Coachel­la Val­ley Reper­to­ry (CVREP) is expand­ing its Youth Out­reach Pro­gram with the sup­port of a grant from the Auen Foun­da­tion. Under the lead­er­ship of Howard Shangraw, CVREP’s Youth Out­reach Pro­gram con­sists of in-school edu­ca­tion­al out­reach, con­ser­va­to­ry-style class­es and the­atri­cal expe­ri­ences at the Cathe­dral City playhouse.

CVREP’s Youth Out­reach Pro­gram is ded­i­cat­ed to fos­ter­ing inter­gen­er­a­tional col­lab­o­ra­tion. With about 80 per­cent of CVREP’s base audi­ence over the age of 65, CVREP is work­ing to build com­mu­ni­ty and con­nect gen­er­a­tions through class­es, vol­un­teer pro­grams, talk-back ses­sions, youth pro­duc­tions and more.

“This inter­play between seniors and our community’s youth is instru­men­tal in bridg­ing age gaps, nur­tur­ing men­tor­ship, and ensur­ing that the wis­dom of the past is impart­ed to future per­form­ers and the­atre audi­ences,” said Shangraw, Direc­tor of the Con­ser­va­to­ry and Com­mu­ni­ty Out­reach Pro­grams for CVREP.

An award-win­ning actor and direc­tor, Shangraw brings a wealth of expe­ri­ence to his some­what new role at CVREP. Through­out his impres­sive career, he has been involved in Off-Broad­way pro­duc­tions, sum­mer stock, fea­ture films, episod­ic tele­vi­sion, day­time soap operas and region­al the­atre productions.

“Howard’s expe­ri­ence and lead­er­ship are ele­vat­ing our youth pro­grams with the same kind of qual­i­ty and ded­i­ca­tion that runs through­out CVREP’s per­for­mances and arts ini­tia­tives,” said Adam Karsten, Exec­u­tive Artis­tic Direc­tor for CVREP. “Thanks to the Auen Foun­da­tion grant, our next endeav­or will bring the­atre direct­ly to the stu­dents. With our The­atre for Young Audi­ences (TYA) pro­gram, evolv­ing in 2024, CVREP hopes to inspire the next gen­er­a­tion of artists and the­atre enthusiasts.”

Now in its 16th sea­son, CVREP is an edu­ca­tion­al, dra­mat­ic and musi­cal the­atre orga­ni­za­tion that offers thought-pro­vok­ing, inno­v­a­tive the­atre of sub­stance, and a voice to a wide range of artists and visions. CVREP pro­vides pro­duc­tions and out­reach pro­grams that pos­i­tive­ly enrich, enhance and impact the qual­i­ty of life for res­i­dents and vis­i­tors in the Coachel­la Valley.

“Arts and cul­ture are extreme­ly impor­tant in today’s com­pli­cat­ed world,” said Sher­rie Auen, the Foundation’s Trustee. “We’re hap­py to make this con­tri­bu­tion to help CVREP con­tin­ue its mis­sion, which enrich­es people’s lives of all ages.”

For more infor­ma­tion about CVREP and its pro­grams and live per­for­mances, go to cvrep.org or call 760–296-2966. CVREP is locat­ed 68–510 E. Palm Canyon Dr., Cathe­dral City.