Giving Back
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SCCT’s mission is to educate and stimulate the minds and imaginations of young people and their families through participation in theatre of the highest quality, year-round education and accessible outreach. One of the biggest joys of the work we do is giving back to the children of our community. SCCT’s Theatre Outreach Partnerships (TOPs) was created in 1996 to bring the theatre arts to those who are typically underserved by the arts community. TOPs serves children who are at-risk, disadvantaged, hospitalized or have special needs.
All of the funding for TOPs comes from individuals, corporations and foundations so that these programs may be offered free of charge to the Upstate communities. During our 2009-2010 season, thanks to our generous supporters, TOPs served 15,743 youth and families from the Upstate and invested $100,928 on their behalf.
Programs
Our various TOPs programs include:
Marshall I. Pickens Hospital
We provide a year-long artistic residency to children with various psychiatric and behavioral disorders who are housed and treated at the Hospital on a long-term basis. SCCT’s instructor works with the children every week to educate them about positive, creative expression, team building, and self-esteem - concepts that many of these children have never experienced. At the end of the year, the children provide a dramatic performance for friends and family members. Last year, SCCT served 40 children through this residency.
Camp Courage
Each year, SCCT provides a day of theatre at Camp Courage, a camp for young people with cancer and blood disorders. Our classes give these children a chance to step outside of the difficult circumstances they are dealing with and into their imagination. In 2009-2010, we served 64 children at Camp Courage with this program.
Kindermusik at the Wonder Center
For 9-10 months each year, SCCT provides a residency at the Wonder Center. This center serves children who are considered medically fragile or with special needs that are unable to participate in most of life’s physical activities. Our Kindermusik class is a one-on-one parent and child interaction class that utilizes music and movement for instruction. Music-making and music listening activities develop self-discipline, as well as critical and creative thinking skills. Last year, SCCT served 17 children.
All of these children benefit from the self-empowering benefits of arts education. Their needs include compassion, stability, and self-esteem, creative expression, healing and mentoring.
Greenville County Title 1 Elementary Schools
We have established artistic residencies in Title 1 elementary schools (the schools with the highest percentages of students who receive free and reduced lunches). SCCT's ten week theatre residency integrates theatre education with the schools' curriculum. Many of these students would not otherwise have the opportunity to experience theatre. We were fortunate to work with over 100 students last year through this residency.
Child-centered Agencies
Agencies such as the Sterling Hope Center, the Meyer Center, A Child's Haven and others also participate in SCCT artistic residencies.
These residencies make a positive difference in children by improving their communication and socialization skills through participation in the dramatic arts. Studies confirm exposing youth to the arts enhances their intellectual capabilities and improves their basic academic skills. When students have experience in the arts, the College Board reports their SAT scores improve by 30 percent, and as much as 51 points higher on verbal and 39 points higher on math. These programs help children to become independent thinkers, team players, better communicators and self-confident individuals. By working as an ensemble cast, children learn to adapt, learn self-control, and to respect others. For many of our outreach students, this is their only opportunity to be exposed to theatre and to learn these skills. Last year, 522 students were served through such residencies.
Scholarships
SCCT offers scholarships to our conservatory classes for at-risk and disadvantaged youth. These classes provide an outlet for creative thinking, problem solving and bolsters children’s self-esteem. Last year, 34 students were scholarship recipients.
Outreach Tickets
Whenever possible, complimentary tickets are offered to community agencies to attend our performances at The Peace Center, Greenville’s center for performing arts. Agencies served include A Child’s Haven, Greenville Rape Crisis & Child Abuse Center, Crossroads Group Home, Pendleton Place, Pleasant Valley Connection, Salvation Army Girls and Boys Club, Hope Academy and many others. Last year, 360 children and families received complimentary tickets to our productions.
Reduced Ticketing
Reduced ticketing to our productions is offered for schools and home-schooled children. Additional day-time main stage performances are added at ½ the regular ticket price to allow more children to attend. Last year, 1,127 children and adults attended these performances.
Timbre Tales
This is a collaboration between SCCT and the Greenville Symphony Orchestra. SCCT’s Principal Teaching Artist presents a character performance from a children’s book, while GSO chamber ensembles perform classical pieces selected for each story. All performances are held at SCCT headquarters and are provided free of charge to the community. Last year, 750 children and their families attended these performances.
