TAPA launches hipTIX Youth Invasion Video Series!

A new partnership between the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) and BroadwayWorld.com promises to encourage Toronto's youth to participate in live performing arts events. The hipTIX Youth Invasion Video Series premieres today, with the release of hipTIX Youth Invasion at the Dora Awards.

TAPA is dedicated to creating a young and motivated audience for the arts. The popular hipTIX program is targeted to high school and university students ages 15 – 29 years, and helps to make the arts affordable by offering $5 tickets to live theatre, dance and opera performances in Toronto. "This new partnership with BroadwayWorld means hipTIX will have a wider reach and a greater impact that will help grow audiences for the future," said Jacoba Knaapen, Executive Director at TAPA. "hipTIX is a terrific audience development tool which enables Toronto's youth to engage with the city's vibrant arts community by making theatre more accessible – and we are excited to help promote it!" says Romina Oliverio at BroadwayWorld.

Hosted by Toronto youth Thomas Orwen-Goldhar and Devin Cecchetto and filmed by 17-year-old Shane Feldman, the first video in the hipTIX Youth Invasion Series was shot recently on the Red Carpet at the 33rd Annual Dora Mavor Moore Awards at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. hipTIX Youth Invasion at The Dora Awards features a who's who of Toronto' s theatre community including Matthew Jocelyn (Artistic & General Director, Canadian Stage), Jeff Madden (Dora nominated actor for I Love You Because), SharRon Matthews (actor and cabaret sensation), Mitchell Marcus (Artistic Director, Acting Up Stage), Brian Goldenberg (Artistic Producer, Angelwalk Theatre) and Michael Levinson (Dora nominated actor, Caroline, or Change).

Check out the hipTIX Youth Invastion at the Dora Awards video! 

Founded in 2003, BroadwayWorld is the largest theatre site on the Internet covering Broadway, the West End and beyond to 100 US cities, and 30 countries worldwide. With over three million monthly visitors, BroadwayWorld delivers complete up-to-the-minute Broadway, off-Broadway, and regional theatre news, in-depth interviews, extraordinary photo coverage, entertaining video features, lively message boards, ticket discounts, reviews, and more.

The hipTIX Youth Invasion Video Series is produced by TAPA and the TAPA Youth Council and will continue in September 2012. For more information, or to find out how to create a hipTIX Youth Invasion video at your show, please contact TAPA's Youth Outreach Coordinator Scott Dermody at scottd@tapa.ca

• Thomas Orwen-Goldhar (Youth Correspondent) is 15 years old, currently attending Etobicoke School of the Arts for their Musical Theatre program, and starred in Mirvish's production of The Railway Children last summer.

• Devin Cecchetto (Youth Correspondent) is 14 years old and won a THEA Award for her performance as Annie with Scarborough Music Theatre. She is starting grade 9 at the Etobicoke School of the Arts Music Theatre program this fall.

• Shane Feldman (Videographer), 17, is a graduate of Arts Westmount's Advanced Drama Program and is the founder of Canada's largest youth-led organization promoting volunteerism and positive change, "Count Me In."

hipTIX is a program of the Toronto Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA). TAPA is an arts service organization that represents nearly 200 professional theatre, dance and opera companies in Toronto. In addition to the hipTIX, other programs and services provided by TAPA include: The Dora Mavor Moore Awards, T.O. TIX - Toronto's Official One Stop Ticket Shop at Yonge-Dundas Square and online at www.totix.ca; Toronto's official Theatre Guide; citySPECIAL offering tickets to at-risk youth and new immigrants; the Commercial Theatre Development Fund; and the Travel Retreat Initiatives Program. For more information visit www.tapa.ca and www.totix.ca