Applause Series Serves 250,000 Students and Educators

At the Friday, Jan. 14, 2011 performances of Strega Nona: the Musical, the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines will surpass 250,000 students and educators served via its Applause Series.

Currently in its 15th year, the Applause Series is a school matinee series featuring professional touring shows for students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Jeff Chelesvig, Civic Center President & CEO said, "The Civic Center strongly believes in education through arts and is committed to presenting these world-class performances to school audiences."

The program engages students and educators in a diverse offering of music, theater, and dance productions providing a unique experience to learn through the performing arts. In addition to exposing students to high quality artistic experiences, each performance connects to additional classroom curriculum areas such as history, literature, math, and science.

Penelope Rittgers, Perkins Elementary Principal, said, "We appreciate the opportunity to have our students experience theatrical performances based on the rich literature being used by the teachers in the classroom. The Applause Series really supports the integration of literature with the arts."

All schools are able to attend Applause Series events for just $1 per ticket. The Civic Center is able to offer this to schools because of the generous support of its 7,000 individual and corporate members whose donations ensure these important educational opportunities remain accessible to schools. Without this support, the cost per ticket would average $7 a ticket.

Rodney Martinez, First and Second Grade Principal at Oviatt Elementary in Norwalk said, "Without this series, some students would not have the opportunity to see books come alive...having all tickets $1 helps make the easy decision to send students on this fantastic field trip."

The Applause Series began in 1996 and has seen tremendous growth throughout its 15 year history. The first season consisted of only five shows with eight performances serving only a few thousand while the current season has a lineup of 12 shows serving 35,000 student and educators.

For additional information, or to request an interview with Jeff Chelesvig, Civic Center President & CEO, please contact Dale B. Stark, Public Relations Manager at (515) 246-2363 or dstark@civiccenter.org

 

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