Today we’d like to introduce you to Junior Players.
Hi Junior, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Junior Players was founded in 1955 and has striven to encourage, empower, and enrich the lives of as many children and youth through the arts as possible each year since then by tailoring programming to meet the specific needs of children ages 5 to 18.
Over its existence, Junior Players has endeavored to meet the changing needs of the community. From 1955 to 1989, Junior Players presented traditional children’s theater productions performed entirely by children and teenagers. In 1989, the Board of Directors changed the focus of Junior Players activities, deciding that Junior Players can best serve the youth of Dallas by providing accessible programming to all the children of North Texas. Through high quality arts education programs at no cost to our participants in local recreation and cultural centers, housing projects, elementary and middle schools, and through social service agencies serving youth at risk, Junior Players continues to empower young voices.
Today the mission of Junior Players is to encourage intellectual growth, mental well-being, and the development of life skills in youth through mentoring, creative expression, and participation in the fine arts.
Our vision is to be at the forefront of developing and delivering innovative youth arts education that celebrates diversity, promotes thought leadership, and meets communities’ needs.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Junior Players just celebrated our 70th anniversary of transforming kids’ lives through the arts, but the road to stay present for our youth for so many years has not been without it’s own bumps and hurdles. The most recent and notable of which was without a doubt the COVID-19 Pandemic. The COVID-19 Pandemic was absolutely devastating to our ecosystem and created lasting changes to our arts landscape. Throughout 2020 and 2021 Junior Players quickly adapted to a virtual and hybrid model of programming, in order to do everything we could to stay present for the youth in our community. Through innovation, dedication, and the tremendous generosity of our community, we found strength in resiliency and adapted to address the immediate needs of our organization without compromising our vision or our responsibility to the over 15,000 underserved children and youth we serve each year.
As inspiring as it was to see our community come together so quickly to offer assistance and support so we could remain a stable and present force for our students, we are still feeling the financial setbacks of this global crisis today. The arts landscape in Dallas has been irrevocably affected, as many of our fellow performing arts organizations would agree. We’ve seen big drops in attendance in this post-pandemic world due to multiple factors like lingering health worries, increased competition with streaming services, higher ticket costs in an effort to keep doors open, and just general shifts in entertainment habits.
It’s difficult to adjust quickly enough in an ever-evolving, ever-shifting landscape, but we believe in the power of the arts. The arts bind us, they bring people together, whether it be physically at galleries, museums, or performances space, or culturally through their capacity to tell a community’s shared story or highlight underrepresented voices. Art inspires reflection and forms connections that transcend barriers to create bridges. Art represents and creates emotions. Art gives meaning. These are things that cannot so easily be dismissed. So while the road has been rocky and we have had our fair share of detours, we know that we and our fellow arts organizations will continue to fight to stay present for our community.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Since 1955, Junior Players has been empowering young voices by providing high quality, arts programming to North Texas children and youth at no cost to our participants. Programs are delivered in local recreation and cultural centers, low-income housing developments, public and private elementary, middle and high schools, and through social service agencies serving youth ages 5 through 18. Our goal is to encourage, empower, and enrich the lives of as many children and youth as possible each year.
Junior Players contracts professional working artists who are experts in their fields for each individual program. These exceptional artists tailor programming to meet the specific needs of children ages 5 to 18. Through before and after school programs, workshops, and camps children are able to explore and learn how to creatively express themselves. In partnership with local agencies, we also produce a number of theater productions which showcase the talent of our participants.
Too many youth are silenced because of realities outside of their control. Income, language proficiency and school district funding can limit their ability to believe in themselves. Junior Players exists to encourage, empower, and enrich the lives of North Texas children and youth with the skills and abilities to confidently express themselves at home, in school, and in their professional lives.
We provide innovative arts education programs to children and youth in North Texas and beyond and through these program, youth are transformed.
Our camps and afterschool programs are targeted to arts deserts – those areas that are underfunded and underserved. There, we engage children and youth through the arts, providing them with the tools they need to navigate real life challenges confidently and competently.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
We see arts organizations coming together to build a more collaborative, community-focused future for the arts ecosystem in Dallas! We at Junior Players are strong believers in Arts Supporting Arts and love opportunities to partner with fellow arts organizations throughout the DFW metroplex, so we’d love to see more opportunities for cross-promotion. In the same vein, we’d love to see more public-private partnerships as well! Continued collaboration between the city, private business, and non-profit organizations is essential for funding and sustaining the arts ecosystem.
We also see more integration of technology and immersive experiences. As the world continues evolving and becoming more and more technologically based, technology will play a central role in how art is created, distributed, and experienced. We recently switched to a completely digital ticketing model for our Winter Musical and aim to continue this trend to make attending our events and productions easier and more accessible for our patrons.
Finally, we believe that arts organizations will further their focus on ensuring that all Dallas residents have access to the arts. Junior Players is open and available to all. We are committed to providing safe spaces for child and youth to learn, explore, grow and engage with one other, with freedom from discrimination, harassment, or judgement. We recognize that barriers to services exist for members of diverse communities, particularly for equity-seeking groups, and we are committed to acting as a positive force in eliminating these barriers.
Pricing:
- Participation in our programs is free for all participants
- Main stage productions are $15 for General Admission and $10 for Students and Seniors
Contact Info:
- Website: https://juniorplayers.org
- Instagram: juniorplayers.org/instagram
- Facebook: juniorplayers.org/facebook
- LinkedIn: https://juniorplayers.org/linkedin
- Youtube: juniorplayers.org/jptv
- Other: https://juniorplayers.org/tiktok
Image Credits
Bouras Designs
