On Saturday March 16th the Wallis hosted our Community Partner Pablove Shutterbugs to see The Old Man and The Old Moon. Pablove Shutterbugs teaches children currently living with cancer and those who have recently completed cancer treatment to develop their creative voice through the art of photography. While the program focuses on the art and mechanics of photography, it also effectively shifts the kids’ focus away from their internal struggles and onto external creative pursuits and self-expression. The Wallis partnership invites the Shutterbugs to see a production and then hone their newly acquired photography skills by “directing” the cast to pose for portraits in a post-show meet and greet.
The wildly creative PigPen Theatre Company’s musical folktale The Old Man and The Old Moon was a perfect pairing for these young photographers. The cast was more than willing to spend time with the students and take their direction in recreating their favorite moments from the show.
“The Pablove Foundation is a proud community partner of The Wallis Center for The Performing Arts said Raul Lorenzana, Senior Manager of Alumni Management for the Shutterbugs program. Through our partnership, we work together to bridge our missions of performance and visual arts to improve the quality of life for families living with childhood cancer. Our students and their families attend a performance at The Wallis and are able to feel like a normal family on a weekend that would have otherwise been ruled by cancer. Through these designed experiences, our partnership not only works to improve quality of life for cancer families but they also aim to serve marginalized communities who would not otherwise have access to the arts.”
Debra Pasquerette, Manager of Community Engagement for The Wallis agrees. “Spending the day with the Shutterbugs and their families and staff is one of the highlights of our community work for me every season. It’s a day filled with excitement, creativity, love and pure joy.” The Wallis Community Partners Program engages community groups and social service agencies in our activities and programming. For a nominal membership fee each season groups are eligible for free and/or discounted tickets to select Wallis events and activities.
You can find more information or apply to the program here http://thewallis.org/communitypartners.