(photo above: Elevate Theatre Company)
Our employees are incredible people—in their expert work here at Theatre Projects, certainly, but also in their personal commitments outside of work. The team is full of community-minded volunteers, board members, donors, and otherwise altruistic humans who help shape the values and beliefs of our company.
This holiday season, in place of our traditional holiday contest, we looked to our company for inspiration. We asked for nominations of organizations that were meaningful to them and let that attention guide our yearly donations and digital celebrations. Here are some of the nonprofits put forth:
Elevate Theatre Company
One of holiday nonprofits was Elevate Theatre Company, where TP senior consultant and strategic planner Paul Brewster McGinley sits on their advisory board.
Elevate creates space for audiences and artists to explore health and well-being through the art of storytelling. They weave care, dialogue, artistry, and community into the creation of “public health theatre”—work that includes original productions on public health topics, workshops that use theatrical tools and teachings to promote physical (and communal) wellness, partnerships with other health-minded creatives, panel discussions, resource sharing, playwright development, and much more.
We celebrate Elevate on their third year of impact and original programming and can’t wait to see what they create next.
Broadway Green Alliance
Broadway Green Alliance is an eco-minded nonprofit celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. They were nominated by Molly Braverman, Theatre Projects Strategy & Operations team member, who also serves as Director of the BGA!
The BGA works at the intersection of theatre and sustainability as “an industry-wide initiative that educates, motivates, and inspires the entire theatre community and its patrons to implement environmentally friendlier practices on Broadway and beyond.” Check out their website for resources and updates or to join the sustainable theatre movement.
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership
The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership was recommended by Theatre Projects associate principal and avid outdoorsman Brant Underwood.
The TRCP strives to “unite and amplify our partners’ voices to advance America’s legacy of conservation, habitat, and access.” Through a blend of advocacy, education, activism, and hands-on action, their community champions public lands, preserving open space and clean water for generations to come.
Regarding their Mississippi River Delta project, Brant shared, “Wetlands are nature’s sponges. This is a prime example of space that humans have tried to control, and in doing so, have created massive disasters through mismanagement, levying, and overdeveloping flood plains. Restoring wetland habitat and working with our ecosystems are good for the environment, good for conservation, and good for protecting people and assets.”
Prospector Theatre
Prospector Theater was put forth by associate Andrew Hagan. This Connecticut movie house and event space is committed to providing “competitive and inclusive employment for people with disabilities through the operation of a first-run movie theater and online popcorn business.” They share that 80% of people with disabilities don’t have a job, and over 1,000,000 more Americans with disabilities have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Through operation of this special space, they support the mental, social, financial, and emotional health of employees.
Andrew brought the Prospector to our attention, noting how valued they are in the Ridgefield community, and that he and his family love to visit and support whenever able. Andrew adds, “It’s an amazing place doing amazing work. And it doesn’t hurt that they have the BEST popcorn.”
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) was brought to us by project manager Naomie Winch, a frequent volunteer and staunch supporter of VOC. As a former park ranger, a public art planner, and a general outdoor enthusiast, Naomie has long admired VOC’s mission: to motivate and enable people to become active stewards of Colorado’s natural resources.
Through collective action and diverse approaches to volunteerism, VOC fosters a passion for the outdoors across their thousands of adult and youth volunteers. Whether restoring disaster-damaged areas, planting urban gardens, building and maintaining trails, nurturing plant and wildlife environments, cooking for overnight project teams, supporting VOC office and marketing needs, or donating financially, community members can make a direct and meaningful impact on their state’s outdoor spaces.
Of her experience, Naomie shared, “VOC is a combination of outdoor stewardship, a way to give back to the places I call home (both Colorado and the outdoors), and a chance to meet great people. As a volunteer crew leader, VOC has given me the voice to make a difference that Coloradans and visitors alike can see every day.”
CSU Extension
CSU Extension is an initiative at Colorado State University where our head of people, diversity, and inclusion, Ali Sheehan Mignone, is getting her Colorado Master Gardener certification. Ali has been inspired by their educators and mission and offered, “It’s a unique choice, but extension programs are community-based, boots-on-the-ground volunteers helping grow food and solve local plant, erosion, and other ecological problems. The best thing? It’s free to everyone. I’ve loved my awesome instructors and can’t wait to volunteer with them in the future.”
CSU Extension is “a collaborative space for faculty and students pursuing and promoting community-based research, service-learning, industry partnerships, and other forms of the scholarship of engagement.” They provide trustworthy information about local problems, and their extended studies options are multi-modal and accessible.
Phamaly Theatre Company
Phamaly Theatre Company is a Denver-based organization that offers artists with disabilities a creative home and a supportive community. But beyond nurturing a vibrant artistic environment, they also empower artists to launch into work outside of Phamaly. Their organization seeks to “model a disability-affirmative theatrical process and to upend conventional narratives by transforming individuals, audiences, and the world.” For almost 35 years, Phamaly has centered authenticity, innovation, humor, and grace in their work, AND in addition to their productions, they provide workshops and classes on stage, studio, and screen performance.
