| National Endowment for the Arts Grants Enrichment Works $15,000 |
 National Endowment for the Arts Grants Enrichment Works $15,000Award Promotes 'Access to Excellence.' The NEA’s “Access to Excellence” Program, which brings high-quality performances to underserved communities, has awarded the group $15,000 for a series of educational plays and musicals at 14 Los Angeles Unified School District’s Youth Development Program (YDP) sites in July and August. “This feels like getting a rave review from the New York Times,” said Enrichment Works Founder and Executive Director Abraham Tetenbaum. “Our artists deserve this national recognition and we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to share our work with students enrolled in YDP and other Beyond the Bell after school programs.” “We have had to cutback on the number of performances offered to our students in the past two years,” explained YDP’s Isaure Blandin. “This grant means our students at year-round schools will continue to benefit from these outstanding educational shows during the summer months.” The following shows will be presented under the NEA grant: “John Fremont: The Pathfinder” by Tom Smith, starring Ryan Honey as the man who found the rail route to the West; “A Songwriting Lesson From Irving Berlin,” by Abraham Tetenbaum, starring Roy Abramsohn as America’s favorite songwriter, presented by special arrangement with the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization on behalf of the estate of Irving Berlin; Willard Simms’ “Native Beginnings,” a collection of Native American stories starring David Guerra; “The Money Mon$ter,” an original musical on personal finance with music by Broadway comploser Norman L. Berman and book and lyrics by Abraham Tetenbaum, starring Jamie Hobert and Danielle Vernengo; Cynthia L. Cooper’s stirring “Sor Juana,” a play about the 17th Century Mexican poet and nun starring Marta McGonagle and Eve Muller; “Voyage of Odysseus” written and performed by Joshua Feinman; “Miss Mitchell’s Comet” by Jane Carpenter, starring Amy Honey and William Salyers, a play that encourages young girls to pursue their dreams in Science; Ian Patrick Williams’ “Degas and the Dancer,” starring Chelsea Hackett and Gregory Humphreys; “Thirsty City,” Willard Simms interactive play about bringing water to Los Angeles; “A Doggone Musical,” an original musical by Ian Patrick Williams, Norman L. Berman and Abraham Tetenbaum about the humane treatment of animals produced in association with Pet Orphans of Southern California, Inc., and starring Mueen Jahan Ahmad, Amy Gillette, and Kelly Meyersfield; Gregrory Humphrey’s one-man triumph, “Wiild Africa”; Cy Young’s musical, “Aesop’s Fables,” starring Amy Gillette and Jamie Hobert; and Eddie Frierson’s “Matty,” an assembly-length version of the off-Broadway hit one-man show about baseball Hall of Famer Christy Mathewson. LAUSD Elementary schools hosting performances will be: 75th St., Alexandria, Corona, Hughes, Nevin, 107th St., Nueva Vista, Russell, Valerio, Gardena, Wadsworth, West Athens, Miramonte, and San Pedro. In addition to students enrolled in YDP, other after school programs at those sites will be invited to attend the 3:30 p.m. performances, which will be followed by a 15-minute Q&A session with the cast. Enrichment Works, an award winning 501c3 nonprofit organization founded by Tetenbaum in 1999, has presented more than 5,000 performances in over 360 schools, libraries and museums in Los Angeles County. The organization tours 20 small-cast plays supporting educational content standards in History, Literature and Science or concerning health and social issues of importance to young people. For more information about Enrichment Works, please call 818-780-1400 or visit the organization’s web site: www.enrichmentworks.org |