Our students have so little and I want to give them so much more. All of the students here come from homes below the poverty line, and I want them to have the chance to experience something that can influence their lives.
These students are so disadvantaged that even though they live in one of the biggest and most lively cities in the world, they have never seen a live Broadway show.
I want them to be exposed to as much as possible so that they don't fall behind in their future educational endeavors. They come from broken homes, are living with an aunt or grandparent instead of Mom and Dad, and many even come from homeless shelters or abused family shelters. They have a very bleak outlook on what life has to offer them and need to know they CAN make a difference in their lives with the power of an education. Live theater is an integral part of this experience.
My Project
My students are amazingly creative and LOVE reading and acting out plays of all kinds. Their interest is piqued by all aspects of live theater: acting, staging, directing, prop management, special effects, etc. We've read and watched several Shakespearean plays and the students adore the stories, but not one of them has seen an actual Broadway show! "The Phantom of the Opera" made a massive impact on me when I saw it has a high school student nearly thirty years ago and I know, without a doubt, it would affect my students the same way. Unfortunately, even the cheapest tickets for them are way out of their price range. They could learn so much from this show: staging, effects, music, and of course, the amazing story.
Have you ever seen a Broadway show where the music and story hits you and never leaves you your entire life?
"The Phantom of the Opera" is a show like that. I want my students' first experience with Broadway to be THIS show. Not only will they gain an even greater appreciation for live theater, they will be opened to an immersive experience in which they will see the ultimate dramatization of literature by some of the most amazing actors alive.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. McCormack and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
