Pencils for Puerto Rico

Following
the Hurricane Maria last September, volunteers traveled to Puerto Rico
in an effort to provide relief to survivors of the storm. Even though
this disaster is no longer as prevalent in the mainstream media, and in a
society where time, distance, and over-saturation of information can
cause us so easily to forget others in need, our fellow citizens in
Puerto Rico are still rebuilding.

In
an effort to make a difference in a small way, Playhouse on Park is
running a pencil and crayon drive for select schools in Puerto Rico
during the entire run of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights, June
13-July 29. In addition to presenting Broadway-quality productions, we
at the Playhouse have made it our mission to be a resource to young
artists who desire to learn and create in their formative years. We hope
to extend our reach beyond our immediate community with this effort
because we believe in the importance of arts education.

In
The Heights tells the universal story of a vibrant Latino community in
New York's Washington Heights neighborhood on the brink of change, full
of hopes, dreams and pressures, where the biggest struggles can be
deciding which traditions you take with you, and which ones you leave
behind. In The Heights is the winner of the 2008 Tony Awards for Best
Musical, Best Score, Best Choreography and Best Orchestrations.

The schools/students that will benefit from this pencil and crayon drive are: Escuela José Robles Otero, Barrio Ingenio, in Toa Baja (Director Marcos Rivera), Instituto
Loaiza Cordero in Santurce, PR (a specialized school for kids with
disabilities) and teacher Keila Torres Nieves a 4th and 5th grade
English teacher who lost everything herself but was conducting classes
out of shelters now helping wherever she can within public schools. The
Playhouse will receive assistance in delivering the supplies from
subscriber and US Navy Veteran, Raquel Santiago, who has tirelessly
traveled to and from Puerto Rico providing help many times since last
fall. We ask that you bring only pencils and crayons, as these basic
materials are what's most needed as schools reopen.

Bring
your donations when you come for the show, or feel free to stop by
whenever we're open: Tuesday-Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-2pm, and 2
hours prior to every performance. Tickets for In The Heights range from
$40-$50, with senior, student and Let's Go Arts discounts available. For
more information on Pencils for Puerto Rico, or In The Heights, call
our box office at 860-523-5900 x10 or visit www.playhouseonpark.org. Playhouse on Park is located at 244 Park Road, West Hartford, CT 06119.