As a child, theatre senior Christie-Jasmine Valle participated in sports. However, it was not until she found theatre that she found a way to express herself. The performing arts gave Valle an outlet for her emotions while providing a safe place to do so, and that has made all the difference.
“It’s a safe environment,” Valle said. “It’s a very safe and healthy outlet.”
Seats 4 Kids, a Wharton Center youth program, continues to share the magic of the performing arts with children of the East Lansing community due to generous community support, said Wharton Center Public Relations Manager Bob Hoffman.
Hoffman said the program is a scholarship fund established by Wharton Center to provide free tickets to local youth, via local community organizations and Title 1 schools, who could not otherwise afford to attend a performing arts event.
Seats 4 Kids was started in fall of 2006 as a way to extend the reach of performing arts to the more disadvantaged children of the East Lansing area, Hoffman said.
Since 2006, the program has received $225,000 from donors and has provided 9,000 young students with free tickets to experience the performing arts at Wharton Center, Hoffman said.
“The arts are vibrant and alive,” Hoffman said. “We feel it’s part of our mission to surround and encourage everyone to experience the performing arts.”
Director of Outreach and Engagement for MSU’s Department of Theatre Dionne O’Dell said there is so much to gain from the performing arts, including social skills, creativity, open mindedness and motivation.
“(There are) so many skills that are transferable to any profession,” O’Dell said.
O’Dell said the theatre department also engages the community, especially youth, through several programs that include Summer Circle Theatre, Friends of Theatre initiatives and Shakespeare performance tours.
The Wharton Center has been a hub for touring performing arts groups since it opened in 1982. Since then, it has implemented programs for college students, such as the $15/$25 student ticket prices, and multiple youth outreach programs for children in the surrounding community, according to its website.
“It’s a transformative experience, and we want to share that with as many people as possible,” Hoffman said.
Valle said she would encourage youth to go see some type of performing arts performance so they are aware of other entertainment options that are “unlike anything else.”
Hoffman said this program would not be possible without the immense support of the Wharton Center’s patrons and other donors who believe in the magic of performing arts.
“What we offer here is magic… I’m really proud to work for an organization like that,” Hoffman said. “We are influencing people in a positive way.”
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