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| Accessible
Arts is proud to present The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel,
a touring theatrical production focusing on children with disabilities
and at-risk youth. During the month of April, Accessible Arts will
present the musical play and hands-on arts workshops at schools in
the Kansas City metropolitan area and in Central and Western Kansas.
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| The
goal of this project is to demonstrate to children with disabilities
and at-risk youth that the arts can help them creatively express themselves
and constructively vent frustrations about being perceived as “different.”
Accessible Arts has commissioned the writing and production of this
musical play to be performed for children ages 7-14. This sixty-minute
production, featuring teen-aged characters with disabilities and other
at-risk youth, focuses on the importance of tolerance and respect
for others. |
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Throughout
the play, characters of different abilities discover that each of
them has a unique voice and individual skills. As the action
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| progresses,
the diverse
cast realizes they must set aside their differences and work together
as a team to solve a problem. Each child overcomes a specific challenge
and uses his or her own ability as a productive, integral part of
the team. |
| Following
each school performance of The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel, the
artists and students will explore the themes of the |
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| play in active sessions
featuring drama, music, movement and visual arts. Hands-on arts workshops
by Accessible Arts’ staff and other professional artists will
focus on the themes of self-worth, tolerance, respect, problem-solving
and team-building. |
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Financial
sponsors for this project include the Kansas Arts Commission, Theresa
Foundation, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Foundation, Francis Families
Foundation, and Sisters of Loretto. This project was also made possible
in part through funding provided by the central office of VSA arts,
under an award from the U.S. Department of Education.
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| The
support of these sponsors has allowed Accessible Arts to schedule
performances of The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel at Kansas School
for the Deaf, Kansas State School for the Blind, Claude Huyck Elementary,
Stony Point North Elementary and Wyandotte County Parents University.
Other schools are being booked daily. If you know of a school, community
center or theatre that might be interested in bringing this program
to their children, please call Accessible Arts for booking information
and materials will be sent to you. |
| Accessible
Arts collaborated with several other arts agencies and educational
organizations to create the program, identify target audiences, present
the performances and workshops and evaluate the project. Collaborators
include: The Theatrical Company (a children’s theatre touring
company based at St. Mary College in Leavenworth, KS), Kansas State
School for the Blind, Dr. Dee Hansen (Kansas State Department of Education)
and Vicki Tucker (Wyandotte Special Education Cooperative). |
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will be a public performance of The Return of the Scarlet Pimpernel
at 7:00 PM, Friday, April 26th in the Gym on the campus of the Kansas
State School for the Blind (1100 State Avenue, Kansas City, KS). People
of all ages and abilities are invited to attend. Admission is $5 for
adults and $2 for children ages 17 and under. |
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