Local Students Gain Inside Access to Theater Productions through Jurkowitz Fellowship Program

The Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement is pleased to announce the Jurkowitz Fellows in the Performing Arts Program returns for its third year, at The Granada Theatre (1214 State St.) on March 20 and 21, 2018.

This two-day intensive program offers a group of 15 local Santa Barbara County high school students a glimpse "behind the curtain" to offer a greater knowledge and understanding of the available career paths within the performing arts and entertainment industries.

David Grossman, The Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement's Director of Community Engagement, together with David Holmes, educator and member of The Jurkowitz Center's Community Engagement Committee, developed the fellows program to be as information rich and beneficial as possible for students interested in performing arts production. 15 high school students from Santa Barbara High School, Dos Pueblos High School, San Marcos High School, Carpinteria High School, Bishop High School, Laguna Blanca High School, and Cate High School are hand-selected by their teachers to participate in the fellowship program. From the front to the back of the house, these students will meet with industry professionals and experience a real-world event schedule with a professional touring company. The group of Fellows will hear from executive leadership, ticketing and marketing professionals, as well as the stage crew and the cast itself. This year's fellowship program coincides with the Santa Barbara Theater League's production of A Chorus Line.

As part of the theater's ongoing community engagement efforts, The Granada Theatre regularly presents family-oriented events, in addition to several film series that bring in guest speakers for dynamic and compelling community discussions. To learn more about the Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement events and opportunities, please contact David Grossman, Director of Community Engagement, at (805) 899-3000 or DGrossman@granadasb.org. For more information, please visit www.granadasb.org.

About The Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement

The Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement, a program of the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts, identifies unmet community needs related to the performing arts and by appropriate fulfillment of those needs, ensures the community is actively engaged with, and inspired by, The Granada Theatre.

Irma and Morrie Jurkowitz, one-time owners of The Granada Theatre and Tower, established the Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement at the SBCPA in honor of their daughter and grandson, Debbie and Michael Nesbit, beloved mother and son who loved the performing arts and music education.

About The Granada Theatre

The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA), a privately-funded 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1983, is dedicated to providing best-in-class production, sales and administrative support to arts organizations from throughout the Santa Barbara region, including its Historic Theatre District partners (Lobero Theatre and the New Vic Theatre) as well as its eight resident companies (CAMA, Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Choral Society, Santa Barbara Symphony, State Street Ballet, Theater League and UCSB Arts & Lectures).

The SBCPA's most visible service is operation of The Granada Theatre. Purchased by the SBCPA in 2003, restored and reopened in 2008, The Granada Theatre has state-of-the-art electrical, sound, lighting and fly systems, large and up-to-date dressing rooms, as well as contemporary audience amenities. By providing a world-class venue with skilled house management staff, production staff, marketing and ticketing services staff, the SBCPA is making it possible for many of Santa Barbara's finest performing arts organizations to present their programs with the highest level of contemporary production support and audience comfort. For more information please visit www.granadasb.org.