Running to Places (or R2P, as it’s usually known) brings middle and high school students together from across Tompkins County and beyond to make friends and develop critical life skills through the art of theatre. Since R2P began in 2007, we have seen hundreds of young people from across the region forge deep, life-long friendships with people they might not otherwise have ever met — friendships
that transcend the barriers that so often divide them. We provide opportunities for personal growth and the development of valuable life-skills, such as:
• Working under pressure with a deadline you cannot move,
• Assimilating direction quickly and gracefully,
• Improvising when things don’t go as planned,
• Working collaboratively with a diverse group of people who may be outside your everyday experience,
• Successfully managing your time and preparing independently,
• Excelling as an individual while being part of a ensemble that is greater than the sum of its parts,
• And so much more! ACCESSIBLE TO ALL
Participation is 100% FREE! Students are given instruction by committed professionals who see this work as a powerful tool for youth development, as well as an important art form. Young people from every school district in the area (including homeschoolers) are encouraged to participate.
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There was a brief period in our history where we charged tuition to help us meet our bottom line. We saw how this led to students being excluded, even while we advertised scholarships of up to 100% with no application process other than a simple request. The fact is that for many teens, the stigma of requesting financial assistance – even if only perceived by the student themself – kept some students from joining in. Instead, we rewrote our budget from the ground up with the principle of free participation as the guiding star. We rely on our community to support this idea – effectively crowdsourcing tuition. We hope that you will join as an R2Patron to sustain our work with a gift of just a few dollars per month. ACCEPTING OF ALL
Our auditions are welcoming, and no student who shows up is ever cut, regardless of experience or ability – we find a place in a show for every interested young person. While many of our students go on to pursue higher education and careers in theatre, our real purpose is to give them the tools to become the best versions of themselves – all while being part of a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive community of peers and supportive adults. On the first day of rehearsals, we dare them to be the “weirdest kid in the room” – because frankly it simply can’t be done. We’re ALL residents of the Island of Misfit Toys, after all! We go beyond tolerating each others’ quirks and differences; we actively celebrate them with respect and love. COMMUNITY THEATRE FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY
In the process of mentoring the young people we serve, we create artistically meritorious theatre that is enjoyed by thousands of people in our community every year, delighting our audiences and inspiring the next round of young artists who are among them. And to ensure that these life-changing experiences are available to everyone, we have made it a core principle of R2P that participation is entirely free – and now that includes our audiences, too! After all, how could a child know whether they’d like to be in a show if they have never had the opportunity to see one? We see allowing every child and family to experience live theatre at no cost to be all about equity. Too often, theatre and the arts in general are not financially accessible to everyone. Our decision to make admission to our shows free was not the result of a financial windfall; we examined our priorities and principles and allowed our policies and practices to be guided by them. We want to be a community theatre for the entire community. You can show your support for this by becoming an R2Patron today at www.runningtoplaces.org/join.
