As summer simmers down and everyone’s getting those fall feelings, the curtain closes on Handful Players’ 13th summer season. Even the superstitious among us must admit that the year was a happy success for our community’s children and families, thanks to a lot of hard work, and yes…a little luck!
Over the nine weeks of summer, 240 kids—as young as 4 and as grown-up as 16—participated in 170 Handful Players workshops led by our talented, dedicated team of teaching artists. The children enjoyed a spectrum of enriching performing arts activities, including theater, hip-hop dance, spoken word/rap, clowning & puppetry and storytelling.
Keeping our children inspired, energized and empowered over a long summer is a definite team effort. We couldn’t have done it without the partnership and support of these incredible San Francisco community organizations: The Buchanan YMCA, Booker T. Washington Community Service Center, Western Addition Beacon Center, Boys & Girls Clubs Don Fisher Clubhouse, Hamilton Recreation Center, Prince Hall Computer Learning Center and Up on Top.
All these efforts were on display at the Mo’Magic 2019 Summer Youth Showcase, where Handful Players performed on its biggest stage ever—at the prestigious Marines’ Memorial Theatre. In collaboration with Collective Impact, we were proud to host more than 400 members of the community, including youth, their families and program staff.
San Francisco’s Human Rights Commission curated a summer reading list for our students, with the powerful voices of such authors as Matt de la Peña and Maya Angelou. These works provided the inspiration for over a dozen performances, from short plays and puppet shows to music and dance.
And of course, magical summers like this one are made of moments both big and small. Whether in front of a full house or just a gathering of friends, the children took the stage and earned enthusiastic applause for their creative accomplishments.
Handful Players also celebrated with friends and family at end-of-summer showcases hosted by the Buchanan YMCA, Western Addition Beacon Center, Booker T. Washington and Up on Top.
We are especially thankful for the support of the California Arts Council, which helps us provide summer programs that enrich the lives and encourage the talents in our community’s youth.
