Dallas Theater Center (DTC) is celebrating 30 years of “Project Discovery,” the award-winning educational program that provides in-depth theater experiences for hundreds of teenagers in North Texas. Since 1986, “Project Discovery” has helped over 265,000 students and teachers to experience and study live, professional theater.
Each year hundreds of teenagers from 30 Title I North Texas high schools engage in and experience live professional theater at DTC. Students travel from both inner-city and rural areas to participate in the program. More than half of the participating students will see a professional theater production for the first time.
“’Project Discovery’ was created to bridge the gap between art onstage and educational programming in schools,” said Morgana Wilborn, DTC’s director of education. “’Project Discovery’ engages the students and prepares them as future patrons, artists and thinkers in our Dallas community. Students connect with the artists on stage and have dialogue about topics that are occurring in our North Texas community that directly affect them. Through ‘Project Discovery,’ students become an integral part of the conversation and become the voices of our future. DTC strives to create theater for everyone, and Project Discovery is a catalyst for that in our North Texas community.”
For the 30th year, students will participate in the after-school program that begins with curriculum-related content that explores literary themes and historic aspects of wide-ranging works before attending DTC’s current production that coincides with the pre-show workshop. This year, they will attend five productions throughout the 2016-2017 season alongside an adult audience. DTC provides funding for Project Discovery in full, at no charge to the school. This includes tickets, teacher training, study guides, student pre-show workshops and buses for every production during the school year. This year, those productions include “Bella: An American Tall Tale,” “A Christmas Carol,” “The Christians,” “Electra,” and “Inherit the Wind.”
High schools apply to be chosen as one of the 30 schools participating in “Project Discovery” each year. This year the following high schools will be participating: A+ Academy, Adamson High School, Arlington High School, Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy, Bryan Adams High School, Carter High School, Dallas Can Academy, Garland High School, Hillcrest High School, Irma Rangel High School, Irving High School, Jack E. Singley Academy, Kemp High School, Kimball High School, Lamar High School, Molina High School, Newman Smith High School, Nimitz High School, North Dallas High School, Ranchview High School, Seagoville High School, Skyline High School, Spruce High School, Thomas Jefferson High School, Trinity High School, Uplift Hampton Preparatory, Uplift Williams Preparatory, Wills Point High School, Wilmer Hutchins High School and W.T. White High School.
“Project Discovery” has been recognized throughout the years, most notably receiving the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award awarded by First Lady Michelle Obama in 2013. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the program, DTC will host a celebratory reception in Spring 2017 to honor current and past Project Discovery teachers and students.
“Project Discovery” is generously supported by The Moody Foundation, Pioneer Natural Resources, David M. Crowley Foundation, Harold Simmons Foundation, Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation, Pier 1 Imports, Neiman Marcus, Theodore and Beulah Beasley Foundation, BNSF Railway Foundation, Dallas Arts District, Ernst & Young LLP, ExxonMobil, Higginbotham Community Fund and Theatre Forward.
