Rochester Children's Theatre Becomes D.E.E.P. Arts

Over the past year, Rochester Children's Theatre (RCT) - a non-profit theatre company for young audiences founded in 1991 by Deborah Haber and the late Stuart Burke - has transitioned into a national performing and arts education organization: D.E.E.P. Arts, which stands for Develop, Explore, Enrich, and Perform.

"The change in name reflects our repositioning into a national nonprofit developing new works for both young and adult audiences," explains Pittsford, NY's Haber, RCT Producing Artistic Director for more than 20 years and now D.E.E.P. Arts Executive Artistic Director. "We'll offer that larger audience a wider range of programming as well, while retaining a local base and presence."

RCT has been an important part of the Rochester cultural landscape through its residencies that began with the Memorial Art Gallery, then the Rochester City School District's School of the Arts, and most recently at Nazareth College Arts Center. D.E.E.P Arts transitions away from RCT's site-based organization with a traditional theatrical season to a more flexible model offering programming that touches on social and historical issues in addition to RCT's focus on literature-based work.

The organization's evolution can trace its roots back to Haber's own original show produced by RCT in 2010: Sweet House! With music by Rochester composer Casey Filiaci, the piece is an adaptation of "Hansel and Gretel," inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign. This musical with a message about making healthy choices toured every elementary school in the Rochester City School District in 2012-13, has received major funding, and continues in its development process.

One of D.E.E.P. Arts' first projects is Moses Man: A New Musical, based on Haber's own parents, Holocaust survivors Kalman and Lily Haber. Also co-written by Haber and Filiaci, the piece had its first workshop production at JCC's CenterStage in March of 2013. It has had several workshop productions since, the most recent at Indiana University, and will be produced by D.E.E.P. Arts at Geva Theatre Center's Nextstage on May 22- 24, 2015.*

"Developing new works like Moses Man and Sweet House! for national exposure is one of D.E.E.P. Arts' three main focuses," says Haber, adding that a second focus is the organization's educational arm, which has created Moses Man: Experience the Journey. "That interactive theatre experience shares the creative development process with young actors, along with a high school artist-in-residency and educational study guides, and we're proud to announce that it has been awarded a $40,000 'Next Generation' grant from the Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation."

D.E.E.P. Art's third focus is presenting reframed, literature-based works as arts education outreach activities - in other words: touring into schools, arts centers, and other performance spaces. This touring arm, called D.E.E.P Arts Plays Out, debuts in early 2015 with material that will be familiar to RCT fans: Stuart Little; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and Sweet House!

As D.E.E.P. Arts expands nationally, so do opportunities for national funding and the development of a national board of directors. Already funding has been secured from Indianapolis and Florida foundations, with new board members hailing from Indiana, Florida and New York City.

"This exciting evolution from RCT to D.E.E.P. Arts parallels my own creative journey and administrative growth," admits Haber, "but it's also opening the doors of opportunity for other artists to bring their important work to a national audience - to Develop, Explore, Enrich, and Perform."

*Equity and non-Equity auditions for Moses Man: Workshop Performance at Geva Theatre Center's Nextstage in May will take place on Monday, December 1, 2014 from 6-9 p.m. at Geva Theatre Center (75 Woodbury Blvd., Rochester). To schedule an audition time, please email: mosesmanrochester@gmail.com. Check deeparts.org for more information.

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