Hey 2011, meet 2012!
Happy Holidays – It’s been a great year!
Dear Friends, Family and Supporters of Super Project Lab Improv:
On a warm Sunday evening last June at the intersection of Broadway and West Burnside in downtown Portland, two women from a nearby shelter peeked from the sidewalk into a dimly lit theatre to see an audience on its feet, cheering in support. Inside, fifteen students hug, high-five and bow clearly filled with the rush of adrenaline that is unique to a live stage-performance. For the past 25 minutes, these young performers suspended their fear of judgment, put the success of the group above their own survivalist mentality, and forgot that they are homeless. These confident, creative youth are students of Super Project Lab Outreach.
To us, this story represents the remarkable impact we’ve had in the last year and the potential for even greater impact in the upcoming one. On so many levels 2010 has been a hugely successful year for us. Here’s how it all unfolded:
Over the course of the year we piloted five new programs serving over one hundred and fifty at risk youth. Additionally, we produced six performances to provide those youth with an opportunity to be up on stage putting their skills to the test in front of a live audience. Our 2010 partners included; Boys and Girls Aid-Pettygrove Residential Program, Boys and Girls Aid-the Annex, Outside In-Guerilla Theater, OYA’s Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility, The Pathfinder Academy and Portland’s Sexual Minority Youth Resource Center.
In May we gained a part-time Education Director, Nicholas Kessler, who has taken our curricula to a new level. His experience as a teacher is invaluable, and his strategies for impacting the lives of our participants are not only innovative they’re proving highly successful! We are lucky to have found Nicholas, a partner that shares our organization’s passion and extends its reach.
In September we were awarded our first grant from the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition to complete our pilot program with Outside In. This grant is evidence of our community’s need for this work and we’re proud that MCCC has shown their willingness to foster an underserved community of young new artists.
Perhaps now more than ever, Super Project Lab is dedicated to its mission: to use performance, outreach and strategic partnerships to connect within and educate throughout our community using the methods of improvisational theater. Our goals for 2011 include doubling the number of youth we serve and continuing to offer classes at zero cost to our partnering social service agencies.
The holiday giving season is upon us and while we know that there are many deserving causes in our community that you will consider supporting, we would like to ask that you consider Super Project Lab Outreach among them.
If you are able to make a tax-deductible donation to our organization, please send a check made payable to:
Super Project Lab
1001 SE Water Ave, #255
Portland, OR 97214
Or if you’d like more information about the work we are doing or how you can get involved, please visit our website at www.superprojectlab.org
Happy Holidays!
Shelley Darcy
Executive Director, Super Project Lab
(503) 750-5247
Praise From Oregon Youth Authority!
Director of the Oregon Youth Authority, Colette S. Peters, raves about Super Project Lab’s most recent shows with our non-profit partners!
We are very proud of our work with Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility and the Pettygrove Program, and we thank their teams for the great times we’ve had so far!
Announcing another great partnership with Portland State University!
We just finished a great meeting with Judy Patton from PSU. We are going to be their latest community partner for a grant-writing capstone. Nicholas and I are so excited after the success we had with the School of Business Administration capstone we completed this winter with some extraordinary business students. Grant-writing is an area that we can really use some guidance being the improv geeks that we are. We’ll be teaming up with the class in June of 2012 and look forward to some great grant-writing strategy to emerge! Thanks Portland State University and thanks Judy.
Watch our videos!
Haven’t seen SPL in action yet? We have videos! Get an up close and personal look at our work with Portland’s beloved homeless youth shelter, Outside In! Featuring PREPOSTEROUSLY talented teen improvisers!
Cameron Movie
Super Project Lab with Outside In at SMYRQ
Please Like Us on FaceBook!
Help support us and stay up-to-date with all the wonderful programs that Super Project Lab is involved in by liking us on FaceBook.
SPL Presents the Cheata’s!
The Cheata's
Fantastic Participant Survey Results
Here are some fantastic numbers from our recent participant surveys. These responses are an aggregate of Outside In and Hillcrest participants. These impressive metrics show that we’re on the right path.
1. This workshop helped me feel more confident to speak in front of other people.
2. I learned that being “fit and well” can improve most situations.
3. I felt safe to perform the games and was able to suspend judgement of myself and others.
4. If given the chance, I would participate in more workshops like this.
Nicholas Kessler
Education Director, Super Project Lab
SPL and Outside In’s Guerilla Theater!
Sunday, July 11th, 7:00 PM (Doors at 6:30 PM)
Super Project Lab and Outside In’s Guerilla Theater Project
Please join Super Project Lab and Outside In’s – Guerilla Theater Project for a fabulous night of camaraderie and courage! This show features participants from a class that SPL has been teaching at Outside In. The students will perform an opening set for SPL’s professional improv performers. It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase the work we are doing in our community and celebrate the hard work and courage of the kids from Guerilla Theater.
Super Project Lab performers will include Shelley Darcy and Matt Tabora-Roberts with special guests Nicholas Kessler, Daryl Olson, Heberto Espinosa and Ritah Parrish!
7:00 PM
The Brody Theater
16 NW Broadway, Portland, OR 503.224.2227
Directions to the Theater
Tickets $10.00 ($7.00 for students) – Purchase tickets at the door or online
Buy Tickets Here!
SPL Receives Grant From MCCC!
Congratulations SPL! Our first grant has been awarded by the Multnomah County Cultural Coalition!
Super Project Lab received notification on June 25th that we are the recipient of a $1500 grant awarded by the MCCC.
This grant will provide funding for a six-week workshop that proved highly successful last April with the Guerrilla Theater Project, Outside In’s in-house cultural group that uses art to inspire Portland’s homeless youth. SPL will teach a two-hour improv theater class once a week for five weeks. Two instructors will use the ten hours of class time to teach basic improv games that promote self-confidence, listening, teamwork, positive attitude and trust. On the sixth week of the workshop, the participants will perform on stage in front of a live audience alongside the professional improvisers that make up Super Project Lab’s performance ensemble.
This program was a big success in its pilot phase. Outside In’s Nili Yosha comments, “The program has been extremely successful. The youth looked forward to the weekly sessions which provided a positive and stable energetic outlet and the opportunity, at the end of the unit, to showcase their skills to the community.”
In its notification letter MCCC said, “We received 84 applications for Cultural Participation Grants. Each proposal was evaluated on the basis of the criteria outlined in the CCP guidelines. We believe the proposals selected for funding, including yours, meet the criteria very well.”
SPL will begin the program in September 2010.
Shelley Darcy
Executive Director, Super Project Lab
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Recent Posts
- Announcing another great partnership with Portland State University!
- Watch our videos!
- Hey 2011, meet 2012!
- Please Like Us on FaceBook!
- Happy Holidays – It’s been a great year!
- Praise From Oregon Youth Authority!
- SPL Presents the Cheata’s!
- Fantastic Participant Survey Results
- SPL and Outside In’s Guerilla Theater!
- SPL Receives Grant From MCCC!
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