Mission Statement
By providing young performers access to professionals in the various performing arts fields, students receive positive feedback and educational exposure through adjudicated open auditions held on three full days at the Alliance for the Arts and a gala performance featuring the top judged students in each category at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre, scheduled for March 2012.
We will be awarding thirty-three scholarships and opportunities to collaborate with educators and professional artists
The monetary scholarships awarded assist students wishing to further their education. We will be awarding $25,000 in savings bond scholarships this coming year.
We are the only open, comprehensive performing arts education, competition, performance and scholarship program that provides written feedback to all participants in our area. Forty-one judges from throughout the nation volunteered their time as adjudicators last year. With auditions open to the public at the Alliance and an event at the Broadway Palm, the intent of the program is to provide an enhanced view of young artists and the cultural climate in Southwest Florida. We also collaborate with other area organizations to provide additional opportunities for our student participants, including student performances on the first Friday of every month at Fort Myers Art Walk. We have two additional student showcases scheduled this year at Cultural Park Theatre in June and at the Foulds Theatre at the Alliance for the Arts in October.
Finally, by working in conjunction with the staff at the Pediatric Oncology/Hematology program at the Children's Hospital, the project showcases and auctions the artwork of children with cancer. We provide and deliver art supplies to the hospital throughout the year, and provide a monetary benefit to families in crisis facing the challenges of childhood cancer through the Family Emergency Fund. We have developed partnerships with the Arts for ACT Gallery, the Alliance for the Arts and BIG ARTS to exhibit the children's artwork at three month long shows. In addition, in conjunction with the Southwest Florida International Airport, we had 30 pieces of the children's artwork on display on Concourses B & D for a sixteen month long exhibit, and a display at this year’s Relay for Life in Centennial Park.
