FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ASOLO REP WELCOMES NEW EDUCATION AND OUTREACH DIRECTOR
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January 23, 2008 (Sarasota, FL) – Asolo Repertory Theatre is pleased to welcome its new Education and Outreach Director, Brian Hersh. Hersh will oversee all of Asolo Rep’s Education and Outreach programs including Access to the Arts and the Kaleidoscope Summer Workshop.
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Brian recently relocated from New York City where he served as the Assistant Director, Visitors Services of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. In his five years there he administered the Meet the Artist program and School Series which brings in over 20,000 local students and teachers each school year with performances specifically created for young audiences. Always interactive, programs included opera, modern dance, world music, jazz, and of course, theatre. Additionally, thousands of visitors across the nation and globe arrived on campus to engage in private master classes and workshops with world-class performing artists, conductors, and directors. His mantra is: breaking down barriers and building bridges—making the arts accessible for all. As a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, not only was he a mentor, he also kicked off the 100 year celebration by organizing the chapter’s first annual talent show. Brian holds a Bachelor of Musical Arts from DePauwUniversity where he studied percussion and communication/theatre. His wife, Lauren, was born and raised in Sarasota.
About Asolo Rep Education and Outreach: At Asolo Rep, we recognize the transformative power of theatre and celebrate the resonance it creates in our daily lives. Theatre gives the unheard a voice, the overlooked a platform, the cautious a method for communication. It is often the catalyst for discussion and debate about today's hot topics and age-old dilemmas. Each year, we bring thousands of well-prepared students and teachers to see special performances of our mainstage season, fostering a love of theatre in students from the entire Central Florida region through our Access to the Arts program. The comprehensive program supports classroom work, tying plays directly to curriculum with teacher workshops, in-school visits and exciting post-show discussions. Asolo Rep Education and Outreach also partners with Community Haven for Adults and Children with Disabilities to form Kaleidoscope, a touring troupe that enables participants to use the world of musical theatre as a legitimate means of expression. For more information on Asolo Rep’s Education and Outreach programs please visit www.asolo.org and click on education.
Brian Hersh replaces former Education and Outreach Director Carrie Mills who left Asolo Rep to pursue her lifelong calling, teaching. Hersh's tenure began on January 11, 2008.
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Asolo Repertory Theatre (AKA: Asolo Theatre Company, Inc.) is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, The Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council, and the Sarasota Arts Council. Asolo Rep’s Shakespeare productions are sponsored in part by Shakespeare in American Communities, a national theater initiative sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Sallie Mae Fund in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Additional funding is also received through the efforts of support groups including the Asolo Rep Angel Association, the Asolo Rep Guild, The Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.