Program areas at TPAC
Tpac entered into an agreement with the state of Tennessee & the Tennessee Performing Arts foundation in 1978. The initial agreement established tpac principally for the purpose of presenting quality Arts entertainment & education to Tennessee residents through the operation of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center. Tpac has administrative control over the operations and functions of the four theaters located in two buildings in downtown nashville. In addition to its role with the state of Tennessee, tpac operates several program initiatives including seven Arts education programs, public offerings such as a broadway series, concerts, comedy shows, etc. Additionally, tpac rents its facilities to three Performing Arts resident companies - the nashville opera association, nashville ballet, and the nashville repertory theatre, all three of which are non-profit organizations. Tpac also rents its facilities to outside promoters for events in which the promoters are at risk, and to the state of Tennessee (with rent waived) for state events. To support public programming, tpac operates its own ticketing services. Tpac supports its mission of providing Arts, culture and education for the community by fundraising from individuals, corporations, government and foundations.
Disney musicals in schools ("dmis") develops sustainable musical theatre programs in public elementary and middle schools. The program provides school faculty with the training and tools necessary to support student performance and production and to empower them to do so. Participating schools receive (at no cost) a performance license to any disney kids musical, showkit materials, including directors' guides, student scripts, accompaniment and vocal cds and a choreography dvd, and cross-curricular activities. Schools also receive support from teams of two tpac teaching artists during after-school residencies that run for 20 weeks. In 2022-2023 dmis teaching artist residencies took place in seven schools in mnps/davidson and bedford counties. Eight additional school teams completed disney musicals with students based on the dmis program model under their own direction. Including the student share day at tpac, 1,243 students and teachers participated in dmis in 2022-2023. (in 2021-2022, 880 students and teachers participated in dmis.)
During the 2023 fiscal year, the season for young people (previously called humanities outreach in Tennessee) presented professional performances of theater, dance and music for student audiences. The season included live performances at tpac as well as virtual performances available for students to view remotely from their classroom. Tpac also provided interactive virtual workshops for educators and artist discussions with students. During the 2022-2023 academic year, 23,193 students and teachers from 203 school groups attended season for young people performances (46,456 students and teachers from 429 school groups during the 2021-2022 academic year).
Tpac's wolf trap early learning through the Arts program brings arts-based classroom residencies to preschools and head start centers. Teaching artists and teachers use Arts instruction to target early childhood developmental goals and help children learn. The number of in-person residency visits with teaching artists was reduced or modified for virtual or outdoor interaction to respond to the learning requirements and health and safety protocols of each individual Center. A total of 761 children and teachers participated in wolf trap in 2022-2023 at no charge to them (941 children and teachers in 2021-2022).
Insideout program activities provide opportunities for adults who want to grow in their knowledge and enjoyment of the Performing Arts. Events at tpac, in community locations, and through virtual options provided opportunities for audiences of all ages to interact with the Performing Arts. 1,958 life-long learners viewed and participated in tpac's education and community engagement public programming in 2022-2023. Virtual and in-person panel discussions and presentations highlighted local Arts and community groups; classes explored musical theater, dance and acting, and webinars and podcasts reached remote participants. (4,132 individuals participated in insideout during 2021-2022).
Arts integration programs in schools (working title) was launched in 2021 following the discontinuation of the artsmart program. This initiative supports multi-year partnerships planned with a limited number of schools in a whole-school model. One school engaged in a whole-school partnership in 2022-23. A total of 400 students and teachers at warner elementary participated in Arts integrated residencies and professional development provided by tpac in 2022-2023 (337 students and teachers at warner elementary participated in 2021-2022).
The spotlight awards celebrates, supports, and grows the artistry and capacity of high school musical theatre programs in Tennessee. Through the program, high school theatre students and teachers participate in workshops and development opportunities with theatre professionals, and their school musicals are evaluated by a diverse panel of adjudicators. The program culminates in may when exemplary work is recognized with the spotlight awards ceremony at tpac, where the top contenders for "outstanding musical" perform and honors are presented in a variety of categories, including "outstanding lead actor and "outstanding lead actress." The recipients of these two awards then move on to national consideration for the jimmy awards in new york. In 2022-2023, 44 high schools and 3,738 students participated in the program, including more than 1,800 attending the live spotlight awards ceremony at tpac. (in 2021-2022, 27 high schools and more than 1,500 students participated in spotlight activities provided by tpac.)
Camps & adventures were launched in 2022-2023 to build interest and engagement in the Performing Arts for families and youth. Tpac's summer musical theater camps started in july of 2022. Six week-long camps immersed children aged 8-11 in musical theater performance and traditions in july 2022 and june 2023. Arts adventures provided 90-minute immersive workshops for youth on a series of weekends in tpac's johnson theater. Tpac's camps and adventures reached 329 youth and families in 2022-2023.