Donor Spotlight
Larry and Heather Baugess
Meet Shadowbox Live Donors Larry and Heather Baugess! Larry, a firefighter, and Heather, a middle school librarian, have been attending Shadowbox Live shows since December of 1998 when Heather’s parents introduced them to the troupe as part of their Christmas gift. Larry and Heather have since become regulars and actively introduce new patrons to us while keeping Shadowbox Live a family affair, often attending with teenage sons Levi and Luke, who had to stand on chairs to be seen by the audience when receiving their very first “virgin calls” at a Lunchbox production. The Baugess’ have a great collection of Shadowbox Live memorabilia, such as show marquees, retired neon signs, and life-sized mascots, as well as cherished family photos with the Santa Babies and Snow Bunnies chronicling not only the growth of their boys, but the evolution of the company.
Larry and Heather agree that Shadowbox Live is a unique part of Columbus saying, “ We admire the time, work and energy that the Shadowbox staff puts into their first rate productions.” When asked why they donate to Shadowbox Live, Larry and Heather said, “we want Shadowbox Live to continue to thrive and be able to offer that special something that you just can’t find anywhere else in Columbus. Through our donations, we know that Shadowbox will continue to advance and grow.”
Whether you’re a Shadowbox Live virgin or a patron for life, you too can help Shadowbox Live advance and grow. Contact Edelyn Parker to make your donation today!
Shadowbox Live has been a fixture in the Columbus arts and entertainment community for over 20 years. Our 501-C3 organization presents 400 shows a year garnering acclaim from critics and patrons alike. Recognized as “The Largest Resident Theatre Company in America” Shadowbox Live employs 56 full-time and 8 part-time employees, making it the #2 employer of artists in Ohio.
For the past three years, massive efforts have gone into the implementation of an ambitious arts educational program through our Shadowbox Gives Back organization. Our goal is to use our knowledge and experience of the performing arts to help students further their artistic abilities. Additionally, we reach out to those with no arts experience and use our art form to teach them important life skills.
Highlights include:
- A collaborative arts project with the STEM students of Metro High School and Linden McKinley STEM Academy
- Make It Live – The educational component of the Shadowbox Live/BalletMet collaborative production 7 Deadly Sins
- A partnership with CCAD’s Media Studies Department
- Summer Boot Camp, an intensive 3-week program educating high school students in the four disciplines of music, vocals, comedy and dance in addition to theatre administration
- Internship program with high school students from a number of schools, including Fort Hayes Vocational Music Department, Linden McKinley STEM Academy, Metro High School, Eastmoor Academy, and The Arts and College Preparatory Academy
- A partnership with the Columbus City Schools Unified Arts Department that provides abridged one-hour shows from our Musical Theatre Series productions to hundreds of Columbus City High School students
- A community project which enabled area high school students to perform as extras in our original musical documentary Back to the Garden (8/10, 5/11)
- Leading workshops in comedy, character development and voice for rock musicals for the Ohio Thespian Conference, Ohio Theatre Alliance and Theatre Roundtable. (2009 & 2010)
- Guest speaking engagements at a number of collegiate theatre departments (Dennison University and Ohio State University) and high school theatre classes (Briggs HS, West HS, Cardington HS, Eastmoor Academy) (2009, 2010, 2011)
Read on for more specifics regarding our community involvement! If after reviewing the program outline, you or your business would like to support our educational efforts please contact Stacie Boord at 614.554.1534 or via email at sboord@shadowboxlive.org
MAKE IT LIVE!
“Make It Live!” was the audience development and education component of the Shadowbox and BalletMet collaboration 7 Deadly Sins, a full-length rock n roll ballet which premiered in April/May of 2011. “Make It Live!” demystified the creative process by inviting students from 2-3 select high schools to experience a new work documented from the earliest stages of creative conceptualization through staging, development and rehearsals with musicians and dancers, and culminating in performances in Shadowbox Live’s and BalletMet’s 2010-11 seasons. Teaching Artists from both organizations visited schools on 3 separate occasions for hands-on learning that connected artists, students and teachers. The program culminated with a special school matinee performance of 7 Deadly Sins at the Capitol Theatre on Thursday, May 5th at 10:30am.
