Project Girl Empowers Women With LEGALLY BLONDE At Fox Cities PAC 4/20-25

The visual arts as a form of adolescent expression will be on display April 20-25, 2010 at the the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center in Appleton, WI. As part of a program that promotes self-esteem in young women, the organization, Project Girl, is using LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL as a vehicle for self-discovery. Together, Project Girl and The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center are recognizing LEGALLY BLONDE'S leading lady, Elle Woods, as a potential case study for girls. The two organization have formed a collaborative effort to raise awareness about the negative effects of media messaging on the self-esteem and body image of young women. Materials for the program were used from Project Girl, and were facilitated by women leaders from the Fox Cities. The participants include 20 adolescent girls who range in age from 10-15, along with their mentors from Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Fox Valley Region. 

LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL'S themes of self-empowerment and definition, confidence and internal strength and beauty dovetail with the Mirror Image seminars. It also provides adolescent women and their mentors with a shared platform for future conversations. The Center expects that the project will have a long-term impact on the adolescent participants.

Maria Van Laanen, vice president of communications and external relations at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, understands how the show’s title might seem counterintuitive to the program, but she believes LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL is a show with a lot of heart. “I think if you see the show, the connection is clear between the work that we’re doing to empower this group of young ladies and their mentors and the message of the show. The main character, Elle Woods, is written-off as ‘less than’ because of her appearance, and the mission of Project Girl and Mirror Image is to emphasize that the individuality of each person has value and deserves respect.” 

Project Girl, based in Madison, Wisconsin, is a nationally recognized nonprofit, promoting media literacy in an effort to combat the effects of the 3,000 plus media messages encountered by young women each day. Since February 2010, Mirror Image participants have met monthly to discuss media messaging, its affects on self-esteem and body image and methods with which young women can differentiate between benign media messages and those glorifying unhealthy weight ideals, unrealistic body proportions or gender degrading messages. Center staff encourage both youth participants and their adult mentors to become better-informed critical consumers of mass media advertising and entertainment by examining their individual relationships with the idea of beauty.

In March, the group began working on a collage that visually represents their emotional reactions in relation to media messages using paint and other materials. The finished art pieces will be on display in the lobby of the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center for the run of LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL April 20-25. Mirror Image participants will see the public’s reaction to their artwork firsthand when they attend a matinee performance on Sunday, April 25. After the performance, the group will discuss the show and have a chance to ask questions of the cast.

The Mirror Image program was made possible with one of 10 National Education Grants awarded by The Broadway League. Recognized as a prestigious grant within the theater industry, The Broadway League supports only the most innovative programs that enable students to experience touring Broadway as a form of artistic expression and as an educational tool. Mirror Image is the second Center program in as many years funded by The Broadway League National Education Grant, building on the success of the Center’s Wicked Politics program in 2008.

To learn more about Legally Blonde The Musical at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center April 20-25, 2010, please visit foxcitiespac.com. Tickets are available now and start at $47.

ABOUT M&I BANK Broadway Across America - FOX CITIES

M&I Bank Broadway Across America - Fox Cities, exclusively at the Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, is presented in partnership with Broadway Across America. The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center, located in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin, is a gathering place for the community and a state-of-the-art venue where the arts come alive. Additional information is available at foxcitiespac.com. 

ABOUT THE FOX CITIES PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

The Fox Cities Performing Arts Center a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in downtown Appleton, provides a premier venue for live performing arts. The Center proudly serves as a gathering place for the community to engage in educational opportunities while enhancing a greater understanding and appreciation of the live performing arts. For more information on upcoming events, education programs and community involvement go to foxcitiespac.com.