Adventure Theatre MTC
Adventure Theatre MTC (adventuretheatre-mtc.org) is a musical theater academy for youths in the D.C. region with an integrated and nationally renowned professional theater for family audiences. ATMTC works to educate and inspire new generations of theater artists and audiences with exceptional theatrical experiences.
Headquartered: Rockville and Glen Echo
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $100 gives the gift of a merit-based scholarship for a student preparing for a career in the performing arts.
• $250 provides a need-based scholarship for an elementary student in an after-school class.
• $500 underwrites a Sunday Storytime webcast, ensuring that ATMTC will be able to continue to serve the community digitally through the pandemic and beyond.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Remote: Assist with copy for blog content creation and grant writing.
• SSL
ArtStream
ArtStream (art-stream.org) provides performing arts classes and social skills practice for people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism.
Headquartered: Chevy Chase
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $75 funds a full costume for one actor in an Inclusive Theatre Company show.
• $300 underwrites a public speaking workshop for self-advocacy and preemployment skills.
• $1,000 sponsors an eight-week class in Broadway song and dance, Shakespeare or scriptwriting.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One time: Help with special events or the costume shop.
• Ongoing: Serve as a mentor in drama and social skills classes.
• SSL
• Internships
Arts for the Aging
Arts for the Aging (artsfortheaging.org) engages older adults and their caregivers in health improvement and life enhancement through regular participation in the multidisciplinary arts.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 creates one heART Kit—a visual, tactile and literary art-making kit.
• $250 supports the facilitation of two online workshops.
• $500 covers video production of a monthlong program series.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Spanish translation support for heART Kit instructions and other workshop materials. Volunteer must be fluent in written Spanish and English with demonstrated success on previous translation projects.
• Weekly: Behind-the-scenes tech support for a virtual workshop series.
• SSL
• Internships
Bel Cantanti Opera
Bel Cantanti Opera (belcantanti.com) is a 16-year-old nonprofit opera company providing performances and opportunities to young professional opera singers in fully staged and costumed productions with chamber orchestras. Bel Cantanti Opera brings these performances to Montgomery County stages with affordable ticket prices. Bel Cantanti Opera will resume live staged productions when conditions permit, and in the fall of 2020 the group filmed an outdoor production of Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck.
Headquartered: Montgomery County
Serves: Montgomery County
What a donation buys:
• $130 pays for one Washington Post ad.
• $750 pays for an orchestra musician for one performance.
• $2,500 provides an honorarium for a lead singer.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Be an usher or provide box office assistance on performance days.
• SSL
CityDance
CityDance (citydance.net) is a nonprofit dance institution dedicated to developing the next generation of dance artists and innovators. With studio locations across the region, CityDance trains young dancers for professional careers, nurturing talent and achievement through dance. Anchored in a belief that diversity advances excellence, CityDance strives to dismantle barriers and create opportunities that promote equitable access.
Headquartered: Washington, D.C.
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 sponsors a dancer to take a professional guest artist master class.
• $250 supports the production costs for virtual showings and performances.
• $750 underwrites one dancer’s participation in a week of summer intensives taught by world-renowned artists and companies.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Volunteer to usher at a dance performance.
• Monthlong: Support the marketing team with grassroots efforts.
• Internships
ClancyWorks Dance Company
ClancyWorks Dance Company (clancyworks.org) highlights dance as a means to advance positive social action. ClancyWorks’ programs shift perceptions through dance, making personal connections among diverse participants of every age and income level through K-12 in-school and out-of-school programs; higher education residencies; professional development for artists, educators and administrators; senior citizen programs; performances; and the newest program, Building Racial Equity in the Arts through Dance (BREAD).
Headquartered: Silver Spring
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $150 supports one virtual workshop for up to 20 senior citizens.
• $500 provides scholarships to five teachers for the Virtual Dance Educators Training Institute.
• $1,000 pays for one artist to attend BREAD.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Help with special events.
• Weekly: Provide administrative or fundraising support.
• SSL
• Internships
CREATE Arts Center
CREATE Arts Center(createartscenter.org) engages diverse communities with meaningful, accessible and equitable art education programs, and arts-based mental health services with licensed art therapists. For 35 years, CREATE has worked to level the playing field by ensuring that everyone has access to innovative art therapies and approaches to learning through the arts.
Headquartered: Silver Spring
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $75 provides materials for the Teen Mentorship & Portfolio Program.
• $150 supports the Art for Autism program.
• $250 covers the cost for a student in a semester of smARTkids, a free after-school program for children from low-income households.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Weekly: Assist staff with administrative and studio tasks.
• Weekly: Assist teaching artists with weekly art classes.
• SSL
• Internships
Dance Exchange
Dance Exchange (danceexchange.org) reaches people of all ages through dance-making and performance projects; programming for youths, families and older adults; and studio space for artists, educators and entrepreneurs in the Community and Creative Hub.
Headquartered: Takoma Park
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 covers a week of sanitation supplies to keep the building clean and community healthy.
