Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall Receives Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation Grant

The Van Wezel Foundation is proud to accept a grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation on behalf of the Performing Arts Hall Education & Community Engagement Department for the upcoming MAIN Stage Project in 2019. The grant totals $28,120 and will support arts-based educational outreach efforts in collaboration with Girls Inc. during the Van Wezel's highly-anticipated three-week run of Disney's THE LION KING.

2019 MAIN Stage Project Details:

• The Van Wezel will collaborate with Girls Inc. to present a six-day, arts-based workshop series during the Sarasota County School District 2019 Spring Break. Participants will explore the concepts, themes and characters of Disney's THE LION KING and learn how female roles were "rewritten" or strengthened to be stronger characters for the musical.

• One arts integration training workshop will be conducted with teachers from Girls Inc. to prepare them for the project.

• Six weekday workshops will be scheduled during the 2019 Spring Break. Girls will work with 2-3 Teaching Artists daily, learning drama, writing and visual arts skills to use as tools for examining the themes and concept from Disney's THE LION KING. Lessons will prepare the girls for the live show and enhance their self/family-awareness and communication skills.

• One Family Night Dinner will be hosted at Girl's Inc., where Van Wezel Teaching Artists and participating girls will share what they learned during the week with their families.

• One Main Stage performance of Disney's THE LION KING will be attended by participating Girl's Inc. members and families.

The Charles and Margery Barancik family has long believed in the power of philanthropy to shape our world and enrich the lives of all people. It was the expression of this belief that led them in 2014 to establish the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation-a private, family foundation located in Sarasota, Florida. The Barancik Foundation creates initiatives and awards grants in Sarasota and beyond in the areas of education, humanitarian causes, arts and culture, the environment and medical research. Visit BarancikFoundation.org to learn more.

To learn more about education programs at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, visit https://www.vanwezel.org/education/.