To be honest, I almost don’t really know how I stumbled into theatre. Someone told me during the first week of 9th grade that I would be good at it, so I signed up for ITS (drama club) – and then BOOM. My life was changed. I learned to express myself, stage manage, design lights, coil wires, dance in an ensemble, talk on stage, and then finally WRITE. As a theatre arts major in college, all of these skills were reinforced and I realized that these skills would take me where I want to go. Theatre education has done so much for me and I know it can do so much for the world.

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH EDUCATION is our theme for Week One of #LoveEquals and I want to highlight the amazing work of ✨ Teatro Catalina ✨, an org based in Nicaragua. Rooted in the small village of Villa Catalina, Teatro Catalina believes that “theatre creates space for dreams and dreams creates hope for the future”.

I wholeheartedly believe that every child NEEDS some form of arts education and Teatro Catalina is that resource for the kids in Villa Catalina. They use theatre to build confidence, creative thinking, and problem- solving skills in the youth, skills they wouldn’t be exposed to without Teatro Catalina. The activities and large-scale productions also unleash SO MUCH creativity, self expression, and FUN! All of the theatrical games and shows teach the kids that they can dream bigger than their village and go on to become successful college graduates, professionals, and artists.

RIGHT NOW, Teatro Catalina is fundraising #10Kfor10K while they also train for a 10K race! The $10,000 will go towards becoming their own non-profit organization – creating more ways for them to spread theatre to the young people. Today, I am donating to Teatro Catalina because I know the power of theatre and I also know the power of people. It takes so much time, energy, and THOUGHT to run arts programming and I know Katie Fitzgerald and the rest of the team are the perfect people to get it all done. 💓

P.S. I’ll be sharing a little bit more from Teatro Catalina, so stay tuned! 🤗

To learn more about Teatro Catalina:
✨ Visit their website – https://www.teatrocatalina.org/
⭐ Donate to their fundraiser – https://www.generosity.com/e…/somos-sonadores-10k-for-10k–2
🌟 Check out their merch – https://shop.spreadshirt.com/TeatroCatalina/?noCache=true