Writer Lara Pi

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n addition to the more than 500 dances, dramas and musicals performed on the stages of the Herberger Theater, arts education is another gift the Herberger gives to the community. Each year, nearly 12,000 Valley youth between the ages of 3 and 19, including those in underprivileged and underserved areas, benefit from these programs. This month, the theater will raise money for its outreach programs through the eighth annual Herberger Theater Festival of the Arts.

The free event, which will take place November 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Herberger Theater Center, is a celebration of the Valley’s vibrant fine arts scene. There will be performances, dance, visual art, live music, children’s activities, pet adoptions, shopping, food, craft beer and wine tasting, and more.

The festival is an ideal opportunity to see talent from arts organizations throughout the Valley. Free performances by Arizona Opera, Ballet Arizona, the Phoenix Conservatory of Music, Indo American Cultural Connect, Yumi La Rosa Flamenco Dance Company, Aero Terra Arts and other Valley groups will be presented on four different stages.

Kiddos will have plenty to enjoy, including a children’s area with free activities offered by the Children’s Museum of Phoenix, Free Arts for Abused Children of Arizona, Phoenix Center for the Arts, and Miss Bookworm’s Corner by Usborne Books and More.

Art aficionados who love animals will love the pet adoption center, where four-legged friends from Arizona Beagle Rescue, the Arizona Humane Society and Rescue a Golden of Arizona will hopefully find loving homes.

Proceeds from Herberger Theater Festival of the Arts will benefit programs that provide Arizona children with opportunities to excel, learn and heal through the arts. Those programs include Multicultural Theater Camp, Arizona Young Artists’ Competition, a children’s art exhibit and Wolf Trap which, in collaboration with Center Dance Ensemble, brings professional artists into preschool and Head Start classrooms for a seven-week residency. Drama, music and movement are used to encourage participation and self-esteem in the early stages of learning.

Established in 1989, the Herberger Theater hosts a diverse range of dramatic, dance and musical performances and is home to local theater and dance companies like Center Dance Ensemble, Arizona Theater Company and iTheatre Collaborative.

Over the last 27 years, 4.2 million people have attended the theater’s more than 11,000 performances. The center is also home to two art galleries that feature the work of artists through the state, as well as a plaza that hosts and arts events like this month’s festival.

herbergertheater.org