A Teen Literacy Program in Partnership with Prime Stage Theatre

A Celebration of Reading is an enlightening, enriching, productive, and successful program that impacts the lives of hundreds of underprivileged teens in the Southwestern PA. area by providing them with a fun and rewarding learning experience. Now in its fifth year, A Celebration of Reading is a unique literacy program that integrates reading, live theater and the visual arts. This program is designed to reach the lower-income teens that we serve, and while there are many literacy programs for very young children and also adults, the need for teen literacy programming is generally overlooked. 

While the ultimate goal of A Celebration of Reading is to build a lifelong commitment to and a love of literacy, the program offers many immediate opportunities for personal growth. The teens read in supportive peer groups, coordinated by caring adults.

• Teens receive their own personal copy of the book, which for many, is the first book they have been able to call their own. 
• Participants develop their own personal interpretation of the book through art projects which foster creativity and critical thinking skills. 
• Our youth gain self-confidence and self-esteem as they see their parents and peers enjoying their art projects on display at the theater. 
• These often-overlooked kids are individually recognized for their success by receiving a Certificate of Completion. 
• And finally, they are rewarded with the opportunity to see the book brought to life right in front of their eyes with a live theater performance. This time with family and friends inspires feelings of pride and a sense of accomplishment. 
• The question and answer session with the actors and director after the performance evokes challenging and thought-provoking questions. 

Past book selections have been The Giver, Anne Frank, The Outsiders, The Westing Game, and most recently, Romeo & Juliet. All of the plays selected are endorsed by the American Library Association and are on the middle and high school reading lists.

Comments from Participants

"I had the joy of listening to my students discuss the different projects on display and after the performance we compared the actual story to what they saw that evening. This dialogue was rewarding both for the students and I. It was a wonderful experience that not only built excitement for reading, but a new confidence in student reading comprehension. Thank you again for engaging our students on so many levels and for ultimately promoting the joy of learning and reading." Communities in Schools

"This was an awesome experience for the children. The play was very close to the literature and was able to bring their reading to life. We are so thankful!"  Tiger Stripe/PRIDE Academy

"Wow! What a great, all-around, experience. Most of our kids who attended last night's performance have never been to a live show before and it was awesome to see them on the edge of their seats and so attentive. What we thought would be a quiet ride back to Washington, was in fact filled with excitement and 'did you see....that was so cool when....' Thank you, thank you, thank you, for helping us bring words to life through this exposure to live theater. As a follow up activity to Celebration of Reading, our students will be watching the "Outsiders" movie next week and then writing comparisons on all three medias. Thanks again!"  Washington Family Center

"I would like to thank you for having the opportunity to participate. The kids and staff really enjoyed the performance. The teens loved reading the book and making the project. Our kids chose to leave our project and donate it. They are already asking about next year's book. This is our third year participating and it was great as always. Thank you again."  McGuffey Communities That Care