2017 Giving Voice Award Gala,

About the event

Every spring, Young Playwrights' Theater (YPT) hosts our annual marquee fundraising event: the Giving Voice Award Gala. At this gala, we honor a noted community member with our Giving Voice Award, and welcome over 200 philanthropic guests for an evening of fun and fundraising. Guests enjoy an open bar, dance floor and cocktail reception, while learning about YPT’s work in the community. 

We are delighted to honor playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins with our 2017 Giving Voice Award. A DC native, 2014 Obie Award winner and 2016 MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, Jacobs-Jenkins is best known for his play, An Octoroon, which ran at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co. in 2016 to critical and audience acclaim. His plays engage frankly with issues of race, class and identity - the same issues that many YPT students grapple with in their own work. 

Why should you sponsor?

Your donation includes recognition on our website and social media (reaching over 4,000 people/month), listing in the event materials, and prominent mentions throughout the event. Most importantly, your donation will contribute to the success of our gala, supporting YPT’s work with local students as we seek to expand equitable access to arts education across DC.

Laura Wood

Young Playwrights’ Theater inspires young people to realize the power of their own voices. By teaching students to express themselves through the art of playwriting, YPT develops students’ language skills, and empowers them with the creativity, confidence and critical thinking skills they need to succeed in school and beyond.  For over two decades, YPT has provided free arts education programs to our region's most underrepresented young people to help them realize the power of their voices and stories through the arts.

 

In our city, less than 25% of minority students achieve proficiency in English Language Arts; less than 20% of economically disadvantaged students reach that mark. This is our call to action. Studies show that low-income students engaged in the arts are more than twice as likely to graduate from college as their peers that are not participating in the arts. With the support of our community, YPT provides playwriting programs all year long to students who need to know their power to make positive changes in their lives.

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