From Inside Out Community Arts:
At 7:00pm on Saturday, January 28th, local non-profit Inside Out Community Arts will present “What’s On Our Minds?” – written and performed by a diverse group of local 6th, 7th and 8th graders from neighboring middle schools who are participants in Inside Out’s The School Project: Community Venice 2011/12. Admission is free.
The performance marks the culmination of a semester of after school workshops taught by a highly trained group of professional artists and assisted by program alumni. What’s On Our Minds? is a free community event held at Inside Out’s main stage at 2210 Lincoln Blvd.
The production will feature two original one-act plays, where the young performers address significant issues they face daily in their homes, schools and neighborhoods. The first play examines love; the ups and downs of friendship, romance and family through multiple artistic mediums including original photography, song, dance, poetry and more. The second original play deals with the theme of pop culture obsession; both fans and celebrities must decide how to remain true to themselves in the face of popular influence.
Inside Out Community Arts is a local organization, started in 1996 by actors Camille Ameen and Jonathan Zeichner, that utilizes theater arts to teach young people in underserved neighborhoods how to work together to resolve conflicts creatively and without violence. This experience is often life changing and relates to issues that Inside Out’s LA youth face in their lives daily.
“When you see an original Inside Out youth performance, you truly understand why the voices of our students need to be heard. Inside Out’s plays are a testament to the fact that young people have a lot to say to their community. We learn a lot from these insightful performances and their meaningful comments on the world around us.” – Varina Bleil, Inside Out Executive Director – Education
The School Project: Community Venice is one of several programs developed by Inside Out to address the urgent need underserved middle school youth have for positive violence-prevention arts programs during the critical after school hours. A winner of the prestigious Coming Up Taller Award, Inside Out is a nationally recognized award-winning non-profit that brings after school arts and media education to Los Angeles’ most vulnerable youth.
January 28th’s What’s On Our Minds? performance will also feature live musical accompaniment by Ira Ingber and Scott Babcock of the local band The New Corvairs, and guest performances by a group of teen musicians from The Harmony Project, an award winning non-profit that promotes positive youth development through music lessons and ensemble participation for those who would not have access to it otherwise.
Inside Out recognizes the many generous supporters who make this program and performance possible. For a full list of funding sources please view this link to our website: Inside Out Current Funder List.
Inside Out
2210 Lincoln Blvd
Venice, CA, 90291
Phone: 310-397-8820
