HOUSTON, Jan. 23, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ensemble Theatre starts its 2012 Young Performers Program with sessions held in March, June, and July.
The Young Performers Program (YPP) is for young people ages (6–17) who desire to explore their creative and artistic talents. A pre-kindergarten class for children ages 3-5 has been added to the program. Dates for the four sessions are:
Spring Break Session, March 12-16, 2012
Summer Session One, June 4 – June 30, 2012
Pre-K Session, June 4 – June 8, 2012
Summer Session Two, July 2 – July 28, 2012
The sessions are Monday thru Friday, 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m. Parents may register their children for any of the sessions now.
Applications are available at The Ensemble Theatre, 3535 Main St. Houston, TX, 77002 or they can be downloaded from The Ensemble Theatre website: www.EnsembleHouston.com. Call Teresa White, Artistic Associate at 713-870-4309 for additional information.
Tuition for the Spring Break Session is $225. The Summer Sessions are $600 with the option of enrolling for an hour of extended day artistic workshops for an additional $100. Scholarships are available for qualifying applicants.
Youth participating in the Spring Break Session will focus on experiencing the different facets of the arts. The students will take one field trip that will give them direct exposure to other art forms. The week will end with the students presenting their own creative interpretation of what they learned during the program.
Each summer session offers classes in theatre performance, acting theory, dance techniques, and music. Both sessions will culminate in a live theatrical performance by the youth. They will perform in front of an audience of family, friends, and parents.
Artistic Director Eileen J. Morris, along with Audrey Lawson, President Emeritus, were instrumental in initiating the Young Performers' program — an educational training program for youth ages 6 to 17 that addresses the collaboration of art and life skills. This program has reached over 4,000 youth who have careers on Broadway, and in other areas such as law, medical, education, community and politics, allowing them to use their early learned theatre techniques in their chosen fields.
The Ensemble Theatre was founded in 1976 by the late George Hawkins to preserve African American artistic expression and to enlighten, entertain, and enrich a diverse community. The theatre is known as the only professional theatre in its region dedicated to the production of works portraying the African American experience. In addition to being the oldest and largest professional African American theatre in the Southwest, it also holds the distinction of being one of the nation's largest African American theatres that owns and operates its facility with an in-house production team. Board President Emeritus, Audrey Lawson led the capital campaign for The Ensemble's $4.5 million building renovations that concluded in 1997.