PCPA Theaterfest got some national recognition as the recipient of a $25,000 National Endowment for the Arts award. The grant, in addition to helping underwrite the production of West Side Story, will help with outreach efforts among local at-risk youth, and particularly the ongoing gang problem in northern Santa Barbara County.
The National Endowment for the Arts is an organization dedicated to bringing the arts to all Americans.
As West Side Story depicts the tragic effects borne out of social division, ethnic and generational tension, and gang violence, PCPA’s production will help with violence prevention. Following specific performances, post-show talk backs will continue discussion of the social issues explored in the play.
West Side Story will play in Santa Maria’s Marian Theatre July 9 to 25, then in the Solvang Festival Theater July 30 to Aug. 22. For more information, visit pcpa.org.
This article appears in May 13-20, 2010.