Virtual Theatre Group Playdate Theatre Partners With After-School All-Stars

PLAYDATE THEATRE has announced its official 2021 partnership with AFTER-SCHOOL ALL -STARS to benefit high school students across the nation.

Starting February 2021, students from AFTER-SCHOOL ALL-STARS' East Coast chapters will be involved in PLAYDATE's National Drama Club, helping students connect with entertainment industry professionals through virtual offerings.

Says Founder Talia Light Rake, "PLAYDATE is the first-ever online theatre group, offering new-work development conferences, production festivals, and theatrical collaboration opportunities for emerging to professional artists. By operating virtually, PLAYDATE is able to offer Drama Club participants the ability to learn from and connect with an elite national ensemble culled from Hollywood to Broadway. We are thrilled to partner with AFTER-SCHOOL ALL-STARS on our National Drama Club, bringing professional theatre-makers from all over the country to ASAS' community of young artists." Adds Light Rake, "The ASAS mission resonates deeply with us at PLAYDATE, and we look forward to guiding their young artists as they learn from experts in the theatre field and begin their journey as theatre-makers."

PLAYDATE THEATRE is a virtual theatre company compiled of three main branches: new work development conferences; virtual theatre festivals, and a national high school Drama Club. Their mission is to connect artists around the world to explore the virtual space between theatre and film. By creating new work development conferences and producing the pieces as a virtual festival, they are bringing artists together and new stories to audiences - all in the hope of creating a space for collaboration and to raise money for social justice charities.

PLAYDATE THEATRE was founded in March 2020 as the first-ever online theatre company to bring artists together despite the distance brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the Summer of 2020, they produced six of those plays for a virtual fundraiser festival, benefitting YWCA'S COVID-19 Relief Fund and Color of Change - raising $16,000 during these first benefit efforts. playdatetheatre.com, @playdate.theatre

AFTER SCHOOL ALL STARS partners with schools on innovative enrichment programs to help students and their communities. They are strategically placed across the nation in under-resourced communities. They provide programs and transformative opportunities that help students develop the skills, knowledge, and habits needed to succeed in life, school, and their future career. afterschoolallstars.org,