AWOL Fall Enrollment 2009!

Well just in case you missed it, AWOL auditions went down at the Black Box earlier this month. And wow, was it a success. With our new Theater Director, Lakesha Green on board, the auditions were as smooth as a babies bottom! Lakesha is a SCAD and Alabama State grad packing not one but two degrees in Theater! AWOL's Hip-Hop play has now grown into a full scale Theater & Performing Arts program, with an advanced curriculum that follows National Arts Education Standards. And the program has a new name that fits along with the other AWOL program name themes, which usually at first send a negative message that we then make positive. The ACT UP! Theater Program is committed to doing exactly what the name says, teaching kids how to ACT UP!

This years fall enrollment audition totaled a whopping 80+ youth! One youth was so excited about being in the Sound Design program that he arrived late, after auditions were over and auditioned in the Black Box parking lot in his socks! His cousin had previously auditioned and afterward decided to stop by and let him know about the program. The aspiring rapper jumped at the chance, and that type of energy and enthusiasm from young people makes us very proud and excited to teach them.

So this past week we headed over to our old stomping ground, the St. Pius Family Resource Center and started practice. It....whoops..pause. I almost forgot some other exciting news. Dan Perez of Dan Perez Films was in town during the auditions to start a documentary film project about AWOL. Dan is going to be following us throughout the year and documenting the exciting life of the Jordan's as we use art and hip-hop culture as a tool to transform the lives of young people. Big ups to the Inn at Ellis Square for offering discounted room rates for his stay, but now we need a little help from you. In order to tell this story, we'll need some cold hard cash to support the project and in kind donations of restaurant gift certificates and free or deeply discounted hotel stays. Don't you want to see your company name in the credits when this film hits HBO and Sundance? Of course you do! Email me if your interested in helping out, djordan@awolinc.org.

Okay, back to St. Pius where I left off. So we started this week and things are already looking good for the 5th Anniversary of the Hip-Hop play. This year our young people are doing a modern day version of Shakespeare's timeless love story, Romeo and Juliet. The story has been modernized and is set in Savannah, GA. Can't wait to see the final product, the script is ...well..I'm not going to spoil it for you. Just be sure to get your tickets early, since this show sells out every year!



And to add to the excitement the Chatham-Savannah Youth Futures Authorities annual summit hosted Grammy award winning recording artist Antwan "Big Boi" Patton of the group Outkast. Now, the kids were already just excited to see him in person, but for him to give them a SHOUT IN HIS SPEACH! LOL. I don't have to tell you that if they had not already drunk the AWOL kool-aid, they were sold after that! And what a great self-esteem boost for Savannah's young people. Big Ups to Zadonna Slay and the folks over a YFA for bringing down such a cool speaker that the youth could relate to. And most of all, thanks to Big Boi and the staff of Big Kidz Foundation Jennifer Lester and Joi Edwards along with Savannah's own Kareem Hill for making BIG things happen for AWOL kids.



You can also sponsor a child in AWOL for just $40 bucks per month! Wow! A high quality arts education program like this for such an affordable price? This has got to be the best thing since sliced bread! Click here to print the Sponsorship Form and send in your first payment.

In the meantime, please do Join our Facebook Fan Page. The widget has been added to the blog site and don't forget to Follow us on Twitter at

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Fall is Upon Us! Time to ACT UP!

That's right people, AWOL has finally dubbed the hip hop play with a real program name, ACT UP! We also have a new bad chick to run this thing, Ms. Lakesha Green our new Theater Director. This is going to be an awesome year. This program in particular (Theater and Performing Arts) is near and dear to us. The TP program was the program that enabled us to get our first contract with the City of Savannah (Big Ups to Mayor Johnson and the City Council) for $43,000 bucks!

Prior to that contract we were armed with a $850 dollar GAP (Grassroots Arts Program) grant from the Cities Cultural Affairs Department. With that small investment we were able to create an entire youth theater empire right here in Savannah, GA. I would also add, this was our very first grant award. Boy were we excited, $850 DOLLARS! WOW!

Hay, don't laugh! Before that grant we were accustomed to doing something with nothing, so that $850 bucks went a along way folks. Me and Tony even matched it with a nice donation of $1000 or our own dollars. yeah...this is the life of non-profit leaders. lol. But when you are determined to make something happen, you will let nothing stand in your way. Especially not something as simple as money.



So, to see what we have matured to is absolutely amazing. I mean come on folks, we are about to take it to another level this year, the kids will be performing Shakespeare! At the close of 2005 AWOL had roughly $2 dollars in the bank, lol. Today we have managed over a half a million dollars and encountered thousands of youth through our arts and technology programs and community performances. Amazing what a little determination and elbow grease can do. Check out the Press Release below and video clips from past performances and rehearsals.

Also please help spread the word as this is going to be our 5th Anniversary show so teachers need to sign up now to reserve seats to the school show.


For Immediate Release:

More Info:
LaKesha Green
kgreen@awolinc.org
912-303-4987

All Walks of Life Inc Announces Start of 5th Annual Theater Program, Invites Young People to Act Up
This year's production will be a hip hop-themed adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Auditions will be Sept. 17-18.

September 1, 2009 (Savannah, GA) - AWOL's theater program, known as Act Up, will celebrate its fifth year this fall with open auditions for its annual production, which will be a hip hop-themed adaptation of Shakespeare's timeless story of star-crossed love Romeo and Juliet. Auditions will be held September 17-18 at the Black Box Theater (9 W. Henry St.) from 6-8pm. AWOL's theater program regularly attracts nearly 100 youth who gladly show off their skills as actors, dancers and singers.

The production, titled Choices: The Romeo and Juliet Story, will be presented February 5-6, 2010 at the Lucas Theater. There will be one daytime show presented to students of schools from around the region, and two nighttime shows open to the general public.

"I'm excited about Romeo and Juliet because Shakespeare's play is so universal that it can be adapted into any cultural setting or historical period," says Green. "Love is a universal theme and it will help introduce some of these kids to Shakespeare in a way that is much more accessible for them."

The goal of the Act Up program is to engage young people in positive, creative activities during evening hours when youth are statistically more likely to get into trouble. The program teaches them important lessons about theater combined with positive conflict resolution workshops, giving students the opportunity to pursue their talents while showing them ways to promote positive behavior. It costs one tenth as much to keep young active in programs like AWOL's, designed to keep them out of trouble, then it does to keep young people locked up after they've already gotten into trouble with the law.

Entering it's fifth year, this will be the first year that AWOL's theater production hasn't centered directly on hip hop history. In year's past, the play has discussed the origins of hip hop in New York City, the relationship between African culture and hip hop, the cultural evolution from the Civil Rights Generation to the Hip Hop Generation, and paid homage to the artistic accomplishments of the Harlem Renaissance and its influence on hip hop. The adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, which was written by Theater Director, LaKesha Green, will modernize the language of the original, as well as inject music and dance into Shakespeare's classic love story. The production is scheduled for February 5-6, 2010 opening on the 5th with a 10:00am school show. Teachers are encouraged to reserve seats now as the school show sells out every year. Cost of attendance is only $3 per child and includes a free curriculum guide based on the Georgia Performance Standards for the study of Shakespeare.


In addition, AWOL will also be holding auditions for its film making and photojournalism program, My Block and the popular sound design and music recording program, The Projects. All young aspiring artist are encouraged to attend.
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