WAM Theatre Offering Free Child Care for Upcoming Play
LENOX, Mass. — WAM Theatre, an activist theatre company centering gender equity and located in central Berkshire County, has announced two child care options, at no added cost for parents/caregivers, for their upcoming mainstage production of Cadillac Crew.
Cadillac Crew is a new play by Tori Sampson performed Thursday to Sunday on Oct. 13 to 29 at Shakespeare & Company’s Tina Packer Playhouse in Lenox, MA. WAM has spent the last three seasons trying to improve accessibility for all audiences (other initiatives include sliding-scale ticketing, virtual programs, and efforts to make their website and print materials more readily accessible to all), and is excited to deepen access through this new innovation for families, caregivers, and parents.
"In line with WAM’s mission, we are thrilled to offer childcare for parents and caregivers," said Managing Director Molly Merrihew. "As a new parent, I know too well the juggling act of making time for ourselves and our children. This year, WAM is excited to remove another barrier to our audiences–-childcare costs--as well as the emotional labor around organizing care. WAM continues to strive to make our performance accessible to all, and accessible childcare is part of that work. We are grateful to partner with Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to make it possible."
On-site care will be available for children ages 5 to 12 at Shakespeare & Company during the matinee performance on Sunday, October 23. WAM’s on-site care will include theatre games and crafts facilitated by WAM Teaching Artists. WAM can accommodate up to 15 children.
Additionally, WAM will offer home babysitting care subsidies for any Cadillac Crew Performance. These special stipends are intended for parents/guardians of younger children (ages birth-5), and WAM will reimburse 15 households up to $75 to cover their caregiving costs.
For more information and to apply for the free child care opportunity, those interested can visit the WAM website and fill out an online application.
"WAM Theatre’s free on-site child care directly addresses a known barrier for those who wish to attend arts and culture events but may not because of cost," said Emily Bronson, senior community engagement Officer at Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. "Combined with compelling and relevant content, this service is a powerful example of new approaches to Community Engagement that we are pleased to fund through our Arts Build Community initiative."
The play opens with four female activists working in a Virginia civil rights office on the day of a much-anticipated speech by Rosa Parks. From the Civil Rights Movement to the present day, Cadillac Crew illuminates forgotten leaders who blazed the trail for desegregation and women’s rights.
For those utilizing on-site child care, WAM's Teaching Artists are planning a slate of activities from theatre games to craft activities to accommodate children with a variety of needs and emotions.
"There will be four of us in a large, airy rehearsal studio," stated lead Teaching Artist and WAM’s Associate Artistic Director Talya Kingston. "So the children will get individual attention in addition to participating in group activities."
WAM has been preparing for this new venture through consultation with Broadway Babysitters and PAAL (Parent Artist Advocacy League), who have been sharing best practices from the childcare that they run in New York. WAM’s initiative is among the first to offer Berkshire County theatre audiences access to free childcare for performances.
In addition to offering child care, WAM is proud to offer equitable seating for all and encourages patrons to select the ticket price that best fits their needs. Tickets range from $25-$100 for live performances and $15-$75 for digital performances. WAM invites audience members to choose from one of the suggested price levels.
WAM also offers discounted tickets for EBT card holders and a group ticket rate (for groups of ten or more). More information about these programs and discounts can be found here.
In 2022 WAM has increased the dedicated funds for reimbursing artists and staff for some of their child and elder care expenses. Working together with organizations like the Parents Artist Advocacy League (PAAL) WAM is proud to be able to keep growing this modest budget line.
"PAAL's mission is to elevate the standard of care for all parents and caregivers in the performing arts," said Rachel Spencer Hewitt, PAAL leadership, "and we're proud to support organizations like WAM theatre that not only break ground in the work produced on stage but also in how the work is executed off stage, intentionally creating support for the parents and caregivers on their teams and in their companies as an integral component of gender parity, anti-racism, inclusion and authentic activism. For the arts, specifically, the activism exhibited in WAM's caregiver initiative will directly impact artists' ability to remain creative contributors and sustain lives that continue to generate the work that impacts us all."
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