• $100 covers one artist stipend to plan and lead weekly Dance On Creative Aging classes.
• $500 covers audio/visual equipment for Dance Exchange’s new technology-enabled DX Lab for recording and/or streaming online and hybrid classes.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Provide event support (virtual and in person).
• Weekly: Help with studio and building upkeep.
• Internships
Imagination Stage
Imagination Stage (imaginationstage.org) empowers all young people to discover their voice and identity through performing arts education and professional theater.
Headquartered: Bethesda
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $250 provides a scholarship to one student for a weeklong summer camp.
• $1,000 provides free tickets and pre- and post-performance learning opportunities and resources for 40 MCPS third graders.
• $2,500 provides a 10-session in-school residency for an under-resourced school.
Volunteer opportunities:
• None at this time.
Institute of Musical Traditions
Institute of Musical Traditions (imtfolk.org) was founded in 1981 and provides the regional community with a venue where traditional music from the United States and around the world can be showcased and explained. Through in-person concerts, professional videos of live performances, and hands-on instrumental workshops, traditional music is preserved, and new music styles evolving from these cultural roots are nurtured.
Headquartered: Montgomery County
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $100 supports booking musicians for concerts.
• $200 pays for an opening act to perform at a concert.
• $600 pays for a three-piece band to perform at a concert.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Per event: Videotape a concert.
• Per event: Help with concert setup.
InterAct Story Theatre Education Association
InterAct Story Theatre Education Association (interactstory.com) is a touring educational theater company that brings interactive, arts-based learning opportunities to nearly 30,000 kids and adults each year in schools and communities throughout the area.
Headquartered: Wheaton
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $150 supports a virtual or in-person early childhood drama-based literacy workshop for about 25 children.
• $350 supports virtual or in-person play-building workshops for a grade level (65 to 90 children).
• $500 supports an educational theater performance for a school community (100 to 300 children), either online or in person depending on COVID regulations.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Provide support for events (ushering, translation, etc.).
• Weekly: Help with administrative, fundraising or event support.
• SSL
Levine Music
Levine Music (levinemusic.org) provides music instruction and programs to more than 3,500 students of all ages, interests and skill levels. The faculty offers voice lessons and instruction on more than 20 instruments. The 2021-2022 Levine Presents series showcases faculty in free virtual concerts. More than 600 children receive free or subsidized instruction.
Headquartered: Washington, D.C.
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $200 supports one child in a four-week Jumpstart introduction to private lessons.
• $500 allows one child a summer of private music lessons.
• $1,000 supports three children in Levine’s nationally recognized
First Music (early childhood music) classes for one year.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Support staff at performances and functions when back in person.
• Weekly: Support staff on special projects when back in person.
• SSL
• Internships
New Orchestra of Washington
New Orchestra of Washington (neworchestraofwashington.org) is a one-of-a-kind ensemble with flexible instrumentation and virtuosic musicians who are devoted to making classical music attractive, inspirational and memorable.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $100 provides support for outreach material for educational use at a community concert.
• $250 provides support for a professional ensemble to play a free concert for a community event.
• $500 supports a locally based musician to play in a professional ensemble at a community concert.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Day of event: Volunteer as an usher for a community concert.
• Prior to event: Help print and collate the program for a community concert.
Olney Theatre Center
Olney Theatre Center (olneytheatre.org) produces and curates theatrical performances for the community’s diverse audiences, and educates, learns from, supports and inspires a more inclusive generation of theater-makers. Olney Theatre cultivates the creativity of the community by producing family-friendly musicals, reimagined classics and provocative new works. Curated presentations amplify the region’s dancers, musicians and poets. The organization also enriches learning for thousands of students through performances and workshops at Olney Theatre Center and in schools.
Headquartered: Olney
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 allows five students to attend a matinee at no cost.
• $250 underwrites transportation to the theater for a classroom.
• $500 supports artist fees for free community performances.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Help with events, including SummerFest.
• SSL
• Internships
Sandy Spring Museum
Sandy Spring Museum (sandyspringmuseum.org) is a catalyst for community building by allowing opportunities for community-driven creative engagement in educational programs and a range of cultural arts.
Headquartered: Sandy Spring
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $250 underwrites one History Happy Hour.
• $1,000 underwrites the use of the museum for community events like open mics, bluegrass jams and summer beer gardens.
• $10,000 helps keep the annual Strawberry Festival affordable to the entire community.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Help with special events.
• Weekly: Serve as a front desk receptionist.
• SSL
• Internships
Story Tapestries
Story Tapestries (storytapestries.org) works to infuse Greater Washington with creative energy, emphasizing that everyone has a story worth sharing. Professional artists and educators interweave performances with educational programs that promote equity. Collaboratively designed workshops, residencies and performances reach more than 350,000 people annually (primarily in areas of high poverty) at low to no cost for participants.
Headquartered: Poolesville
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $75 supports professional development for educators in arts,
arts-integration and STEAM
(science, technology, engineering,
the arts and mathematics) methods.
• $400 supports an online community connection event promoting dialogue and conversation.
