Vineyard Theater & Anne Frank Center Collaborate On DIARY 21 5/11

The Vineyard Theatre, Young Playwrights Inc., and The Anne Frank Center USA collaborate on a new Arts-In-Education initiative designed to inspire the next generation of artists

DIARY 21: ARE WE WRITING LOUD ENOUGH? selections from new plays inspired by the legacy of Anne Frank written by students from Washington Irving High School and Lab School for Collaborative Studies

Monday, May 11 at 7pm at The Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street)

DIARY 21 -- a new Arts-In-Education collaboration of The Vineyard Theatre, Young Playwrights Inc., and The Anne Frank Center USA designed to teach students literacy and tolerance through the arts, using Anne Frank's diary and legacy as inspiration -- presents a benefit performance of DIARY 21: ARE WE WRITING LOUD ENOUGH?, selections from new plays written and performed by students of Washington Irving High School and Lab School for Collaborative Studies, on Monday, May 11 at 7:00pm at the Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street) in Manhattan.

DIARY 21 is an educational initiative that uses "The Diary of Anne Frank" -- an authentic Holocaust document and literary work of art written by the young Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of Holland -- to inspire New York City students to write about tolerance.

DIARY 21: ARE WE WRITING LOUD ENOUGH? is a performance of selected works, created under the auspices of the program, that reflect current responses and attitudes towards worldwide injustice and prejudice.

Students from Washington Irving High School and Lab School for Collaborative Studies attended orientation sessions at the Anne Frank Center USA, located 38 Crosby Street in Soho, where they met with Holocaust survivors; read "The Diary of Anne Frank" in class; and participated in writing workshops with a professional playwright from Young Playwrights Inc. DIARY 21 showcases and affirms the talent and intellect of young writers, and was established in honor of Anne Frank, whose writings began a dialogue still unfinished in the twenty-first century.

The Vineyard Theatre Student Company, an ensemble of students from Washington Irving and Gramercy Arts high schools, performs DIARY 21: ARE WE WRITING LOUD ENOUGH?

DIARY 21 was created in support of President Obama's educational initiatives requesting educators to think as revisionists and act as responsible contributors to an equitable and elegant educational model. The collaboration merges arts education, literacy, history and contemporary insight. Now in its inaugural year, DIARY 21 seeks to find new ways and opportunities for non-profit organizations to expand during difficult economic times. The program was offered at no cost to the participating schools.

Vineyard Theatre is a non-profit Off-Broadway theatre company dedicated to new work, bold programming and arts education. One of America's preeminent centers for the creation of new plays and musicals, such as the Pulitzer Prize-winning plays THREE TALL WOMEN by Edward Albee and HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE by Paula Vogel and the Tony Award-winning musical AVENUE Q, The Vineyard has consistently premiered provocative, groundbreaking works and developed innovative educational collaborations. The company opened its current season with Tarell Alvin McCraney's GLAAD Media Award-winning play WIG OUT!, followed by The Civilians' THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY, which recently received a Lucille Lortel Awards nomination for Outstanding Musical. The Vineyard is under the guidance of Douglas Aibel, Artistic Director, and Jennifer Garvey-Blackwell, Executive Director.

Young Playwrights Inc. was founded by Stephen Sondheim in 1981 as the only professional theatre devoted solely to the work of writers aged 18 or younger. The organization promotes playwriting in basic education through the use of a standardized curriculum taught by professional playwrights. Young Playwrights Inc. is under the guidance of Sheri M. Goldhirsch, Artistic Director.

The Anne Frank Center USA promotes the universal message of tolerance by developing and disseminating a variety of educational programs, including exhibitions, workshops, and special events. A partner organization of the Anne Frank House, the not-for-profit organization uses the diary and spirit of Anne Frank as unique tools to advance her legacy, to educate young people and communities about the consequences of intolerance, racism and discrimination, and to inspire the next generation to build a world based on mutual respect. The Anne Frank Center USA is under the guidance of Yvonne Simmons, Executive Director.

DIARY 21: ARE WE WRITING LOUD ENOUGH? will be presented on Monday, May 11 at 7:00pm at The Vineyard Theatre (108 East 15th Street). A reception will follow. General admission tickets for this benefit performance are $25. For reservations and more information, call 212-353-0303 or visit www.vineyardtheatre.org.

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