Today we’d like to introduce you to Lou Fazzini.
Hi Lou, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
Our story begins in 1985, when, as the father of 11- and 9-year-old daughters, I wanted them to be exposed to theatre. Unable to find available youth theatre programs, I opted to take steps necessary to start my own program.
At the time, I was working as a Federal Probation and Parole Officer for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Having no theatre background or experience, I made contact with Macomb Community College, where I was able to connect with their theatre department, and subsequently able to present my idea to college administration. Having done a need study through our local school district, I was able to show a need for such a program. The college was very cooperative and agreed to help by providing inexpensive space which allowed us to start our program. In addition, I started taking theatre classes at Macomb Community College. Figuring that I was going to start a theatre program for kids, I better know something about what I was doing.
In 1986 we began our first theatre workshop program for youth. After several seasons, we added a theatre for youth-by-youth performance series in partnership with the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, providing a theatre education school field trip performing arts series through an additional partnership with the Macomb Intermediate School District. That series was extremely successful and lead to the creation of a family performing arts theatre season, at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts.
I went on to earn a Master of Arts Degree in Theatre with a specialization in Drama for the Young from Eastern Michigan University and in 1997 I retired from my position with U.S. Probation and Parole.
That newfound freedom allowed us to expand our programming. Built on the philosophy that skills intrinsic to theatre as an art form contribute to the growth and development of our kids, our families, and our community, a significant amount of our programming was devoted to address the needs of an at-risk and undeserved youth, and on occasion, adult populations. Our drama therapy and arts education partnerships have resulted in theatre arts programming dedicated to serving incarcerated, severely emotionally impaired youth, economically disadvantaged youth, youth with autism, deaf & hearing impaired youth, and developmentally disabled adults. Staffed by 4 full time employees, key contracted and community volunteers, we serve in excess of 10,000 youth & community members annually through our theatre programs.
Today we provide a myriad of theatre arts education programs that not only teach to the art discipline of theatre but utilize a transformative theatre process. Below is an overview of the diverse programs we deliver:
*Studio for Dramatic & Performing Arts: provides theatre arts education workshops that places an emphasis specific to the teaching of the theatre art discipline & includes a one week summer drama camp in partnership with the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, for 2nd – 12th grade students.
*Family, School Field Trip Series: Presented in partnership with the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, this performance series not only presents a high-quality theatre experience at affordable prices but serves as an introduction to live theatre for families, young audiences, & educators. An open audition casting process, this program provides performance opportunities for young performers, grades 3-12. This program area includes a two-week summer musical theatre camp for 5th – 12th-grade students, through our Macomb Center partnership, which serves as an introduction to summer stock theatre process, where production is mounted in a two-week period that includes audition through performance.
*Therapeutic Drama Program: introduces relevant theatre concepts (i.e., analysis, problem-solving, communication, presentation skills) to at-risk populations, providing the means by which students develop self-sufficiency. Provided both in & after-school, educational activities have addresed programming for elementary, middle, and high school students with disabilities; incarcerated youth; students with mental health issues; adults with disabilities; deaf and hearing-impaired youth.
*The Shakespeare Experience: A specialized theatre training program that introduces middle & high school students to Shakespeare and the Classics. These students are also afforded the opportunity to participate in our Teaching Shakespeare & Student Players Festival programs in partnership with the Stratford Festival, Stratford, Ontario. The partnership not only provides theatre workshops with Stratford Actors but our students are afforded the opportunity to perform Shakespeare’s works that are then adjudicated by Stratford Acting Company and Education department theatre artists.
*Professional Development: Presented in partnership with the Macomb Intermediate School District’s New Teacher Academy, Teaching Artists from All The World’s A Stage provides Theatre Arts Integration strategies across educational & social skills curriculums for 1st – 3rd year Macomb County Teachers.
Lastly, one of my daughters for whom this program was started, eventually went on to receive her B.A. in Theatre Performance from Western Michigan University and her Bachelor of Arts & Masters of Science in Psychology also from Western Michigan University. In 2022 that young lady began employment with All The World’s A Stage and now serves as our Artistic Director.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our journey has been rewarding, but there have been, and continue to be, bumps along our path. Some of those bumps have included times when the economy was bad, including COVID, where we were forced to reevaluate our financial strategies to stay the course. Some of the other struggles were the difficulties we encounter in getting our community to see the impact of theatre arts beyond its entertainment value. Lastly, one of our biggest challenges been the social and technological changes our kids face and the impact it has had on their development.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
All The World’s A Stage provides a myriad of programs and serves diverse populations with an equally amount of diverse programs. In our evolution, it has been difficult for us to pinpoint what it is we are known for, or define our specialization. I suppose if I were forced explain what we specialize in, I would say it is our recognition of theatre and the arts as an integral cog in the definition of a healthy community and the power of theatre arts beyond its entertainment value. While I am proud of everything we do, I would have to say I am most proud of the work that we do with at-risk and underserved populations.
What sets us apart from others is that we are not just a youth theatre. We are a theatre arts education organization. EVERYTHING we do is based on providing a learning experience and teaches life skills through our theatre education process. Our staff’s educational and experiential backgrounds set us apart from most, if not all theatre organizations. Educational degrees, both undergrad and graduate in Theatre, we also possess experiences and advanced degrees in Corrections, Criminal Justice, and Psychology, which provides us with a very unique skill set, that allows us to serve our mission of “teaching life skills through theatre arts education.”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.atwas.org
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ATWAS
