Rosie's Theater Kids Set to Appear in City Center ENCORES! Musical REALLY ROSIE in August

One of the country's most dynamic and successful after-school programs for the performing arts - ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS, located on West 45th Street in Manhattan - has assembled a summer of study and performance for its student body of youngsters from Title 1 schools in NYC, it has been announced by Lori Klinger, Artistic and Executive Director of ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS (RTKids).

Starting July 5th through July 31st, RTKids' RISE pre-high school preparatory program - Readiness Intensive for Secondary Education - begins, with monologue, music and dance classes every day. Developed exclusively by ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS, the RISE initiative provides 8th graders the all-important opportunity to receive individualized coaching and preparation for auditions into specialized performing arts high schools in NYC. (Statistics show that specialized pubic performing arts high schools in NYC have an average graduation rate of over 95%, notably higher that the city average.) In addition to growing their performing arts skills, RISE provides mentorship for students and their parents as they navigate the high school selection process.

Artistic Director Lori Klinger offers, "The RTKids RISE program really helps us level the playing field for underserved kids in NYC. By providing the resources required to investigate options, navigate the selection process, and prepare a proper audition piece, we prepare our students to compete with 8th graders all across the city. The high school you attend can change the path of your entire life, and with our assistance, our students are gaining admission into some of the top high schools in the New York City public school system."

In other news, two students from ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS have been cast in City Center's ENCORES! Off-Center revival of the musical REALLY ROSIE by Carole King and Maurice Sendak, August 2 to 5 at City Center in NYC: 13-year-old Kenny Cabral from the Bronx, and 14-year-old Nanyellin Liriano, also from the Bronx. Kenny and Nanyellin are 9th graders who have been training with RTKids since 2014.

Additionally, a group of ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS will perform an original song of their own composition in the lobby before each performance of REALLY ROSIE as part of the ENCORES! Lobby Project.

From August 13-19, RTKids will make its 4th annual trip to Martha's Vineyard where 33 youngsters from grades 9 to 12 living in underserved neighborhoods in NYC will spend the week in a performing arts intensive study at the Vineyard Arts Project in Edgartown, Mass. The students chosen to participate in this great get-away from NYC are all RTKids scholarship recipients, selected for their exceptional dedication and professionalism in RTKids classes year-round. Along with their studies, the students will explore the island, and perform at a Summer Celebration fundraiser for RTKids. https://rosiestheaterkids.org/mv2017

Founded in 2003 by Rosie O'Donnell and Lori Klinger, ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of underserved students through the arts with both in-school and after-school programming. Its scholarship program, ACTE II (A Commitment to Excellence), serves students from Title 1 NYC public schools with free, conservatory-style training in musical theater from 6th through 12th grade after school at MARAVEL ARTS CENTER, RTKids' headquarters at 445 West 45th Street. The school's motto - "We're rehearsing for life" -- is evident in its ACTE II offerings from performing arts instruction, to life skills development, academic tutoring and a home-away-from-home environment.

To date, ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS programs have impacted 65,000 NYC school students from grades pre-K through 12th grade, many of whom have never had the opportunity to see a Broadway show or experience the thrill of seeing live art performances. In 2015, ROSIE'S THEATER KIDS won the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award at The White House, making them one of the top creative youth development programs in the country.

www.rosestheaterkids.org