About the Project
Mission and Vision
“Theater is a language through which human beings can engage in active dialogue on what is important to them. It allows individuals to create a safe space that they may inhabit in groups and use to explore the interactions which make up their lives. It is a lab for problem-solving, for seeking options, and for practicing solutions.”—Augusto Boal, Theatre of the Oppressed
The mission of A.C.T is to create an engaging, fun, safe and rigorous space that disrupts historical and institutional structures. It is a space grounded in restorative practices and healthy relationships with curriculum rooted in student’s lives so that they may grow both academically, artistically, personally, and socially.
The vision of this project is that students leave with the critical academic skills they need to live successful and meaningful lives—making informed decisions, engaging in discourse with other people, and (if they so choose) becoming revolutionaries: working to build a more equitable and inclusive democracy.
About The Teachers
Mr. Coverdell-Meneses
Mr. Coverdell-Meneses Has been an Acting for Critical Thought project teacher for 5 years. He is a National Board Certified science teacher and active member in San Francisco's science and math teacher community. He also worked professionally as a musical theater performer before becoming a teacher. He brings the math, science, and broadway to the project.
Ms. Shuford
Ms. Shuford has been an Acting for Critical Thought (ACT) teacher for 2 years. Since joining the project, she has really helped the students STEP up! Literally! As the social studies, language arts and STEP dance teacher, her step choreography has heightened the shows and students.
About Our Community Partners
826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with one-on-one attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success.
American Conservatory Theater nurtures the art of live theater through dynamic productions, intensive actor training in its Conservatory, and an ongoing engagement with its community. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Pam MacKinnon and Executive Director Jennifer Bielstein, A.C.T. embraces its responsibility to conserve, renew, and reinvent the rich theatrical traditions that are our collective legacy, while exploring new artistic forms and new communities. A commitment to the highest standards informs every aspect of A.C.T.’s creative work.
ACTsmart Education & Community Programs support provided by
Bank of America, California Arts Council, Bill Graham Memorial Foundation, Jewels of Charity, The Kimball Foundation, The Koret Foundation, The Laird Norton Family Foundation, The Bernard Osher Foundation, San Francisco Department of Children Youth & Their Families, San Francisco Grants for the Arts, The Vermut Education Fund, Martin Tannenbaum/Gerald B. Rosenstein Estate, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, Wells Fargo, The Rawley T. Farnsworth Fellowship Fund, The Stanley S. Langendorf Foundation, The San Francisco Foundation, The Sato Foundation, Theatre Forward, and U.S. Bank.