• $600 supports a family night featuring performances and interactive workshops.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Support special events.
• Weekly: Remotely support social media communications or data entry tasks.
• SSL
• Internships
Strathmore
Strathmore (strathmore.org) is the most prolific multidisciplinary arts presenter in Maryland, serving more than 200,000 people each year by producing performances, exhibitions and educational programs at the Music Center, Mansion, and AMP, throughout the community, and also online.
Headquartered: North Bethesda
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $60 covers the cost of supplies for two students at summer art camp.
• $300 covers artistic fees to hire one Strathmore Artist in Residence for a performance.
• $1,000 provides instruments for middle and high school students in the Latin Strings & Percussion program.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Per event: Usher guests for a music performance.
• Weekly: Greet guests and offer tours of the venue.
• SSL
• Internships
Sutradhar Institute of Dance and Related Arts
Sutradhar Institute of Dance and Related Arts (dancesidra.org) offers classes in Indian classical dance, storytelling myths and visual art, Thang Ta and Kalaripayattu martial arts, mindfulness and yoga.
Headquartered: Silver Spring
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $75 helps cover classes for deserving children.
• $250 assists with administrative outreach (serves 160 attendees).
• $500 aids the four anthropologists currently developing a post-colonial Indian dance archive (serves 4,000 attendees nationally).
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Help with planting flowers in the meditation garden.
• Weekly: Assist with storytelling prep and recording.
Takoma Park Folk Festival
Takoma Park Folk Festival (tpff.org) is a free annual event featuring music—from old-time fiddle and bluegrass to acoustic folk-rock and Afro Latin fusion—on six stages. Volunteer performers range from seasoned stage veterans to youngsters on stage for the first time. The festival also includes children’s activities, a crafts show, community tables and food from around the world.
Headquartered: Takoma Park
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 feeds five volunteer performers on festival day.
• $250 provides chairs for one stage’s audience.
• $1,500 provides all equipment for one stage.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Per event: Help set up, implement and/or break down the festival.
• Monthly: Assist with administrative and pre-event planning tasks.
• SSL
• Internships
Victorian Lyric Opera Company
Victorian Lyric Opera Company (vloc.org) delivers high quality productions of light operatic works, providing performance and educational opportunities to members of the community.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 provides props for productions.
• $100 covers audio/visual equipment rentals for use in creating digital content.
• $250 provides one-day space rental for upcoming live events.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Provide ushering assistance at performances.
• Weekly: Assist with set construction.
VisArts
VisArts (visartscenter.org) offers art classes and camps for students of all ages and abilities, and provides discounts and scholarships to ensure accessibility for all. VisArts’ contemporary art galleries feature artists from around the world and support artists through paid fellowships and residencies, stipends and studio space. The VisAbility Art Lab provides studio and career support and guidance for neurodiverse artists. Free public art programs include installations, workshops, online classes and the annual Rockville Arts Festival.
Headquartered: Rockville
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $75 supports artist programs and exhibitions.
• $250 covers supplies for free public art programs.
• $500 provides camp scholarships for two children.
Volunteer opportunities:
• Weekly: Help in the galleries or with camps.
• SSL
• Internships
Washington Revels
Washington Revels (revelsdc.org) is a multigenerational performing arts community of professionals and nonprofessionals that presents traditional music, dance, storytelling and drama. It includes four performing ensembles—Gallery Voices, Heritage Voices, Jubilee Voices and Maritime Voices—and produces after-school workshops, community engagement/service events, and performances year-round, including May Revels each spring and The Christmas Revels each December.
Headquartered: Glen Echo Park
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 offsets construction costs for stage props.
• $250 underwrites a guest artist stipend at one of Washington Revels’ free events.
• $1,000 supports the bus rental for transporting audience groups to an outreach show.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Help with phone and email outreach to local organizations.
• One week: Volunteer backstage at The Christmas Revels theatrical production.
• SSL
• Internships
The Writer’s Center
The Writer’s Center (writer.org) supports writers and anyone who wants to write. The organization offers 300 writing workshops every year in all genres and for all experience levels, as well as dozens of free literary events.
Headquartered: Bethesda
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 provides a scholarship for a deserving writer to attend a one-session workshop.
• $150 covers the honorarium to bring a nationally renowned author to an event.
• $395 provides a scholarship to a two-month workshop.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Assist with event registration and logistics.
• Weekly: Take a shift at the front desk.
• Internships
Young Artists of America at Strathmore (YAA)
Young Artists of America at Strathmore (YAA) (yaa.org) offers music theater education and performance opportunities to gifted and committed youths throughout Greater Washington, D.C. Students perform with a full symphonic youth orchestra in state-of-the-art venues such as The Music Center at Strathmore.
Headquartered: North Bethesda
Serves: Metro region
What a donation buys:
• $50 provides one student with a musical score.
• $250 supports one orchestra student’s tuition.
• $500 supports one student singer’s tuition.
Volunteer opportunities:
• One day: Help with a YAA special event.
• Weekly: Provide administrative support.
• SSL
• Internships
