What We Do

Bringing Awareness to the Arts

With each production, ActUp Theater uniquely and fiercely raises the awareness of the talent-pool based in our community. Unfortunately, funding allocated to the arts is usually the first elective funding cut from public schools in impoverished neighborhoods. Funding for arts education - include visual, graphic,  performing arts - can often be concentrated into arts-focused schools that marginally portray their diverse community’s population in public productions, there for drawing a population from outside communities to engage in those productions that seldom reflective of the current culture. 

Support, Empower Healthy Relationship Building

ActUp Theater’s passionate dedication, has fostered life-long relationships and created a regional inner-city theater community. Healthy community role models where many youth reside are scarce and the environment we encourage has allowed space or vertical and horizontal mentors to be established and teamwork to be enforced by a positive common goal. 

The data is there to support all the educational, social and emotional benefits of arts programming for individuals of all ages but they  live it. In communities like ours, where we actively seek to include youth and adults that are in the most destitute part of our city. 

Empower Local Businesses: Each production, ActUp Theater does everything it can to keep the “Community” in Community Theater through:

  • Outsourcing  choreography, vocal lessons, set design, costumes etc.. to community member of the Hartford Area like: JusMoves Studios, Kim’s Hip Hop Youth Dance Bootcamp, Armando’s Salsa Intensive, & Rebecca Maloney’s Art Designs

  • Requesting local businesses to sponsor snacks for practice and food & beverage for the cast party like: Jahmske's Caribbean Restaurant, Mr. Snapper Restaurant, Jahmske's Caribbean Restaurant, etc...

  • Conducting a call for vendors to sell locally sourced goods at each production like: Gone in a Flash condiments company, and various local clothing retailers

Communities/Businesses: ActUp Theater deliberately approaches each production, as a way to keep the “Community” in "Community Theater." It does so by outsourcing to local community members choreography, vocal lessons, set design, costuming, hairstyling, etc. It also empowers and partners with local food vendors, community activist, and venues in the heart of the community.

Building Healthy Relationships: We respect diversity and are committed to creating exceptional arts integration opportunities for youth and adults in the community. Our passion for high standards and a healthy environment echoes throughout each production. This positive mentality gives each participant an advantage to becoming a leader that can achieve their highest potential. 

Bringing Awareness to the Arts and Social Justice Topics

Unfortunately, funding for the arts in impoverished neighborhoods are usually the first elective funding cut from schools. Arts funding for youth is concentrated into arts-focused schools that marginally portray their diverse population in public productions. Community productions are seldom reflective of the current culture. With each show, ActUp Theater uniquely and fiercely heightens the awareness of cultivated talent of our community and social justice issues faced by our community.