Yes! And… Collaborative Arts equips children and young people with the tools to be better learners, to believe in themselves and to realize their dreams through the work of creating collaboratively with peers and professional artists.
With a small but creative and talented staff and crew of volunteers, Yes! And… Collaborative Arts has been conducting summer and year-long theatre camps in churches throughout the Metro-Philadelphia area for 15 years. The ministry annually reaches over 100 children, teens and young adults, 75% of whom live below the poverty level.
Each camp session brings together inner-city and suburban youth and provides an opportunity for fun, safe and collaborative play and play making, where all participants learn new skills, develop confidence and grow in their understanding of God’s love for them.
It costs $200 per child for a week of Summer Theatre Camp; it costs $400 per student to participate in SHADOW Company, a year-long theatrical program for teens; and it costs $850 per student involved in Yes! And… Collaborative Art’s annual performance at Eastern University called A Winter Sort of Thing, an original production each year which tells the story of God’s redemptive and unconditional love for all people.
EAPE has supported the wholistic ministry of Yes! And… for 8 years and with your generous support we will continue to invest in this effective ministry that combines education, the creative arts and loving relationships with inner-city kids.
The Latest from Yes! And...
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Trials of Paradox: Mercy on Trial
With a small but creative and talented staff and crew of volunteers, Yes! And… Collaborative Arts has been conducting summer and year-long theatre camps in churches throughout the Metro-Philadelphia area for 15 years. The ministry annually reaches over 100 children, teens and young adults, 75% of whom live below the poverty level.Yes! And…’s SHADOW Company is a performing arts company made up of high school students from around the Philadelphia area. They are led by a “core” of 4 – 5 high school students that have been involved in SHADOW Company programming for a few years, exhibit a desire to grow and learn, and have expressed a desire to be in leadership. SHADOW Company works all year long on the craft of theatre-making, is ensemble-based, and produces thought-provoking theatre experiences.
SHADOW Company performs two “main stage” productions each year; one for the annual Philly Fringe Festival and the second at Eastern University called A Winter Sort of Thing, an original production each year which tells the story of God’s redemptive and unconditional love for all people.
This year for the Philly Fringe Festival, SHADOW Company researched, wrote and performed Trials of Paradox: Mercy on Trial, which took audiences through three terrifying and awful historical events, the story of Freddie Adams, Emmett Till and the MOVE bombing. Freddie Adams, a young man killed over a gang dispute in Kensington in 1993. Emmett Till, an African-American teen who was killed by several white men in Mississippi in 1955. And MOVE, a community of Afro-centric radicals who were bombed because they refused to leave their home in West Philadelphia in 1985.In a world filled with and sometimes overwhelmed by violence, Trials of Paradox asks who is to blame: the perpetrators for committing these nefarious acts or… Mercy, a base emotion, for just not showing up?
Mercy stands trial, accused of being absent when our world needed her most. As in past shows like Bullseye!, Green People, and Flash, the teenagers of SHADOW Company explore basic, yet essential questions about growing up in a turbulent world. Who should take greater responsibility for the violence plaguing our streets, or is it just the absence of Mercy? Exploring tragic events like the murders of Emmitt Till and Freddie Adams, and the MOVE bombing, audiences discovered that the lines are blurred and the water is muddled. Indeed, it was a Trial of Paradox.
You can watch Eastern University’s video review here:
If you missed Trials of Paradox you can still experience Yes! And…’s creative and thought-provoking collaborative theatre. Their annual Winter Sort of Thing, a musical co-produced with and performed at Eastern University, is coming soon and you don’t want to miss it!
Down with the Crown
The King stinks. And the adults seem happy to do nothing about it. It’s up to the kids to change things in the quiet hamlet of Blankety Blank Bay. But who knew revolution would prove so difficult?
January 30th – 7pm
January 31st – 11:30am, 7pm
February 1st – 1pm, 7pm
February 2nd – 1pmhttp://www.wintersortofthing.com/
When you give to EAPE, you invest in a network of innovative, holistic and effective ministries, such as Yes! And… Collaborative Arts, that love, serve and support at-risk children, youth and their families in Jesus’ name. Each Yes! And… camp session brings together inner-city and suburban youth and provides an opportunity for fun, safe and collaborative play and play making, where all participants learn new skills, develop confidence and grow in their understanding of God’s love for them. If you have questions about Yes! And…, or any of the ministries we’re investing in, please call EAPE’s office at 610-341-1722 or use the “Contact Us” form below to send an email.
