East West Players Brings Arts Education to Underfunded Schools

East West Players (EWP), the nation's premier Asian American Theatre, presents Partners in Education and Arts Collaboration (PEAC)-its 12-week residency program which brings the performing arts to schools that lack arts education funding. This afterschool program is conducted for two hours on a weekly basis by professional teaching artists who lead 20 seventh and eighth graders through a series of theatrical exercises meant to give students a basic foundation of theatrical skills. In giving students the opportunity to create original work and perform in front of their peers, PEAC strives to create teamwork, self-confidence, self-esteem and an appreciation for the performing arts. PEAC instructors are Alison De La Cruz and Rani De Leon. The current program began on March 10th at James Madison Middle School, thanks to the help of coordinating teacher Mindy Roh.

When the PEAC program first started nine years ago, it mainly served schools in the San Gabriel Valley. Understanding that the middle-school years can be an especially challenging time for students just starting to forge their own identities, East West Players established the PEAC program to help prevent delinquency; improve social, language, and physical motor skills; and increase attendance, class participation, and overall scholastic achievement among those minority and disadvantaged students. Last year, following its success in helping to prevent the sense of alienation that can lead to risk-related behaviors such as gang involvement, substance abuse, violence, and crime in those predominantly Asian American communities, EWP made the decision to broaden its scope and reach out to other underserved communities of color.

James Madison Middle School, located in North Hollywood, has seen a change in their predominantly Latino and Armenian student population since participating in the PEAC program last year. "I didn't realize how empowering PEAC was until I noticed a James Madison Middle School faculty member congratulating one of the students after the performance had ended," says Marilyn Tokuda, EWP's Arts Education Director. "The student had a lead in the play and the teacher was beaming and so obviously proud of him. It wasn't until after our teaching artist, Alison De La Cruz, told me that he was an ESL student that I realized how transformative an experience going through a program like PEAC can be-that it can truly make a difference."

East West Players has a variety of programs including Theatre for Youth, Youth and Teen Acting Classes, Playwriting Workshops, Alliance of Creative Talent Services (ACTS), Actors Conservatory, and much more. For more information on the PEAC program and other East West Players programs, please call 213.625.7000 or visit www.eastwestplayers.org.

Photo: (L-R) Teaching Artists Rani De Leon and Alison De La Cruz help students build self-confidence and an appreciation for the arts through Partners in Education and Arts Collaboration (PEAC). Photo courtesy of East West Players.