Thread Inc

is presented as part of YPT's New Writers Now series of student plays performed in a staged reading by professional actors, followed by community discussion. During the fall of 2009, YPT worked with over 580 students at 12 schools. Together they completed over 450 plays. Thirty-two of these plays were recommended for the reading committee, made up of professional theater artists. Eight have been chosen for the annual New Play Festival to be held on April 19, 20 and 21st at GALA Hispanic Theatre. We congratulate these eight students and look forward to sharing more about them in the coming months. Young Playwrights' Theater is proud to announce that we have been chosen by a panel of 90 expert reviewers for inclusion in the 2009 ' 2010 Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington. Selected from a field of nearly 240 organizations, the Catalogue calls YPT one of the best small charities in the Washington, DC region. Young Playwrights' Theater is proud to premiere our new documentary! This film captures the magic that occurs in YPT workshops, and the thrill of YPT performances. You can hear directly from YPT staff, teaching artists, actors and students whose lives have been changed by learning to express themselves clearly and creatively through the art of playwriting. It was created by filmmaker Ken Chalk over a year of filming throughout the DC Area. At just under ten minutes long, it is an ideal way to share the magic of YPT with your friends and family. Watch the video and then forward it to a friend, colleague or potential playwright. Help us spread the message to the next generation of playwrights! We are proud to announce that our own Producing Artistic Director and CEO David Andrew Snider has won the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation's Exponent Award in honor of his innovative leadership. Mr. Snider has led Young Playwrights' Theater since 2005. The Exponent Award celebrates the accomplishments of exceptional nonprofit leaders. In selecting its awardees, the Foundation considered each nominee's track record as a manager and leader, including his or her success at increasing the quality and impact of the organization's work. "David is the rare combination of a great artist and great leader. He works tirelessly to ensure Young Playwrights' Theater thrives at improving the lives of thousands of students. He is an inspired and inspiring advocate for the entire nonprofit community of Greater Washington. I am thrilled he will receive this award." Her play 3434 depicts a futuristic world in which science has rendered women and girls unnecessary and illegal. "Usually, I'm the actress not the playwright. I was just thinking about the most snooty role, to the point that there's no arguing that you're the star, " she explains. "Then I was like, 'What if I was the only girl in the play? What if I was the only girl in the WORLD?"

Life Pieces To Masterpieces Inc. is an organization dedicated to harnessing the power of artistic expression to foster character development and leadership among African American boys and young men. By focusing on unlocking potential, the organization aims to prepare participants to transform their lives and communities. Through various programs, including after-school initiatives, Saturday academies, and summer programs, Life Pieces To Masterpieces nurtures creativity and provides a supportive environment. The organization emphasizes the importance of love, security, and self-expression, believing that each individual can become a masterpiece. Generated from the website

Marja Hilfiker, Linda Brown Myrick ( first AoH Graduate ), and Gayle Boss In 1985, Marja Hilfiker and Gayle Boss began tutoring adult students in need of high school credentials or literacy proficiency. They met with students in a small room meant for security guards at the Ritz a partment building in Adams Morgan. As word of their efforts spread, requests for help began to grow. Marja and Gayle served 19 students that first year, teaching two hours of math and two hours of reading each day. The two women consider Linda Brown, the first of their students to earn her GED, a co-founder of the Academy. Linda taught them what adult students needed most. The school grew, and soon Gayle and Marja opened a second site, at 16th and S streets N.W. Before long, the student population had grown to 70, and the number of volunteers to manage and train grew as well. Academy of Hope hired its first director in 1993, and moved into the National Baptist Memorial Church at the intersection of Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights and Mount Pleasant in 1994. After more than 20 years, Academy of Hope has moved into a new facility, situated on the property of the 850-unit Edgewood Terrace apartment complex, owned by the Community Preservation and Development Corporation, a nonprofit housing developer. There, in Washington, D.C.'s Ward 5, one of the most underserved neighborhoods in the district, school provides families the hope and skills needed for a better life.