"The theater is not for you, it's for them. For the community.
They need it. Need the best of you. Your fullest, deepest self explorations."
Stella Adler
"Theater reaches great heights when it is a socially engaged art form.
Through the Stella Adler Outreach Division we hope to combat deplorable
fiscal inequities that give rise to equally deplorable educational
inequities. Outreach work is a way for the school to contribute positively
to the world by doing what we know best, which is actor-training."
Tom Oppenheim - President and Artistic Director
Established in October of 2003 by Artistic Director Tom Oppenheim and run and coordinated by director Carlos Caldart, The Stella Adler Outreach Division was created to provide a model of social engagement for students and provide free actor training to inner city youth who might not otherwise be able to afford it. This program also addresses the need of disadvantaged and at-risk youth for a safe place to learn how to find and express their voices artistically and creatively and to be educated about the craft of acting. The Outreach Division provides free, year-long actor training to Manhattan's aspiring artists with the same intensity and integrity of all the Studio's other learning tracks.
The Outreach familiarizes youth with the fundamentals of actor training: technique, scene study, voice and speech, movement, and improvisation. This program creates a safe space for exploring and utilizing imagination and creativity. Students are encouraged to discover that acting, though it can be fun, necessitates discipline, engagement and courage. The ultimate goal of these classes and activities is to show these students that they have the ability to make an impact on a local and global level through these same mediums, and to challenge who they are and who they have the potential to become.
Adler students support the Outreach Division by producing and performing in benefits for the Spenser Kimbrough Outreach Fund. The fund was named in celebration of the life of NYU student Spenser Kimbrough, who passed away in August 2004. Students also participate in a mentor program in which they motivate and support outreach artists on a one on one basis.
