Auditorium Theatre 2018-19 Issue 3 Alvin Ailey

12 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2018-19 | March 6 - March 30, 2019 E very summer, the Auditorium Theatre hosts Hearts to Art, a performing arts camp for young people who have experienced the death of a parent. This signature program, offered in two two-week sessions (one for 7- to 10-year-olds, another for 11- to 14-year-olds), gives campers a space to learn, act, dance, play an instrument, draw, talk, heal, and make lifelong friends. At the Auditorium, Hearts to Art campers are a big part of our family — but camp only comes around once a year. So we offer special camp reunions throughout our season to make sure that campers get to experience the performances and events that take place at the Auditorium, all while catching up with friends and camp staff! This season, we’ve had campers join us for National Geographic Live’s When Women Ruled the World and Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah . The third reunion of the year will take place during a performance by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Reunions typically feature a pre-show pizza party and a VIP reception during intermission, and campers also stay for the post-show Q&A to enhance their understanding of the performance. Some of the reunions also include graduation ceremonies, honoring campers who have completed their last summer as campers (although many stay in the camp family and become Junior Counselors after they graduate!). “Camp reunions are my favorite,” said Sarah Illiatovich-Goldman, Auditorium Theatre Creative Engagement Associate and Hearts to Art Camp Director. “In a full-time job where so often we’re dealing with the minutia and the administrative stuff, it is equally important for me as it is for our campers to reconnect to what Hearts to Art is all about.” Overall, camp reunions are about “joy and celebration,” Illiatovitch-Goldman said, while giving campers the opportunity to connect to the Auditorium Theatre community throughout the year. “It’s hard sometimes to believe the difference that can be made in a child’s life or in a family’s life in just two weeks,” Illiatovitch-Goldman said. “But when you see everyone together at the reunions and see the real strength of these bonds, you really get to witness the immense impact of Hearts to Art.” Hearts to Art takes place from July 8-19, 2019 (Session 1, for ages 7-10) & July 22-August 2 (Session 2, for ages 11-14). For more information or to register for camp, please visit HeartstoArt.org. Hearts to Art campers and sta at a camp reunion! Camp Reunions at the Auditorium Theatre!