TRW’s Partnership Team: Helping Kids Make Strong Connections at School

The Theatrical Rights Worldwide Partnership Team was created in 2008 to provide human resources to schools in New York City that need a helping hand with their Arts programs. The Family School opened in September, 2009 with a unique mission that is a perfect fit for our outreach program. In October 2009 the Partnership Team began our work with over sixty first and second graders from the Family School, coordinated through Music Specialist Justin Dayhoff and Principal Pamela Lee. November brought a follow-up assessment meeting between the Theatrical Rights team and Dayhoff and Lee that resulted in an agreement to continue the drama/music program in a new session that began in January, 2010. The program features an extended schedule, including an early morning before-school component.

TRW Partnership Team: The Family School Project

The TRW Partnership Team just spent three amazing weeks with The Family School, Bronx, NY, working with their Kindergarten through 2nd graders on their first drama project! Team leaders Fred Stuart and Andrew Rainbow from the TRW Partnership Team worked with over 60 students, aided by Justin Dayhoff, the Family School’s music specialist and Family School staff.

Each class focused on the basic skills of drama and…on having fun! Breaking the group into four casts, the second week saw the development of a short play for each group. By week three, each group was in the final stages of remembering their lines and learning the awesome song composed by TRW’s Andrew Rainbow.

Finally on Thursday, October 22, 2009, The first Family School Drama Program show premiered!

Striking 12 Director’s Chat

Why did you choose STRIKING 12?
STRIKING 12 is one of those little known gems of a musical, created by a band called GrooveLily, and later transformed into the “book musical” that we are presenting. The show is a wonderful blend of musical styles – rock, pop, folk, musical theatre – that combine to put a modern twist on a story as old as, well, Dickens and A Christmas Carol.

What’s the story?
The central character, The Man Who’s Had Enough, is at the end of the year and the end of his rope. Nothing seems to make him feel better about himself and everything around him until he meets, quite by accident, a girl selling “full spectrum holiday light bulbs” as a way to overcome the holiday season blues.