What is TADW
Teenage Drama Workshop (TADW) is a six-week intensive workshop for young people (grades 7-12) interested in theatre. It is the longest running workshop of its kind in the nation.The faculty and staff are members of the CSUN Theatre department, experienced drama teachers and theatre professionals.
The full-time program begins at 8:15am and ends at 4:15pm, every weekday. Classes are from 8:15am to 12:30pm every morning (except when we have 11am performances).
- Students in the performance track begin the day with intensive classes in voice, dance and acting, along with an elective (improvisation, musical theatre or playwriting). After lunch, they break out by cast to rehearse for either the musical or the play.
- Students in the technical track will begin their morning with classes in costuming, lighting, sound and stagecraft. After lunch, they will break out by crew to work behind the scenes on the musical or plays.
- As the six weeks come to an end and the productions go up, the performance students will also use their afternoon session to rehearse for dance class finals, to stage and rehearse their 10-minute plays, and to prepare for the musical theatre showcase called “Munch & Crunch.” Needless to say, TADW is a busy place!
The Miracle Project
THE MIRACLE PROJECT founded in 2004 is a multiplatform socialization program that enables children and teens with autism and other special needs to express themselves through music, dance, acting, story, and writing. ALL children of ALL abilities grow in skill and in spirit while creating and performing in original musicals. This acclaimed arts program was documented in the HBO double EMMY Award-winning documentary, AUTISM: THE MUSICAL.
In the summer 0f 2013, TADW teamed with the founder of The Miracle Project to create a special performance (sensory performance) of Disney's Aladdin. This gave children with Autism and other special needs, and their parents the opportunity to attend a live theater event. Children were introduced to the characters and actors before the play started, loud and sudden noises were curbed, and volume was decreased. This allowed for significantly less stress for the audience. It was a HUGE success.
This summer (2014), TADW will be offering sensory performances for both main shows (Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Cirque Des Pirates). TADW will also be teaming with The Miracle Project to create and produce an original show titled Joining The Spectrum: A Collaborative Play about Inclusion, will be staged by artists from The Miracle Project, led by director Elaine Hall and her award winning staff. The play will be created by the students of The Miracle Project AND TADW using theatre games, exercises, and storytelling techniques to generate the script.
TADW Alumni
There are many teen summer theater programs available. But none can boast 57 years of service to their community. How many other programs have had such a profound impact on the students that 20 years later they enroll their own children?
This unique experience not only helps those that want to pursue careers in the entertainment field. The lessons learned in TADW have helped many to go on to successful careers as doctors, lawyers, researchers, college professors, teachers, authors, speakers, therapists, counselors, corporate executives, graphic artists, computer programmers, clergy, etc, etc. Our alumni touch just about every field imaginable.
What We Need & What You Get
It has been the policy of TADW to never turn away a student for financial reasons. Recent increases in program costs, and the poor economy have conspired to create a situation where more students need assistance, and less money is available to assist those potential students. I recently received the following email from Doug Kaback, Executive Director of TADW:
"TADW needs help as we prepare for our 57th summer. We never want to turn an interested student away from TADW because of money and we seek to help every family that requires financial assistance. There are more than 10 prospective students at the moment that need scholarships, but TADW doesn’t have the resources. Some of these students are teens on the Autism spectrum who would like to be part of our collaboration with The Miracle Project. We’ve received an important grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, but it doesn’t go far enough to provide for all the kids we’d like to serve. Let’s get the word out to our community – all the alumni who still value the role TADW has played in transforming their lives; friends who appreciate the groundbreaking work we’re doing to bring ASD teens and their non-disabled peers together in an original musical about inclusion; and anyone else that’s willing to support us with a tax-deductible contribution in any amount. Thanks to everybody as we all create another memorable summer together!"
WE NEED YOUR HELP to raise funds for financial assistance. We're trying to raise at least $10000.00 (more = better) to help make this wonderful experience available to those with a real financial need. ALL money collected will go directly to TADW. TADW is a non-profit institution registered 501(c)(3). Your donations may be tax deductable (consult your tax professional). As such, all those who donate will receive a letter from TADW to verify their donation, for tax purposes.
To make donating as simple as possible, we've created four levels for donations:
Enthusiastic Audience Member: With a $20 donation, you and a guest will be invited to attend any one, special Pre-opening performance of this summers shows. This is a priveledge ordinarally reserved for current and past TADW students.
Chorus Member: A $50 donation gets you 2 tickets to any one performance of any of this summers shows (subject to availability at the time of donation).
Lead Actor: A $75 donation will not only get you 2 tickets to any one performance of any of this summers shows (subject to availability at the time of donation), and a DVD of Autism: The Musical, signed by Elaine Hall..
Director: A donation of $100 will get you 4 tickets to any one performance of any of this summers shows (subject to availability at the time of donation), a DVD of Autism: The Musical, signed by Elaine Hall, AND (drum roll, please) one much coveted 57th annual TADW t-shirt (you will be contacted for size)
Producer: What can we say? A donation of $250 will not only garner you our undying gratitude and affection. You will also get 4 tickets to any one performance of any of this summers shows (subject to availability at the time of donation), a DVD of Autism: The Musical, signed by Elaine Hall, one (drum roll, please) much coveted 57th annual TADW t-shirt (you will be contacted for size), AND a special invitation to the Dean's Reception, July 19, 2014, 6pm (more details will follow in invitation).
Other Ways You Can Help
We understand that some people just can’t contribute, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help:
- If you know someone who might be interested in the program, or might want to contribute, PLEASE send them the link to this site.
- SHARE us on your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media pages!!