Paramount Theater of Charlottesville

Theater/production: The Paramount Theater of Charlottesville, Virginia is a nonprofit performing arts center dedicated to presenting a wide range of education, arts, civic and entertainment events for diverse community audiences in The restored historic Paramount Theater. From july 2022 to june 2023, it hosted 264 events with 87,552 total attendees. Since it re-opened in 2004, The Paramount has welcomed more than 1.4 million visitors to thousands of events including live performances, movies, hd screenings and broadcasts, guided historic tours, meetings, and free community events. The 92-year-old historic Paramount Theater continues to serve as "charlottesville's living room," as The Theater's staff and board are committed to providing safe and diverse entertainment for all guests, staff, and volunteers as it continues to serve as a beacon of inspiration to The entire local and visiting community.

Community access: The mary p. reese community access fund (mprcaf) was established to ensure all members of our community have access to The arts. The Paramount Theater partners with dozens of area agencies and nonprofit groups such as big brothers big sisters, boys & girls club of central Virginia, community attention foster families, habitat for humanity, innisfree, international neighbors, paraderest, readykids; as well as school groups and many other community organizations to offer complimentary tickets to all Paramount presented events. This fiscal year, 700 community members from 63 non- profits received complimentary tickets to 94 events. In addition, 26 local nonprofit organizations hosted a wide range of performances, speakers, and fundraising events at The Paramount theater,subsidized by The mprcaf, and further supported by thousands of event attendees. Among these groups were The Virginia film festival, festival of The book, light house studio, literacy volunteers, Charlottesville band, Charlottesville opera, uva's office for diversity, equity, and inclusion, and many more. The mprcaf also helps make it possible to host free community events each year, including movie screenings, historical Theater tours, and live sporting events on The big screen; and to ensure an accessible environment with open captioning, interpreters, and sensory-friendly programming. During this period, we welcomed 3,850 members of our community and beyond for 37 free events. The Paramount Theater's dedication to expanding and deepening engagement with all pockets of The community is unwavering through The mprcaf. We received heartwarming feedback from participating community partners to share its impact: "we really appreciate these ticket offerings and feel grateful to be The beneficiaries of The generosity of those who sponsor this program that reaches into all of our community." Community partner liaison, innisfree "thank you so much for this opportunity and The desire to connect with hispanic community members. We were very happy to attend an event that was not only popular and in demand, but also had a connection with The community we focus on. It was a beautiful experience for whole families to share together, one that would not have been possible otherwise. We are grateful and hope these outreach and relationship building efforts will continue." Community partner liaison, sin barreras without borders "we were thrilled to attend The show while being exposed to The unparalleled beauty of The Paramount it was The perfect activity for our neighbors from african nations and their matched volunteers, and nellie The neighbor bus was packed, and anticipation built The whole ride long The Paramount is amazing, and we are so grateful for this partnership" community partner liaison, international neighbors

Arts education: The arts education program presents school-day educational performances for students in grades pre-k through 12 from central Virginia to experience live performing arts in The historic Paramount Theater. We are committed to offering programming that is artistically rich and reflects diverse cultures and races, and we hold steadfast to our mission of ensuring access for all area youth. Students from all schools, income levels, and backgrounds come together at The Paramount, uniquely bridging a broad spectrum of participants to share in a common experience. Our programming can include q&a with performers, in-school workshops, masterclasses, multi-day artist residencies, and collaborative opportunities with local artists. All programming connects to Virginia standards of learning as well as social emotional learning standards and includes study guides. The 2022 -2023 arts education season presented 15 live educational performances to 11,836 students and educators from area public, private, and home school groups. All participating students and teachers received subsidized ticket pricing, with 2,310 students receiving free admission based on their eligibility for The federal free and reduced public school meals program. The feedback from educators and students about these arts education experiences is overwhelmingly positive and appreciative, from The educational value and diverse content to The level of quality and artistry with each production. Financial assistance ensures all students can experience field trips to The Paramount, which are a big highlight for teachers and students - and for many on show days, become "The best days ever" "bringing students from disparate neighborhoods and backgrounds together under one roof physically unifies us. In these instances, The Paramount becomes a safe space that welcomes all regardless of race, class, ability, gender, or any other label that might separate us. I feel proud to play a role in bringing students to experience The arts in this context. I feel hopeful that we are planting The seeds for The future." Fine & performing arts, Charlottesville city schools "The Paramount provides opportunities for students to connect their experience of performing arts events to their learning in The classroom, to one another, and to The fabric of our community. There is no comparison to The joy and energy that children share when attending events together and in a space that holds such cultural history. We are so fortunate to have access to this amazing resource." Visual and performing arts, albemarle county public schools