Stand with ATW: Keep the Lights of Creativity Shining!

This Giving Tuesday, stand with The Actors Theatre Workshop (ATW) and help keep the lights of creativity shining. For 35 years, ATW has been more than a theater—it has been a sanctuary for children, artists, immigrants, veterans, and neighbors seeking hope, expression, and community. Founded by master theater artist Thurman E. Scott, ATW has empowered thousands to discover their voices, build confidence, and envision new possibilities for their lives. Today, we need your support more than ever to ensure this beacon of transformation continues to shine.

We’re at a crucial crossroads: we need $300,000 or the lights may go out on a stage that has given thousands of people the tools to transform their lives. This fundraiser kicks off our 35th Anniversary Creative Capacity Fundraising Campaign, a first step towards our 3-year, $5 million Campaign goal that will secure our future and help us double our programs for the community.

ATW teaches Thurman E. Scott's original creative process techniques to bring diverse people together, where they experience the transformative power of creativity and expand their understanding of the world:

-At-risk children in the Builders of the New World (BNW) arts education program learn to open their imagination and develop tools to articulate a future of possibility
-Theatre artists develop their craft and present original plays that dramatize the issues we're grappling with as a society
-Immigrants and senior citizens write and share their stories and wisdom in the Life Stories program, discovering their voice and unique gifts through connection
-Young people from the U.S. and around the world intern and learn from seasoned volunteers, develop their creative abilities, and experience cross-cultural exchange
-Corporate executives mentor the children and see the kids in BNW shine with the same joy and potential as their own children, and recognize our shared humanity

And when you hear each person’s ideas and see their faces light up with possibility, it's clear that these are the innovators, leaders, and bridge-builders of tomorrow. ATW is where art, empathy, and purpose meet.

Will you stand with us to meet our urgent challenge?
-$100 provides nutritious meals for 8 housing-insecure children in our Builders of the New World Program
-$500 contributes to children's creative expression by funding arts and education supplies for BNW
-$1,000 supports our annual Builders of the New World Holiday class & celebration for children from 3 temporary housing facilities
-$5,000 funds Acting Class scholarships for 4 under-represented students
-$10,000 provides bus trips to and from ATW, making it possible for 14 lovely children to be a part of our BNW program
-$20,000 funds Volunteers and BNW Mentor training and continuing education for 6 months
-$45,000 covers one month of program and operating expenses to keep our doors open to the community

With a dedicated team, we have done the impossible again and again – creating something out of nothing. We have taught, inspired, and guided thousands of children and adults that society often ignores. This is more than supporting a theater. It is a place where light, hope, and human dignity are cultivated every day.

Please, if you believe in the power of children, in the strength of diverse voices, and in the possibility and light that art can bring to divided times – donate today. And if you can, share this message with others who will stand with us.

Together, we can keep the lights of transformation shining for 35 more years.

Every contribution, big or small, is a lifeline.

With gratitude and hope,
The Actors Theatre Workshop