| Arthur Miller Foundation Honors 10th Anniversary of Theater Education Programs | |
| Posted by: Official_Press_Release 11:27 am EDT 08/23/24 | |
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| ARTHUR MILLER FOUNDATION HONORS 10th ANNIVERSARY OF THEATER EDUCATION PROGRAMS HONORING 16-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER ALICIA KEYS TONY NOMINEE & PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST KRISTOFFER DIAZ MUSICIAN & ARTS EDUCATOR LINDA AZIZA MILLER SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27 AT BROADWAY'S SHUBERT THEATRE (New York, NY) – The ARTHUR MILLER FOUNDATION (AMF) is pleased to announce that the annual Arthur Miller Foundation Honors will be held on Sunday, October 27, 2024 at Broadway's Shubert Theatre. This year's gala event will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Arthur Miller Foundation Theater Education Programs in partnership with NYC Public Schools while raising crucial program funds. The benefit will pay tribute to the power of theater education by honoring artists, educators, and advocates who have made significant contributions to the arts and arts education. This year's honorees include 16-time Grammy Award winner ALICIA KEYS, Tony nominated playwright and Pulitzer Prize finalist KRISTOFFER DIAZ, alongside musician and Keys' former educator LINDA AZIZA MILLER. AMF patrons are invited to attend the 3:00 PM matinee performance of HELL'S KITCHEN, followed by an awards ceremony on-stage at the Shubert Theatre, and a musical number showcasing NYC public school students as a tribute to Keys and the organization's 10th anniversary milestone. Tickets and sponsorship packages will soon be available at https://arthurmillerfoundation.org/amfhonors/. The Arthur Miller Foundation (AMF) is an independent, grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, created to honor the legacy of Arthur Miller and his New York City public school education by increasing equitable access to quality theater education for public school students. AMF Theater Education Programs provide theater teachers with certification, training, and critical resources to build and sustain quality in-school theater programs impacting over 60,000 public school students in all 5 boroughs of NYC and in Bridgeport and Norwalk Public Schools in Connecticut. The Arthur Miller Foundation Honors celebrates the power of public school theater education and is produced by AMF Executive Director Jaime Hastings. Alicia Keys will receive the AMF Arts & Culture Award, as a former NYC public school student who has remained committed throughout her career to creating opportunities for young artists and puts access to education at the forefront of much of her philanthropic work. AMF will honor Kristoffer Diaz, also an alumnus of NYC Public Schools, with the AMF Legacy Award, for carving a meaningful impact in the American theater. Former Professional Performing Arts High School educator Linda Aziza Miller will receive the AMF Excellence in Arts Education Award for her dedication to public school students and access to quality, comprehensive arts instruction. ALICIA KEYS is a 16-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer, founder of Keys Soulcare, New York Times best-selling author, film/television and Broadway producer, accomplished actress, entrepreneur, and a powerful force in the world of activism. She is one of the original founders of She Is The Music, an initiative to create change for women and build an equal future for music. Since the release of her monumental 2001 debut album, SONGS IN A MINOR, Keys has sold over 65 million records, over 5 billion streams and built an unparalleled repertoire of hits and accomplishments. Alicia has become the #1 RIAA certified Female R&B artist of the millennium with over 37 million certified track sales (US) and 20 Million Album Sales (US). She released her eighth studio album, KEYS (Original and Unlocked) - a double album - in 2021 followed by a Deluxe version in 2022 and a sold out ALICIA + KEYS World Tour that celebrated the KEYS and ALICIA albums. Alicia released her book, "More Myself: A Journey" via Flatiron Books which debuted and spent multiple weeks on The New York Times Bestseller List. In March 2022, she released her first graphic novel titled, "Girl On Fire" with HarperCollins. Keys released her first-ever holiday album SANTA BABY in November 2022 which includes 4 original songs including the single "December Back 2 June." In 2023 Keys completed a spectacular, 360 degree show, the KEYS TO THE SUMMER TOUR, which hit 22 cities across North America. HELL'S KITCHEN, the 13-time Tony Award-nominated original stage musical Keys diligently worked for 13 years to create opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theater on April 20, 2024. KRISTOFFER DIAZ is a playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and educator. His play The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. Other full-length titles include Welcome to Arroyo's, Reggie Hoops, Things With Friends, Hercules, and The Unfortunates. His work has been produced, commissioned, and developed at The Public Theater, Dallas Theater Center, Geffen Playhouse, ACT, Center Theatre Group, The Goodman, Second Stage, Victory Gardens, and Oregon Shakespeare Festival, among many others. Awards include the Guggenheim, Jerome, Van Lier, NYFA, and Gail Merrifield Papp Fellowships; New York Times Outstanding