STEM ROCKS THE BOX
Based on an audition/interview in the disciplines of comedy, music, voice, dance, tech and backstage crew, Shadowbox Live selects 25 to 30 students to create a two-hour show where students perform alongside our ensemble members on the Shadowbox Live stage. Rather than taking a classroom approach, the two weeks of rehearsals are structured like performance workshops so students can participate freely, develop a rapport with the directors and their fellow cast members, and gain “real life” experience as artists. The intense process not only culminates in a full-length performance in front of a paying audience, it pushes these students to achieve goals they never thought possible. In the past, Shadowbox Live has collaborated exclusively with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Metro High School, however this past year we included the new STEM school, Linden-McKinley High School.
“Simply put…it was amazing! You took significant professional risk by including high school students into your Shadowbox performance. By treating them as equals and demanding the same commitment to preparation that you ask of yourselves, you gave each student a gift of confidence that will serve them well as they explore new adventures throughout their lives…Christina Brown and Diana Wolterman were thrilled to partner with you and they join me in a standing ovation for your work!”
- Richard D. Rosen
Corporate VP, Education and Philanthropy Partnerships, Battelle
Executive Director, The Ohio STEM Learning Network
THE SHADOWBOX SUMMER BOOT CAMP
Inspired by the massive success of the ‘09-‘10 Metro Rocks the Box project, Shadowbox Live has implemented the Summer Boot Camp program. The 3-week intensive Summer Boot Camp runs for four hours each day Tuesday through Friday. The purpose of the program is to train students in all four performance disciplines: singing, dancing, acting and musicianship, as well as facets of arts administration: marketing, media relations, production, and professionalism. At the end of the second week, the students showcase all four disciplines in a “jury” setting before their teachers and peers. From there, they are cast in up to three disciplines where they receive focused instruction culminating in a showcase performance in that week’sLunchbox production. This first effort was overwhelmingly successful and will be reinstated in the summer of 2012.
COLUMBUS COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN
Shadowbox Live is proud of its expanding partnership with CCAD. The highly acclaimed institution and Shadowbox Live share a desire to meld the visual and performing arts by providing students with opportunities to learn broad fundamentals, work on collaborative creative concepts, and develop professional presentation skills.
- Shadowbox Live collaborated with the Media Studies Department to create a class project for their Advanced Time-Based Projects, Video, Animation, Motion Graphics, Time-Based Media Design, Sound Design, Character Design, Art & Tech, and Screenwriting classes. Shadowbox Live presented guidelines and assistance in regards to script writing, comic content and timing.
- We established an internship program with CCAD where one of their students, Tyler Mele worked with us for 15 weeks (4 hours a week). By working with our Executive Producer to create an animation piece, Mele earned 1½ hours of college credit. Largely based on his Shadowbox Live project, Tyler Mele was selected as the Outstanding Media Studies Animation Senior from the 2010 graduating class.
[ check out the final animated video of 'Nolan' ]
INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS
Shadowbox Live has created customized internship programs with various high schools such as Fort Hayes Vocational Music Department, Linden McKinley STEM Academy, Metro High School, Eastmoor Academy, and The Arts and College Preparatory Academy. The objective is to place the students in a professional environment where they are able to further develop their artistic discipline as well learn the administrative side of the business
“I wanted to take a moment and thank you for what you and Shadowbox are doing for Danyai. She really enjoys being a part of your organization and I know she is honored to participate. I hope this opportunity continues and that future students will commit as Danyai has and benefit from the experience.”
- Jeff McCargish,
Vocational Music Instructor, Fort Hayes Career Center
SCHOOL MATINEE PERFORMANCES
Shadowbox Live offers abridged matinee performances of their Spring and Fall musicals to middle school and high school students within the Greater Columbus area. Each 45-60 minute performance serves up to 320 students and is followed with a 30-minute Q&A session where the students and teachers get to interact with key performers and production personnel.
“Thank you for inviting Columbus City Schools to partner with Shadowbox. ‘A Funny Thing…’ was a great way to start this relationship. I look forward to future endeavors with the drama teachers and students in the district’s middle and high schools.”
- Linda G. Wright
Unified Arts Coordinator, Columbus City Schools
Shadowbox Live is proud of its accomplishments thus far, but we can do more. Our commitment to the Columbus community is strong and with local corporate support, together, we can implement additional programs that provide opportunities for our youth to be happy, successful, contributing members of our society.