Center reaching out to youths

When the Robert Minden Ensemble brings its pizza pans, oven racks, ping pong paddles and other "instruments" to campus this semester, the Annenberg Center hopes to see a lot of local youths in the audience. The center is planning to utilize its fiscal resources to introduce members of the West Philadelphia community to the theater world. To that end, the center will institute a subsidized ticket program so that local youths can see performances by groups such as the Robert Minden Ensemble. At an introductory meeting Tuesday, project coordinators sought to familiarize campus community service groups with the Annenberg Center's resources and its goal to bring theatre to the community. Coordinators believe that involvement with the theater arts would be a positive alternative to watching television for youths. "Live entertainment is an excellent antidote to the passivity of television," said Thea Diamond, an Annenberg staff member involved with the project. University students will interact with community groups utilizing study guides – supplied by the Annenberg Center – to provide the children with an educational insight on the world of preforming arts. The project aims not only to promote literacy, but art and cultural awareness as well. Its message is simple: Music and art can be fun. Student coordinators Alison Auderieth and Phong Nguyen stressed the need to introduce community children to the artistic resources of the Annenberg Center. "Live entertainment is something that is active," Nguyen said. "It's creative. It provides role models for the children." According to Auderieth, the meeting, which included both student volunteers and club representatives, was a success. "I was really excited about the enthusiasm with the people who were here," she said. "It's really nice to see commitment that people have to sharing the arts with the children." Project coordinators will be welcoming "out of the ordinary" international children's theatre groups to the center and will be staging a diversity of productions. The Grips Theater Company will also participate in the project. The German company will stage Al's Pal, a show that encourages children to deal with both the realities and the changing social conditions of the world.

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