ETAP reaches beyond its stage to share the rich heritage of American Musical Theater with a variety of other organizations serving needy populations. It has hosted or participated in benefit performances to raise money for charitable causes including pediatric cancer, the World Trade Center Fund, and the Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

 


Rachel Leigh Dolan teaching students
about set design at Brookfield Elementary School

Behind the Scenes

In December, 2007, ETAP launched the Behind the Scenes Outreach Program with Brookfield Elementary School in Chantilly, VA.  The Arts Enrich our Lives and ETAP enriched the lives of the 150 third grade students at Brookfield by exposing them to the magic of Musical Theatre. 

The students were taught lessons about putting on a production in two in-classroom sessions and attended the final dress rehearsal of Rudy and the Candy Cane Stocking as a culmination of the fall program. The students had their third lesson at the theatre, meeting the director and scenic artist.  Brookfield Elementary School is located in a low-income area of Fairfax County with approximately 30% of students in the free or reduced lunch program.

  


Girl Scout Special

ETAP continues sharing Musical Theatre with thousands of Girl Scouts who attend each production.  The number of Girl Scout troops attending the “Girl Scout Special” Behind the Scenes program grows year after year, and ETAP is pleased to continue harvesting young theatre goers!

Girl Scouts on the Behind the Scenes tour are very
impressed by Natasha’s fake eyelashes worn for performances
  


Western Fairfax Christian Ministries

Since 1997, ETAP has partnered with Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) in its mission to end poverty in Northern Virginia. Besides raising money for the Kids in Crisis program, ETAP has supported WFCM's outreach program in Fairfax County Public Schools. ETAP has also worked with the Fannie Mae Foundation, hosting a performance for an inner city public school to raise homelessness awareness.

Dorothy Fonow, former Executive Director of WFCM wrote:

“There are not enough words to encompass or do justice to everything you and your students achieved on June 9th. You profoundly touched the lives of 75 young people and earned the admiration of all the supporting adults that were there too.”