By Julia Fennell ’21, Colorado College Writer & Editor
The FAC’s new initiative, Send a Student, provided 135 local children access to theatre in the program’s inaugural season last year.
“Our hope is to bring each and every child in the Pikes Peak region through these doors, especially those who would not otherwise have the opportunity,” says FAC Producing Artistic Director Chris Sheley. “Theatre allows us all to see the world through someone else’s eyes. It makes us more empathic, more inclusive, and quite simply, it makes us better humans.”
The goal of Send a Student is to expose more children to live theatre by providing transportation and a free ticket for students from local Title 1 schools to see a show at the FAC. By increasing access to live theatre, the FAC hopes to help build the path to the next generation of theatre artists and viewers.
“Most of our current societal struggles will not be remedied in my generation, so I feel it’s imperative to think towards the future and lift up the next generations so they can carry the torch,” says Sheley. “The arts are foundational to growing empathy and love in human beings. The more young people we share this with, the better off we will all be. I often say, ‘we’re playing the long game.’”
The idea for this program came to Sheley back in 2022, when he was still the interim Producing Artistic Director of the FAC Theatre Company and reflecting on what initiatives he would like to create if he were to get the permanent position. His background and path to becoming a theatre professional made this concept a definite goal for his first year.
“I grew up economically challenged and yet had the privilege to be exposed to the arts through my grandparents’ extraordinary efforts,” Sheley says. “This program is a way I can help give young people the experiences I had and pay my grandparents’ generosity forward.”
The FAC’s goal was to raise $10,000 during the 2023-2024 theatre season, which ran from September 2023 through May 2024. They were able to raise $11,000 from 231 individuals and organizations. Donations ranged from $1 to $2,500, which was donated from the El Pomar Foundation, and primarily came from theatre patrons who learned about the program while attending a show at the FAC. Additionally, the Bee Vradenburg Foundation sponsors Send a Student.
The Send a Student recipients were from four different local schools and ranged in grades from elementary through high school. They saw Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Elf: The Musical. A $25 donation to the program provides a ticket and transportation for one student. Sheley says that since the fund continues to grow, they anticipate that the upcoming 2024-25 season will see a huge increase in the number of students who can benefit from this program.