Every theatrical season, Dallas Theater Center implements a scholarship program geared towards local schools to participate in. Project Discovery gifts tickets to select students of schools that apply each year, and this marks Timberview’s fifth year of qualifying.
“When I came over here to Timberview, I brought the program with me from my old school, South Dallas, that had connections with Dallas Theater Center,” Fudge said. “We’ve had it for all five years since I’ve been working here.”
Throughout Project Discovery, students are invited to three evening performances, outside of school hours, at the Dallas Theater Center, seated alongside individuals who paid to attend. This is done to imitate the experience of a typical audience.
“The best thing I love about it is that they cover the cost of transportation,” theatre arts teacher Kenneth Fudge said. “So we order a bus through the district, and then they send us a check to cover it.”
Although the number of openings available within the program varies yearly, it coincides with how many tickets are granted. This year allows for 18 students and two adult chaperones, resulting in a total of 60 tickets provided.
“My favorite aspect was going back each time and seeing how the staging and seating was different,” senior Aijah Cotton said. “It was never the same, which was interesting even though it was the same theater.”
In addition to students engaging in a workshop to promote group interaction and creative collaboration before every show, they will also have the opportunity to speak directly with the director and actors for questions and discussion.
“I liked talking to the actors because they would educate me on what happens when it’s more than just a school play,” Destiny Gregg (11) said. “Them being professionals brought theater to a whole different level.”
The performances scheduled for December, February and April include the classic A Christmas Carol, an original play called I Am Delivered and Dial M for Murder, a mystery.
“I’m most looking forward to Dial M for Murder out of the three,” Gregg said. “It would be the most interesting, and we’re doing something similar this year for the school play (Clue).”
Fudge said Project Discovery isn’t solely designed or exclusively offered to theater students, but being able to commit and having a general interest in theater is a must.
“Whenever I go to or come back from college, I want to audition for Dallas Theater Center,” Cotton said. “It would be cool because that’s actually why I joined the program.”
The benefits of Project Discovery don’t end following high school. Graduating seniors of the program continue to receive tickets to plays at the Dallas Theater Center.
“This is very advantageous for me because I was going to watch a lot of plays anyways, but now I can do it for free,” Gregg said. “Theater is in my heart, and I’ll always love watching shows.”