Playwright Award; Lucille Lortel, Equity Jeff, and Obie Awards; and the Future Aesthetics Artist Regrant, among others. As a screenwriter, Diaz has developed original television pilots for HBO and FX, written for the first season of Netflix's "GLOW," and adapted the musical Rent for FOX. Diaz teaches playwriting at New York University. He is an alumnus of New Dramatists and a member of its Board of Directors, and the current secretary of the Dramatists Guild Council. LINDA AZIZA MILLER (formerly known as Linda Williams) grew up in NYC. Graduate of The High School of Music & Art and a graduate of The Manhattan School of Music with a Bachelor of Theory degree and master's degree in music education. Teaching music, both vocal and instrumental began in Brownsville, Brooklyn at the Esther Clarke Hunter JHS 263. During the weekends she would perform jazz & Latin jazz gigs in the tri-state area as a piano player. From 1975-1981 she was Natalie Cole's first female MD/Pianist/Conductor. Toured globally and collaborated on a Brazilian jazz song called "La Costa." Natalie penned the lyrics to her music. It was and remains a classic hit that has been covered by many well-known artists in the music industry. From about 2013-2015 Natalie Cole and Miss Aziza resumed several performances together up until 6 months before her passing. She signed a record deal with Arista records and Larkin Arnold in 1979. The album was entitled City Living. The song "Elevate Our minds" became a huge hit in the UK and has been sampled many times and was a featured song in Lena Waithe's hit series The Chi. Jazz legend Ahmad Jamal and Miss Aziza worked together on 4 of his recorded compositions. She penned the lyrics to "Whisperings" (OC Smith vocals), "Picture Perfect," "My Latin" (Miss Aziza's vocals), "It's Only a Flower." PPAS (Professional Performing Arts School) 1990-1997. She was hired by Sandi Cangialosi to create and develop a strong vocal music program. Thanks to her experiences on the road as Natalie Cole's MD, she was well equipped to make it happen. She taught vocal jazz, classical, blues, pop, R&B and some of her original compositions. She taught ear training, sight singing, solfeggio, theory, music notation, music history, songwriting, the art of performing, how conducting is done, how to teach a class, how to have confidence, the joy of collaboration, the roles of leadership and the power of faith. In Washington DC she got the Distinguished Teacher White House Commission on Presidential Scholars Award in 1997. Miss Aziza recounts that Alicia Keys was an exceptionally talented and motivated student in her performing arts vocal music program at PPAS for 3 years. She knew she was headed for stardom. Currently, upon Alicia's invitation, Miss Aziza is the featured pianist on stage with the band at the Shubert Theatre providing the "piano sounds" for Ali's piano teacher Miss Liza Jane in Hell's Kitchen on Broadway. ARTHUR MILLER FOUNDATION MISSION SUMMARY: The Arthur Miller Foundation (AMF) is an independent, grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, created to honor the legacy of Arthur Miller and his New York City public school education by increasing equitable access to quality theater education for public school students. AMF accomplishes this mission through the AMF Theater Education Programs. The AMF Fellows Program provides critical resources and support to certified full-time theater teachers in New York City Public Schools, Bridgeport Public Schools, and Norwalk Public Schools, helping them to build and sustain quality in-school theater programs. The AMF Scholars Program diversifies and expands the pipeline of public school theater teachers by offering 50% tuition scholarships for candidates to earn their M.S. Ed. degree and theater certification through The City College of New York Graduate Program in Educational Theatre. Through a decade of programmatic experience and collaboration with community stakeholders, AMF has learned that the best way to ensure access to theater education is through in-school instruction provided by a full-time, certified theater teacher that is included as an integral part of a comprehensive K-12 public school education. A recent study of AMF Theater Education Programs found that in-school theater education provides students with creative outlets and safe spaces that help protect them psychologically during times of heightened stress. Theater education is an antidote to isolation and fosters literacy, classroom attendance and engagement, self-awareness, and collaboration skills. Current AMF Fellows and Alumni Fellows constitute 50% of full-time theater teachers in New York City Public Schools, and over 90% of AMF Alumni Fellows have established sustainable theater programs in their schools. The Arthur Miller Foundation was founded by Trustees Rebecca Miller and Sandi Farkas. The organization is led by Executive Director Jaime Hastings. In the 2024-2025 school year, AMF supports 126 full-time theater teachers through the AMF Fellows Program, including 118 across all 5 boroughs of NYC and 8 in Bridgeport and Norwalk, Connecticut, impacting 63,000 students. The AMF Scholars Program supports 14 currently enrolled AMF Scholars and 32 graduated AMF Scholars teaching in public schools. For more information on the Arthur Miller Foundation, please visit: https://arthurmillerfoundation.org/ |
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