Your Support Made 2025 Extraordinary
Barrio Stars celebrating after their Out Loud performance—marking a moment of pride, growth, and collective achievement.
Dear friends,
This year, something extraordinary happened in our classrooms, rehearsal rooms, and community spaces across Tucson. More than 110 young artists stepped onto a stage—some for the very first time—and discovered that their voices could move a room.
Every single one of those students received a full scholarship to participate.
Our Spring, Summer, and Fall camps were filled to capacity, and everyone—from our teaching artists to our Barrio Stars—gave their absolute best. It showed in every performance.
Barrio Stars at Wakefield Middle School, where students—many experiencing theatre for the first time—build confidence and community through play, storytelling, and collaboration.
Barrio Stars Residencies
During her residency with Pueblo High School’s theatre class, our Education Coordinator introduced 31 students to Latinx plays that opened windows far beyond their hometown.
Through culturally relevant characters created by emerging voices and nationally recognized playwrights, students embodied stories that expanded their understanding of the world. Drawing from their own life experiences, they recognized themselves in the characters they portrayed—and challenged themselves to step outside their comfort zones.
At Wakefield Middle School, our Teaching Artist worked with 14 girls, most experiencing theatre for the first time. Through games, language, and practice, they built not only performance skills, but a strong sense of community. Students supported one another more deeply—and for one student in particular, the space allowed her to speak freely, be herself, and form new friendships.
The semester culminated in an end-of-semester showcase featuring original sketches written, directed, and performed by the students themselves.
A moment from Lotería, performed this year on a professional stage at Live Theatre Workshop.
From Scrap Wood to the Mainstage
Lotería didn’t begin on a big stage.
It began with belief.
The first time we mounted Lotería, it was on a stage built from plywood—and faith—at El Pueblo Center. This year, it was performed on a professional stage at Live Theatre Workshop, with a Barrio Stars student in the cast.
Seeing our youth shine under stage lights, knowing where we started, was humbling beyond words.
In one unforgettable moment, La Sirena asked the audience to sing—dividing the theatre into sections, each holding a note. Voices layered into harmony. People smiled and looked around, realizing that each person brings what they carry, and together, community becomes harmony.
A moment from No Place Like Home
Helping to Make Neighborhoods Safer
In the first half of 2025, we partnered with the City of Tucson’s Violence Interruption and Vitalization Action (VIVA) program.
Using storytelling and theatre, we transformed a basketball court into an outdoor stage—sharing a play created from residents’ intimate stories of survival and resilience. Through this process, participants connected and recognized their shared humanity.
As a result of the efforts of VIVA and its partners, VIVA sites experienced a 30% reduction in gun violence reports—a powerful testament to what happens when community voices are heard.
Why We Need You Now
We have an end-of-year goal—and thanks to Giving Tuesday, we’ve begun the climb. We are deeply grateful for every gift received so far. Every dollar matters. Now, we’re asking for a final push so we can enter 2026 strong.
Your end-of-year gift will:
- Fund scholarships so every child can continue to participate for free
- Support teaching artists who nurture courage and creativity
- Develop new plays rooted in borderlands history and imagination
- Sustain youth leadership, literacy-based theatre, and community residencies
Donations made before December 31 are tax-deductible.
You are not giving to just another program.
You are giving a young artist a stage.
A voice.
A future.
Thank you for believing in the power of art and the brilliance of our community. Thank you for helping us build stages out of scrap wood—and dreams out of possibility.
We ask you to stand with us now as we prepare for another year of storytelling, growth, and community magic.
Let’s finish this year strong—together.