Neighborhood Philanthropy: Ford Center’s Youth Music Theatre Workshop
Oxford is host to some wonderful non-profit organizations that provide for our community in so many ways. We want to provide a glimpse of these organizations each month. The Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts on the Ole Miss campus offers its Youth Music Theatre Workshop again this year. Since its creation in 1996 by Julia and Robert Aubrey, this workshop was designed to fill a need in the community for children’s theatre during the summer. It’s now become a summer staple and we can’t wait to see some of our Neighborhood Realty kiddos in the show this June!
Julia Aubrey, current Director of the Gertrude C. Ford Center, began the workshop with her husband, Bob Aubrey, with the goal to develop performance skills in music, drama and movement through creative exercises. The two weeks culminate in a short production that allow the children to demonstrate their new skills and express themselves as singing actors. Over the past 20 years, hundreds of children have performed in the YMTW in collaboration with the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, the UM Opera Theatre, and Oxford Shakespeare Festival.
Beginning in 2017, the Ford Center took over production of the YMTW with a generous donation from the Kite Foundation and Nancye B. Starnes. This funding allowed the workshop to expand to two sessions allowing more children to participate. The grant also provided the means to increase the production value and hire more professional artistic staff, assistants, and pit musicians to work with the children. Ms. Starnes has continued to fund the workshop each summer and her support was matched in 2019 by the Madison Charitable Fund through Joc and Leigh Anne Carpenter.
In 2021, a new fund was established to honor Mary Lewis Poole who devoted her time and seamstress talent to help costume the children for over 15 years. The fund provides scholarships for children who are not able to participate without financial assistance. If you would like to donate to this fund or give to the Ford Center, in general, please visit here.
This year’s YMTW will host 2 sessions. Session 1, which hosted ages 7-11 year olds, took place in late May and the week session ended with a final performance on June 1st. Session 2, which will host ages 12-17 year olds, is currently taking place with the final performance scheduled for Friday, June 14th at noon.
