story
ACTivate:artists with purpose was created in December 2020 by Vanessa Becker Weig. As theatres across the nation were shutting down and the isolation of the pandemic was taking it's toll, Vanessa wanted to continue to create a safe space for her students to empower their creativity, grow in their art form, while also giving them a sense of community .
mission
Professional performing arts training for high school and middle school aged students. ACTivate takes a holistic approach to training by focusing on increasing artistic skills, navigating the logistics of becoming a working artist, and cultivating artists who strive to make an impact in their community with their art.
coming soon
Join the 20221/2022 Company of ACTivate: artists with purpose for an evening of performance shorts. The shorts showcase the work of 18 young performing artists from ages 12-18 and include eleven short pieces from reimagined musical theatre to original choreography, monologues, spoken word and audience participation. With topics ranging from beloved cartoons and children's books to the pressure of time to the crisis in the Ukraine.
Friday, May 13 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 15 at 2:00 pm
$10 Students $15 Adults
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leadership
ACTivate gives opportunities to high school Juniors and Seniors in the Company to earn tuition credit by serving as an intern. Interns work closely with the ACTivate staff to develop artistic leadership skills in areas of interest including directing, choreography, education, and marketing.
Performances
Whether it be through existing material that is told in an exciting new way or original material that is devised by the company, ACTivate
believes in the power of storytelling. Performance opportunities during the school year are for existing company members. Summer production opportunities are coming soon and will be open to company and non company members!
community
Part of the mission of ACTivate is to cultivate community. Company members are charged with understanding the needs of their community and how they can utilize their gifts to give back. The company chooses a local non profit to benefit from collected donations and dedicates a portion of the show to tell the non -profit's story at the end of the year performance.
Junior Theatre Festival
After the honor of receiving the Outstanding Production Award at JTF Online last year we are excited to be in person in the 2022 Junior Theatre Festival in Atlanta, Georgia with our 15 minute cut of Shrek Jr. The Junior Theatre Festival serves as a great opportunity to learn and collaborate with musical theatre students and professionals from all over the world. Shrek Jr. tells a story of acceptance. We can't wait to let our freak flag fly!
OutsTANDING
PRODUCTION
JTF ONLINE 2021
ACCESSIBILITY
We created our Artist Sponsorship Program with the intention of making our programming more accessible. We believe that there are young artists in our community that lack the exposure and resources to quality performing arts education.
the team
Our team of professionals are accomplished artists, celebrated educators and community advocates for collaborative,
empowered, and diverse artistic storytelling. Click to link to
Ron Wilbur
Music Director
