Broadway League Awards The 2011 Apple Award To Lisa Okikawa

Based on the recommendation of Center Theatre Group's Education and Community Partnerships department, The Broadway League has selected Lisa Okikawa, teacher of visually impaired students in the Pasadena Unified School District, as the first teacher to receive a League Educator Apple Award in the Los Angeles area. The Apple Awards acknowledge the efforts of schools and community groups that support programs relating to Broadway or touring Broadway shows, promoting further development of theatre education.

Okikawa will receive the Apple Award on the opening night of "Les Misérables" at the CTG/Ahmanson Theatre on June 17, 2011. She and her students will attend the Target Young Audiences Program performance of "Les Misérables" on June 22, where audio description services will be provided.

In addition to teaching, Okikawa is a speaker/presenter in the field of visual impairments and utilizes performing arts education to develop literacy for visually impaired students. She worked in tandem with the American Printing House for the Blind in an efficacy study of the Wilson Reading System, a reading intervention program for students who read Braille.

Since 2009, Okikawa has brought her students to such shows as "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Mary Poppins" at the Ahmanson, and has worked closely with the education staff at CTG to ensure that her students with visual impairments find meaningful ways to appreciate the theatre-going experience through the help of literacy activities. These experiences include pre-show reading and writing exercises and post-show touch-tours of both the set and props.

Each year, 15,000 students and educators attend theatre performances with Center Theatre Group's Target Young Audiences Program. For many students, this is the first opportunity to see a live performance. The Target Young Audiences Program is just one way the Education and Community Partnerships Department is making quality theatre experiences part of what it means to grow up and live in Los Angeles.

 

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