provide lessons on diverse subjects students are studying (Math, Science, Social Studies, English, Art, Shop, etc.) h) WCT will be able to leverage and work with other SWSD school-related clubs and groups, such as Choir, Service clubs and groups that meet before or after normal school hours. i) WCT will have a beneficial potential collaboration with a developing a youth Arts Campus. j) WCT programming at the LMS theater location demonstrates an enhancement to the existing curriculum that will attract students and families from this community and other communities looking to enroll their student in something more dynamic than currently available. Engaging the Community a) b) c) d) e) f) g) h) i) j)

WCT has over 30 years of experience and expertise to bring to a partnership with the SWSD. WCT already has relationships with parents and students in the SWSD. WCT offers a “refresh” to the SWSD with our creative staff, board and volunteers. WCT has a reputation for excellence and skillfulness with young people. WCT would be offering educational curricula not currently offered in SWSD schools. WCT brings leadership development and personal-potential development to SWSD students. South Whidbey & the SWSD will have an emerging ARTS CAMPUS! WCT can offer after-school activities that are healthy, safe and fun. WCT offers the SWSD an artistic community, classes and performances for at-risk teens. WCT programs and productions provide the SWSD and the larger Island community with socialization options for the large number of home-schooled students. k) WCT and the SWSD can use this transformation and vision to attract new board members with specific skills, and who will be excited to engage parents and the community through a new collaboration with community arts organizations. l) WCT and the SWSD will look for ways to involve community volunteers more deeply. 5

CONCLUSION: Although there are some concerns about renovation costs and over-all condition of the theater space, WCT is interested in exploring a move that we believe will benefit all concerned. The ability to move WCT from the Porter building to the Middle School and making the building ready for WCT in Stage-One renovations will rely on the SWSD’s ability to negotiate in-kind educational services in lieu of rental costs to WCT for a mutually agreed upon amount of time. Whidbey Children’s Theater is excited and prepared to negotiate the re-use terms of the SWSD Middle School for the development of a robust discipline-based and production-oriented youth theater program in collaboration with the SWSD administration, including the faculty, parents and students --- We envision a collaborative program that will enhance young peoples educational experience and relationship with the broader community. We seek an agreement that will be a ‘win’ for the SWSD, a ‘win’ for WCT, a ‘win’ for the kids, and a ‘win’ for the South Whidbey Community. WCT looks forward to fulfilling Washington State Educational Learning Requirement through WCT’s programs and productions in collaboration with the SWSD and the community that will provide the foundation stones for: Youth Leadership • Youth Development • Civic Engagement • Building Bridges To Tolerance & Empathy • Creating Experiential Learning Opportunities • A Safe Place for Diversity •

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