Inspire:: Authentic Community Theatre

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Welcome to our new website! We were so excited about getting it, we wanted to put it up right away. We are not quite finished everything, so please be patient with us as we tweak a few things.

history
staff
support

» History

The creation of ACT is the result of a creative collaboration between American arts infusion specialist Niki Perini and English drama educators Tony Goode and Warwick Dobson, who specialize in applied theatre. The collaboration began at a weekend workshop run by Tony and Warwick at the Paul A. Kaplan Centre for Educational Drama in New York City. At a series of subsequent meetings in Maryland, the mission statement for ACT was drawn up, and the initial program of work called the Summer Institute for the Arts was done in Summer of 2005. The venture was designed to bring together like-minded artists and arts educators committed to the development of community music, arts and performing projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States.

Philosophical Assumptions

that the arts exist as meaning-making processes for the interpretation of the human condition as well as for its expression.
that the arts respond to an innate human need to explore, symbolize and share both our individual and collective experience of the world.
that personal and meaningful engagement in the arts is the right and prerogative of all humankind, enabling all to maximize the culture of their race, class, gender, age or ability.
that meaningful engagement in the arts should equally involve direct, first-hand participatory experience as much as any audience membership.

Core Values

Artistic responsibility and accountability
accessibility
partnership
creative and intellectual empowerment
play
research
imagination
innovation
social relevance.

Mission Statement

In light of the above assumptions and values, the organization exists to both explore and encourage the application of the performing arts as a catalyst towards responsible social change and enhanced community cohesion. ACT seeks to promote the use of the arts in everyday life as a means of both creative exploration and empowerment. To achieve these goals, ACT aims to utilize the widest range of performing arts methodologies from direct performance-based projects — undertaken by professional artists in the service of particular communities of location and/or interest — to full, local community participation in both workshop and performance activity in order to produce creative projects for the education, business, health, community and training sectors. The work undertaken ranges from specialized community residencies drawing together people through extensive and intensive programs of workshops and performances to professional training in methodology-based workshops centered on the art of facilitation through the performing arts.

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» Staff

Directors

Artistic Director: Niki Perini
Assistant to the Artistic Director: Mary Hynes
Business Administrator: Barbara McCormick

Board Members

President: Mike Sokol
Vice President: JenniLynn Hughes
Secretary: Robin Lyles
Treasurer: Janet Hughes
WCBOE Liaison: Rob Hovermale
Jack Vance
Lynn Litzinger

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» Support

ACT is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization registered with the Internal Revenue Service. With that status, ACT is able to receive charitable donations of cash, appreciable assets like land, houses, buildings, stock and bonds, as well as other assets like cars, boats, motorcycles, sportscraft, etc. Upon transfer of funds or assets to ACT, ACT will provide a letter to the individual who made the donation in order for them to take the full value of the asset as a deduction. (The IRS will allow the deduction to be the full appraised value of the item, except for vehicles, when the deduction is the amount of the vehicle's selling price.) With these donations, the ACT board will decide to either hold or liquidate the assets. Funds will be used for the arts programs that ACT endevours, like the Summer Institute for the Arts.

If you or someone you know would like to make a donation, please go to our contact page for information to contact us so that we can make the necessary arrangements. ACT also welcomes bequests from individual's wills and also corporate donations. Thank you very much for your generosity.

In addition to monetary donations, ACT also welcomes volunteers to help with its various projects and "back office" support. There seems to be a never-ending need for help in all that we do. The more the merrier! Thanks again for helping us with our mission.

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	news Welcome to our new website! We were so excited about getting it, we wanted to put it up right away. We are not quite finished everything, so please be patient with us as we tweak a few things. More »	Inspire history staff support » History The creation of ACT is the result of a creative collaboration between American arts infusion specialist Niki Perini and English drama educators Tony Goode and Warwick Dobson, who specialize in applied theatre. The collaboration began at a weekend workshop run by Tony and Warwick at the Paul A. Kaplan Centre for Educational Drama in New York City. At a series of subsequent meetings in Maryland, the mission statement for ACT was drawn up, and the initial program of work called the Summer Institute for the Arts was done in Summer of 2005. The venture was designed to bring together like-minded artists and arts educators committed to the development of community music, arts and performing projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Philosophical Assumptions that the arts exist as meaning-making processes for the interpretation of the human condition as well as for its expression. that the arts respond to an innate human need to explore, symbolize and share both our individual and collective experience of the world. that personal and meaningful engagement in the arts is the right and prerogative of all humankind, enabling all to maximize the culture of their race, class, gender, age or ability. that meaningful engagement in the arts should equally involve direct, first-hand participatory experience as much as any audience membership. Core Values Artistic responsibility and accountability accessibility partnership creative and intellectual empowerment play research imagination innovation social relevance. Mission Statement In light of the above assumptions and values, the organization exists to both explore and encourage the application of the performing arts as a catalyst towards responsible social change and enhanced community cohesion. ACT seeks to promote the use of the arts in everyday life as a means of both creative exploration and empowerment. To achieve these goals, ACT aims to utilize the widest range of performing arts methodologies from direct performance-based projects — undertaken by professional artists in the service of particular communities of location and/or interest — to full, local community participation in both workshop and performance activity in order to produce creative projects for the education, business, health, community and training sectors. The work undertaken ranges from specialized community residencies drawing together people through extensive and intensive programs of workshops and performances to professional training in methodology-based workshops centered on the art of facilitation through the performing arts. ↑ Back to top. » Staff Directors Artistic Director: Niki Perini Assistant to the Artistic Director: Mary Hynes Business Administrator: Barbara McCormick Board Members President: Mike Sokol Vice President: JenniLynn Hughes Secretary: Robin Lyles Treasurer: Janet Hughes WCBOE Liaison: Rob Hovermale Jack Vance Lynn Litzinger ↑ Back to top » Support ACT is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization registered with the Internal Revenue Service. With that status, ACT is able to receive charitable donations of cash, appreciable assets like land, houses, buildings, stock and bonds, as well as other assets like cars, boats, motorcycles, sportscraft, etc. Upon transfer of funds or assets to ACT, ACT will provide a letter to the individual who made the donation in order for them to take the full value of the asset as a deduction. (The IRS will allow the deduction to be the full appraised value of the item, except for vehicles, when the deduction is the amount of the vehicle's selling price.) With these donations, the ACT board will decide to either hold or liquidate the assets. Funds will be used for the arts programs that ACT endevours, like the Summer Institute for the Arts. If you or someone you know would like to make a donation, please go to our contact page for information to contact us so that we can make the necessary arrangements. ACT also welcomes bequests from individual's wills and also corporate donations. Thank you very much for your generosity. In addition to monetary donations, ACT also welcomes volunteers to help with its various projects and "back office" support. There seems to be a never-ending need for help in all that we do. The more the merrier! Thanks again for helping us with our mission. ↑ Back to top.