Free of Charge Entertainment
SCCT’s community outreach projects have provided entertainment free of charge to various agencies and institutions throughout Greenville County. Agencies such as Greenville Family Partnership, the Center for Developmental Services and numerous others have participated in such outreach projects. When possible, SCCT also loans sets, props and costumes to child-centered agencies. Through these projects, SCCT has served 2,641 people in our community.
KNOW WAY
South Carolina Children’s Theatre (SCCT) has pioneered the use of theatre to address and resolve very serious social issues facing our local youth. By presenting the only program of its kind in the state, KNOW WAY Real Life Drama, SCCT bridges theatre arts and education to address bullying and gangs in Greenville County schools. This unique program is designed to improve children’s lives in our community by arming them with the knowledge to make better decisions and the understanding that the choices they make will ultimately influence the rest of their lives.
Bullying Prevention
Young children can identify their own struggles through watching a young boy being taunted, teased and threatened by a bully in his classroom and on the playground. This is just what SCCT’s performance of “The Boy Who Cried Bully”, based on Aesop’s Fable, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, shows 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. SCCT uses this performance in its Elementary School Bullying Prevention program to illustrate how easily a bully can break a child down with his or her words, fists and actions. We provide an extensive study guide for teachers explaining how they can incorporate bullying prevention into their classrooms. Each school receives a “Bully Box”, a confidential place for students to leave information about bullying incidences they have experienced or witnessed. Each year, schools request the “Bully Box” and feel that more bullying incidences are being reported, enabling them to address the issue at an early stage. During the fall of 2009, we served 24 elementary schools and 4,293 students with this program.
SCCT’s Middle School Bullying Prevention program is an in-class workshop for 6th grade students. Trained, adult facilitators use open discussion, games and role-playing to review different forms of bullying. The workshop allows students a chance to discuss how bullying can effect their life now and in the future, damage their self-esteem, cause stress, depression and health problems, and cause them to miss school and jeopardize their education. Students discuss bullying issues they face and what resources are available to assist them. In 2009, we served 3,926 students at 14 middle schools through this program.
Gang Awareness
With the rise of local school gang activity, in spring 2008, the Greenville County School Board, in conjunction with Safe and Drug Free Schools, requested that SCCT create a Gang Awareness program for 7th grade middle school students. Gang Awareness was developed on the same theatre arts education format as our bullying prevention programs and features “If I Could, In My Hood, I Would…”, an emotional and moving performance that includes a mixed cast of adults and teens. The actors portray how a lost teen is pulled into a gang due to one bad decision that effects the rest of his life. The play seeks to present information about gangs in a non-condescending, non-moralistic manner, and addresses the confusion and finger-pointing common in discussions of why there is a gang problem and how to “fix” it. In actuality, there is no single reason why there is a gang problem, and, consequently, no readily available solution.
The week following the performance, trained, adult facilitators conduct an in-class workshop with the 7th grade students in which they participate in open discussion, role playing and games reinforcing what they learned through the performance. SCCT’s KNOW WAY Administrator worked with the Greenville County Gang Task Force Officer and conducted extensive research to incorporate local and national gang symbols, dress, lingo, etc. into the performance and facilitation. Our objective with Gang Awareness is to educate 7th graders about gangs through visual scenarios that will spark thought and conversation at home or through the facilitation. Our hope is that such discussions will lead these youth to a stronger sense of self; ultimately, helping them make positive life choices. In the fall of 2009, SCCT served eight schools and 2,144 students with our Gang Awareness program.
All of these programs are offered to Greenville County Schools for free on a first-serve basis. If your school is interested in SCCT’s social awareness education programs, please contact Betsy Bisson at betsy@scchildrenstheatre.org or (864)235-2885 x. 17 for additional information.
In 2010-2011, SCCT hopes to invest over $100,000 into our outreach programs and serve over 15,000 youth and their families in the Upstate of South Carolina. SCCT is only limited by the funding we receive, if you are interested in making a contribution towards these programs, please contact Ame Holcombe, Development Director, by e-mail ame@scchildrenstheatre.org or by phone (864)235-2885 x. 15.
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