Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts ("The Wallis") today announced the hiring of Mark Slavkin as director of education. The announcement was made by The Wallis' Managing Director Tania Camargo.
In his new role, Slavkin will orchestrate and drive The Wallis' arts education outreach programs designed to educate and benefit local schools and the greater Los Angeles region by sharing the performing arts with students of all ages -- young children, teens, young adults and adults. Initiatives include the previously announced "Theater for Young Audiences," The Wallis' lauded series of programming featuring dynamic theatrical experiences -- from the US and around the world -- compelling to both young audiences and adults alike, as well as public workshops and master classes led by the professional artists who perform on The Wallis' stages.
Under Slavkin's leadership, annual offerings of public workshops and master classes will increase, as will the number of young audiences and schools in the region that are reached by The Wallis' existing outreach programs. Future programs will include the development of Theater School that will feature daytime, after-school, weekend and summer classes and workshops for all ages.
"From its inception, The Wallis has been committed to developing and nurturing the relationship between the arts and young people for the betterment of society and the future of the performing arts," said Camargo. "Hiring Mark, a major arts education leader in the Los Angeles area for the last 17 years, is a huge coup for us. His ability to create indelible bonds between families and schools with arts programs is unmatched, and we're thrilled that he's bringing his vast experience and talents to The Wallis."
Said Slavkin, "I'm incredibly excited to join The Wallis, a theater with near-limitless potential, as well as the desire, to elevate the level of arts education in Los Angeles. My top priority is to create a full-circle, expansive program that brings young people to The Wallis to experience and immerse themselves in the arts, and that sends artists to schools across the region to teach and enrich local education."
Prior to The Wallis, Slavkin served as vice president for education at The Music Center for 13 years. While at The Music Center, he led a team of 50 staff and teaching artists overseeing arts education initiatives, from scholarship programs for student artists to festivals and student matinees, throughout all of Los Angeles County.
Slavkin also served as director of public engagement, advocacy and communications for the Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project, and as Los Angeles program officer of the Getty Education Institute for the Arts. He also sat on the Los Angeles City Board of Education for eight years, serving as its president from 1994-1996.
About The Wallis - Located in the heart of
Beverly Hills, California, the Wallis
Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (aka "The Wallis") brings audiences world-class theater, dance and music, performed by many of the world's most talented and sought-after artists. With eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles, and its notability as the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis offers original and revered works from across the US and around the globe. This fall marks The Wallis' second season, which also includes its prestigious "Arts& Ideas" series, conversations with guests from the realms of culture, literature and politics. Housed in a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot venue designed by Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA of Studio Pali Fekete architects, The Wallis celebrates the classic and the modern. This is reflected in the juxtaposition of the restored, original 1933
Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places) that serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and houses the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, as well as a theater school for young people, and the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater. Together, these two structures embrace the city's history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for LA-area visitors and residents alike.