Consultant Erin Breitenbach has worked with Phamaly in a variety of capacities over the years—as a stage manager, fight choreographer, volunteer, vocal supporter, and frequent audience member—and of the company’s impact, she shared, “Everything about Phamaly is love, light, creativity, acceptance, persistence, dedication, flexibility, and the intense support of others. Through all of this, and my many incredible experiences with the company, I have learned more about myself and being human with other humans than anywhere else. Phamaly’s reach is extensive, and through the outstanding theatre they do, and through their classes and outreach, they have advocated and educated for the disability community all over the world! I grow as an artist and as a person every time I do or see a show with them.”
The ARRE Foundation
Our managing principal, Daniel Ordower, is board treasurer with the ARRE Foundation, where he has been engaged since 2018 when his son was diagnosed with a rare neurodevelopmental disorder caused by a mutation on the ASXL1 gene—one of the three ASXL genes for which the foundation works to progress research. Daniel offered, “At the ARRE Foundation, the mission is about driving research from a patient-centered approach and improving quality of life for the families. Yes, our work to better understand the ASXL genes derives from family priorities in collaboration with the leading scientists in the field, but it is fully supported through direct family engagement. Where I and other family members can be invaluable voices to the scientists is beyond the charts and figures—where we provide a human face to the genetics. It leads toward improved care and understanding for our loved ones and for individuals with ASXL disorders everywhere.”
ARRE Foundation executive director Amanda Johnson shared, “In rare diseases and disorders like ours, it’s really up to the community of families to catalyze research in the areas that affect their loved ones, which typically includes both building the research network and then funding the work. That is certainly the case in ASXL-related disorders.” The ARRE Foundation is about research on an indeterminate timeline, but that does not mean the organization is without concrete, meaningful milestones. This year alone, they have:
• Committed $115,000 to advancing ASXL research
• Grown the ASXL Research Network to over 70 doctors and researchers who are studying how the ASXL genes work and how to treat ASXL-related disorders
• Launched the ASXL Care Directory, a family-sourced list of doctors and other healthcare providers around the world who have experience treating individuals with ASXL-related disorders
• Developed a new resource for families and doctors describing reported symptoms and complications for each disorder
• Received a prestigious award of $99,982 from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to support engaging families in research at the 2024 ASXL Family Conference
Holiday Express
Consultant Chris Holland pointed us toward Holiday Express, where they work “to deliver music, food, gifts, financial support and friendship to those with the greatest need for the gift of human kindness during the holiday season and throughout the year.” The 30-year-old organization connects with over 30,000 people every year and offers live music, holiday activities, stockings full of goodies, and delicious meals. Their activations extend to communities everywhere, but with particular focus on “those with mental and physical challenges, veterans, individuals in addiction and recovery programs, the isolated, the poor, the homeless, and children with serious illnesses.”
“We get to bring a holiday to those who might not have one. It is seriously moving to see humans who otherwise might be stagnant come to life during our time there,” shares Chris. “This is a charity you want to support. At their events, every attendee gets gifts catered to their needs, a hot meal from a local restaurant, and us playing plenty of Motown and rock-n-roll holiday tunes.”
Crossing Point Arts
A member of our team recommended Crossing Point Arts as a seasonal celebratee for their mission and their ongoing work in NYC and beyond. As a volunteer and informal sounding board with the organization, one Theatre Projects employee noted, “I offer time when I have it because of the invaluable work happening here. Anne, their founder and executive director, is a brilliant artist, a lifelong activist, and an inspiring person.”
The largest and oldest nonprofit of its kind, Crossing Point Arts has reached 7,500 international and domestic survivors of trafficking, primarily in the NYC Metro Area. Trauma-informed Teaching Artists provide workshops in music, dance, visual arts, poetry, song creation, and much more. The organization shared, “The healing and restorative power of the arts help survivors release trauma, reclaim once-silenced voices and learn long-term coping strategies. The arts accelerate healing from PTSD, and our work is embraced by caseworkers, therapists and social workers. One of the survivors/artists who has been in our programs for several years shared, ‘Art gives me the opposite of what the exploitation did to me. It shows me my value and makes me know I can be whole. When I think I am going to drown in the pain, art brings me back.'”
Behind the Scenes Charity & Long Reach Long Riders
For over 20 years, the Long Reach Long Riders have ridden to raise funds for the Behind the Scenes charity to mutually support those who make their living in arts and entertainment. These two organizations were nominated by project managers and company principals Robert Young and Jim Niesel. Rob has been a longtime advocate for the mission and interests of BTS. Likewise, Jim “Con Man” Niesel has supported LRLR, participating in rides and promoting their work wherever possible.
The Behind the Scenes Charity offers grants to entertainment technology professionals when they are facing serious illness or injury or seeking counseling. The BTS community has long supported those who earn their living in entertainment through both established means and new initiatives.
One example of a newer offering is the BTS Mental Health Initiative. This program provides industry professionals with accessible mental health and wellness information, along with other practical tools and resources.
And, thankfully, BTS is not alone in their efforts. For decades, they have been supported by Long Reach Long Riders, a community of industry motorcycle-lovers with a passion for giving back. Created as a fundraising group that centers fun and philanthropy, LRLR has raised over $1,000,000 for BTS through their yearly rides.
By creating financial resources and organizational awareness, LRLR helps BTS reach more people and expand their internal capacity. It’s a unique collaboration and one we love to celebrate.
