Madison, Wisconsin – Tuesday, August 16, 2016 — Proud Theater – Madison is currently enrolling youth for its 2016-2017 season. Founded in 1999, the group is open to youth ages 13 to 18 years old that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, Intersexed or who are allied with the queer community. Rehearsals are on Thursdays during the school year from 5:30 – 9 p.m. starting September 8, 2016, and are held at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1123 Vilas Avenue, in Madison. To enroll, youth can drop in to any rehearsal, contact Proud Theater by phone at 608-222-9086, or write to info@proudtheater.org. Open enrollment ends after November 17, 2016.
Proud Theater is an award-winning and innovative youth theater program whose mission is ‘to change the world through the power of theater and the theater arts, and to make a positive difference in the lives of LGBTQ+ youth through the tenets of art, heart, and activism’. Empowering and creative, Proud Theater encourages youth to share their personal stories through the creation of original theatrical works, which they then present to the community at large throughout the school year. Traditionally, the group ends each season with a culminating showcase production. The 2017 culminating performance will be May 25-27, 2016, at The Bartell Theater in Madison.
There are now five chapters of Proud Theater in Wisconsin. Aside from Madison, Proud Theater has chapters in Wausau, Milwaukee, and Sun Prairie, as well as a new chapter of Proud Theater Beyond in Milwaukee, a troupe for young adults between the ages of post-high school 18 years of age up to 24 years old.
Proud Theater is a program of Art and Soul Innovations (artandsoulinnovations.org), and enjoys generous financial support from the Mukti Fund (muktifund.com), MGE, The Joan L. and Robert C. Gilkison Family Foundation, as well as the support of many community members and organizations from around the state.
All chapters of Proud Theater are growing fast, so Proud Theater is actively looking for new mentors and volunteers to assist with the increased demand. For more information on joining Proud Theater, or for a mentor/volunteer application, contact Executive Director Brian Wild at info@proudtheater.org, or call Proud Theater at 608-222-9086.
To help Proud Theater continue growing, tax-deductible donations to the organization can be sent to: Proud Theater, PO Box 6306, Monona WI, 53716, or via PayPal at www.proudtheater.org.