The Viola Project

Dear Viola Project friends and family,

We are writing to share the news of some upcoming changes at TVP.

We have recently been informed that City Lit Theater, our parent organization since a 2018 merger, will be terminating TVP leadership’s contracts once current programs end in November. We fervently hope that City Lit will continue to run The Viola Project with the same values we hold dear. However, if things do change, we know that the heart of TVP will live on in other ways.

TVP is what it is because of YOU, our Viola Project family. With your support, we have created a space where girls and gender nonconforming youth can express themselves through Shakespeare and discover who they are. We have reached students in Chicagoland as far north as the Northshore suburbs, as far west as Oak Park, and as far south as E 114th Street. Since introducing virtual programming during COVID, we have expanded our TVP family to include students from 24 states plus DC.

In our entire history of offering camps & programs, we have never turned a single family away due to finances. This is due to the generosity of each and every donor and foundation who has contributed to our scholarship efforts. During the pandemic we implemented virtual programming, and we saw an increase of scholarship usage after the vaccine rollout. From summer 2021 to the present, 71% of tuition dollars came from our scholarship fund. 86% of our registrations used a scholarship (partial or full). This is something we are immensely proud of. We found a core group of students who needed us, and wouldn’t have had access to this kind of program based on geography, finances, or both.

To our entire TVP family of students, caregivers, schools, supporters, teaching artists, cheerleaders, past and present, we say this: thanks, thanks, and ever thanks for your ongoing support of The Viola Project. Thank you for your belief in the importance of a space like TVP. And thank you for helping us show our students that no matter what they do or where they go, they can Just Be. There is no question.

Love,
The Viola Project

One of our favorite bookstores, and one of our favorite people!! We can’t wait to get our hands on Skyler Schrempp’s book, Three Strike Summer. Pickup your copy at a local bookstore today.

Congratulations Skyler!!!

Have you ever wanted to rock a TVP t-shirt like the one pictured here? Now's your chance! The first six students to register for our fall class, Witches Do Inhabit Here, will receive a FREE VINTAGE TVP T-SHIRT! Mailed to you anywhere in the United States!
Register now at violaproject.org/programs
Scholarships are available!

Something WITCHY this way comes...
TVP is so excited to announce our fall Saturday virtual class, Witches Do Inhabit Here, a weekly Zoom class for ages 8-12! From Joan of Arc to Prospero, some of Shakespeare's most famous characters were conjurors. Dive into Shakespeare's spookiest stories this Halloween and learn why King James I, Shakespeare, and Queen Elizabeth I were so fascinated by sorcery, spirits, and astrology.
REGISTER NOW at violaproject.org/programs!
Scholarships are available!

Shakespeare, Shakesq***r starts TOMORROW! We're so excited to welcome our campers to the City Lit Theater space in Edgewater for a week of ! Interested in joining us? It's not too late! Last minute registration is open at violaproject.org/summercamp!
Scholarships are still available!

Last year's most popular camp is back for an encore! In Shakespeare's time, q***r meant "strange," "odd," "peculiar," or "eccentric." Today, the word has been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community to encompass and empower a multitude of identities. Join us for this week-long camp as we "q***r the narrative" of Shakespeare's plays and explore the intersectional identities of his characters.
Register now at violaproject.org/summercamp!
Scholarships are available!

FINAL CALL! TVP's last week of summer camp starts in just ONE WEEK! If you've been thinking about registering for either Shakespeare, Shakesq***r (In Person) or I Am the Man (Virtual), now is the time! Find out more and register now at violaproject.org/summercamp!
Scholarships are available!

DID YOU KNOW? We are just over a week away from a week of ? Register now for SHAKESPEARE, SHAKESQUEER (In-Person) or I AM THE MAN (Virtual)! Time is running out, and you do not want to miss it! Find out more at violaproject.org/summercamp.
Scholarships are available!

Check out this sneak peek at all of the fun that will be had at camp beginning on Aug. 8th! At SHAKESPEARE, SHAKESQUEER, we'll be viewing Shakespeare's plays and characters through a q***r lens while also participating in activities like our beach and ice cream day! At I AM THE MAN, we'll be crafting our own performance piece over Zoom, complete with out-of-this-world backgrounds! You do not want to miss out!
REGISTER NOW at violaproject.org/summercamp!
Scholarships are available!

Last year's most popular camp makes an IN-PERSON return! SHAKESPEARE, SHAKESQUEER is back at City Lit Theater in the Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago! Register now at violaproject.org/summercamp!
Scholarships are available!