1

California StateUniversity-Fresno

Theatre For YoungAudiences

CSUF Theatre For YoungAudiences

Each spring,Fresno Statestudents enrolledin a class called“Touring Theatre”perform forelementary schoolsthroughout SanJoaquin Valley.

One of the university's most extensivecommunity outreach programs

Tradition for over 40years

Travels to more than30 schools and over16,000 children in asingle season

Finances and Support

Primary support comes from the institution Schools pay a nominal fee to help cover

production and travel costs Scholarship Endowment - Annual Scholarship

awarded to a theatre major who has madethe most outstanding contribution to the TFYAprogram during the previous year

Department Support

Tour considered regular part of the productionseason (including both faculty and majors)

University Theatre box office handles all ofthe bookings

Production staff supervises and/or providestechnical support in all design areas

Per diems for student performers/crewmembers on performance days

Company/Stage Manager paid studentassistant

2

Who is the Audience?

Theatre For YoungAudiences travelswithin a 50-mileradius of Fresno

Fresno County (CentralValley)

Gateway to Yosemite Agriculture - Home of

the “Dancing Raisins” Honorable mention in

Music Man’s “WellsFargo Wagon!”

The county incorporatesurban, suburban, andrural areas

Fresno CountyPopulation

One of the mostdiverse populations inCalifornia

Third most ethnicallydiverse population inthe United States

Some of the largest ethnic groupsin the area

Chicano/Latino Hmong Lao Cambodian Armenian Portuguese Pilipino African-American

Major Goals

How do we reach out to the schoolsof this diverse, multi-lingualcommunity in a meaningful way?

How do we keep the audienceinvolved?

How do we offer productions withintegrity?

“Character Counts”

PresentContemporaryworks that dealwith real socialissues

Work directlywith schools toidentify issues

3

How Do We Involve theAudience?

Contemporary scripts

Devon’sHurt

By Laurie Brooks

Devon’s Hurt

Devon is having a terrible day. His mother yelled at him,his teacher think's he's a pain, a classmate punched himand finally he had a fight with his best friend. Anengaging, humorous, action-filled story, Devon's Hurtshares a serious message about dealing with feellings,resolving conflicts and becoming friends.

Location: Dennis & Cheryl Woods Arena Theatre @Fresno State, 5201 N Maple Ave, Fresno

Starts: 2008 Apr 19 - 2:00pm Ends: 2008 Apr 19 - 4:00pm

Website: http://www.csufresno.edu/Theatre

Scripts about the immigrantexperience

Newcomer

By Janet Thomas

Participation Plays

MostPowerfulJujus

By BerniceBronson

Nightingale

By John Urquhart

4

Original Scripts

Developed byfaculty atFresno State

Culturallyspecific

Los Cuentos Del Sol:Tales of the Sun

Bilingual Puppet Show

By Kim Morin

Señora TortugaBilingual playBy Roxanne Schroeder-

Arce(and now published by

Anchorage Press!)

Classic Plays / Literature

Step On A Crack By Susan Zeder

Spectacle – Puppetry, Masks, Music Non-traditional casting

5

High production values

Simple enough to tour Visually stimulating

Yer’s Pa Ndau:A Hmong Tiger Tale

Cultures coming together

The Storyteller

The End