The national tour of the musical "Something Rotten!" Photo by Jeremy Daniel.
Arts Bureau Edge, a youth arts journalism initiative, brought five young critics to the press opening of “Something Rotten!” at The Kentucky Center, with the help of PNC Broadway in Louisville. This effort is the fourth since Arts Bureau Edge began in June with a mission to give young people experience in writing about the arts and give them a voice in the community.
High school students from duPont Manual and Floyd Central attended workshops on review writing and musical theater history and helped critique each other’s work. Passionate about writing and keenly aware of the current musical landscape, the students shared playlists and future plans for theater-going. Some of them came after work or from after-school activities, but they never lacked energy or enthusiasm. It was awesome.
Arts Bureau Edge is open to all area high school students. Future pop-up workshops will be announced soon.
— Melissa Chipman, co-instructor
Elizabeth Kramer founded Arts Bureau Edge with Frances Ward-Simmons. I came on as a volunteer during this session and can’t wait for the next. Special thanks to Matthew Porter at PNC Broadway in Louisville and Keith Stone and Scott Recker of LEO who published the students’ articles in LEO online through this collaborative arts journalism project.