In 1997, it was a former SDA drama chair who addressed the need for a professional playhouse in the surrounding campus area. After opening the theatre’s doors that year, community members expressed their desire for an after-school program for their children and 24th STreet Theatre’s After ‘Cool program was born.
“We’re doing work with students and we’re reaching students who might not be able to access arts education in other ways,” said Arie Levine, the education director of the theatre. “We’re bringing that to them in their classrooms and in their neighborhood.”
A typical After ‘Cool class consists of games and exercises that help students explore their imagination and develop their improvisation skills. Mary Kate Shellhardt, one of the program’s teaching artists, values After ‘Cool’s role as a space for students to practice their creativity.
“The imagination is under attack in my mind,” Shellhardt said. “I think that what this program does is it allows a safe environment for kids to be themselves and bring in their imagination.”
For some After ‘Cool students, the arts become more than just an extracurricular activity. For student Cristina Valdez, 12, the program inspires her to pursue her passion for scriptwriting. Once she enters high school, Valdez said she hopes to join 24th STreet Theatre’s teen leadership academy, serving as a mentor to future After ‘Cool students.
“I just like to talk to a lot of people now and socialize with people,” Valdez said. “[After ‘Cool] has helped me get to know more people and just become more of me in the way that I am now.”
In addition to After ‘Cool, 24th STreet Theatre’s field trip excursions extend an arts education to students throughout LAUSD. Kirti Baranwal, a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher at the UCLA Community School, is a proud supporter of 24th STreet Theatre’s work.
“It’s super energizing,” Baranwal said. “The kids love it, and I always leave feeling like I am an actress.”
For the first time in two years, the students will return to the stage for the final showcase, an unscripted work presenting all the skills the children learned this past year. Whether the students choose to pursue theater in their adult lives, the skills they learn through the program remain important both on and off the stage.
“Public speaking, social-emotional learning, understanding your emotions and how to harness them, understanding other people’s emotions and empathy,” Levine said. “All of those things are incredibly important life skills, and theater teaches them better than almost anything else.”
Correction made Apr. 22, 5:15p.m.: a previous version of this story incorrectly spelled Cristina Valdez and Kirti Baranwal’s names. It has since been corrected.