Education Matters

Outreach and Education at the Manatee Performing Arts Center

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Here’s my challenge/invitation to you. If you haven’t been to the Manatee Performing Arts Center, try it out. You won’t be disappointed. If you HAVE been there, go again. Things keep getting better and better and better. 

Whether you’re in Stone Hall or the smaller Bradenton Kiwanis Theater, there’s a sense of Old Broadway charm to this venue on the Riverwalk in Bradenton that makes every event there enjoyable. Plus, the 2018-19 lineup — the 70th season! — is sure to please, including popular shows such as Elf The Musical, Newsies, and A Christmas Carol. But they’re also hosting the world premiere of Into the Night, as well as a remake of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic Pirates of Penzance though this version will be about . . . wait for it . . . the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team. show

Beyond putting on a great lineup of shows, a key thing to know about Manatee Performing Arts Center is all the work that the Manatee Players do to connect with and educate the community. For example, their Action Through Acting program pairs social issues with organizations that highlight that issue. The theme of each production highlights a crucial issue affecting our community and, hopefully, serves as an impetus for important conversations.  show

One example of this is a recent show they put on with an affiliate partner, the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg. 2.5 Minute Ride is a one-woman play (the first time they’ve ever done that, Producing Artistic Director Rick Kerby points out) that tells the story of her father taking the journey back to Auschwitz and the roller coaster ride that trip became for the entire family. Kerby explains that performances like this are “a great way for us to put a spotlight on fellow nonprofits — those that serve our community.” sho

DraMature, the resident 55+ theater troupe which just celebrated its five-year anniversary, has a core group of about 25, though the ranks understandably swell during snowbird season. The group has a full range of members, ranging from first-time performers to an actress in her 90s who’s been on stage for most of her life. Kerby explains that “we welcome everybody, so long as you’re willing to get on stage and take a chance.” In return for weekly acting classes, they serve as ambassadors for the Manatee Players, doing performances at senior centers, community events, and nursing homes. And several times per year, the group puts on their own shows at Manatee Performing Arts Center, including musicals. This past January, they did an abbreviated version of Guys and Dolls to fine reviews. show

Recently, Kerby brought improv to DraMature. While the idea initially received a lot of groans, many came to watch and before long, everyone jumped in. Pretty much the whole group is now involved with improv and enjoying it tremendously, he reports. show

There’s also a Manatee Performing Arts Center collaboration with the Early Learning Coalition where, during the school year, area preschoolers are brought in to experience theater — often for the first time. “We do three or four shows in a day, and the house is packed,” Kerby says. “One group goes out to meet and greet with the actors, take photos, and talk about what happened as the next group heads right in. We have as many as 1,000 students come through in a single day, and we do this two to three times per year.” The Early Learning Coalition provides the busses to bring the students in, and they also send them out the door with books that connect with the show they just saw. The kids sing and laugh and have a great time. s

Manatee Performing Arts Center also has a theater summer camp program where they hope to foster the actors and audiences of tomorrow. Students in the two-week Kidz Camp do junior versions (shorter scripts) of actual shows. This year, it’s The Lion King Jr. In July, there’s a 3-week Broadway Boot Camp for older and/or more theatrically experienced kids where they perform an entire show, such as this July’s The Little Mermaid. It’s the full version, too — not an abbreviated or shortened one. The show takes place on the main stage and the kids fully produce it, from set to lights to props to everything else that goes into a quality production.  show

“Theater teaches us so many things,” notes Kerby, who’s starting his 15th season at Manatee Performing Arts Center after a career in acting, directing, and teaching in New York City and elsewhere. “It gives you perspective by seeing through another person’s eyes. It helps you understand the world in other ways. It teaches us empathy. Nothing like theater connects you as powerfully with other people.” show

Kerby admits that he’d never worked in community theater before, so his expectations were “exceptionally low” when he came for the job interview so many years ago. But he quickly fell in love with it. “There’s NOTHING like people doing something because they love to do it. They have one motivation — get on stage for an artistic outlet. They’re doing it for passion, not a paycheck.” Kerby is quick to point out that the talent level here, too, is amazing. “I feel lucky that so many community members want to be a part of all that’s going on here.” show

So, I invite you again: go to Manatee Performing Arts Center this summer or during the 2018-19 season. Or get involved in one of their many outreach efforts. There’s a lot going on here and they’re doing it for me, for you, and for all of us. show

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the Manatee Performing Arts Center or the Manatee Players’ Education and Outreach programming, please visit www.manateeperformingartscenter.com or call 941.749.1111.