Our mission is to help young Hawaii rehearse for life by mastering performance skills needed to win jobs, justice, and joy.

 

ADE is a non-profit organization managed by the original founders and directed by a working board of teachers, administrators, parents, business leaders and alumni. Our professional artist-educators partner with K-12 schools throughout Hawai'i to stimulate, develop and refine youngsters' cognitive and creative skills by using drama education to achieve DOE standards. Through the use of discussions, demonstrations, and theatre exercises, ADE teaches drama appreciation, respect for self and others, focus, teamwork, and life skills.

Our flagship programs are:

  • T-Shirt Theater, a Kalihi based performance group with students from Farrington High School and Kalakaua and Dole Middle Schools.
     
  • School Residencies, a program that brings artist-educators into K-12 classrooms to create a safe environment where children can take expressive chances to improve oral communication skills while promoting successful teaming.

We are a not-for-profit C-3 [501c3] organization with over 2,000 past and present contributing members. Our supporters insure further funding, qualifying ADE to earn corporate matching gifts and demonstrating to decision-makers that voters believe drama and education belong together. We are resolved to delight our stake-holders by consistently operating in a cost-competent manner that leverages precious resources.

Our Values:

  1. We reveal what we feel, believe and think through self-expression, with compassion shaping our words and actions.
     
  2. We use effective communication as a tool to articulate our organizational mission. We teach communication skills that help young learners develop poise, creative thinking and self-confidence.
     
  3. We use teamwork to harmonize our differences and act as one.
     
  4. We show kindness and respect in all our relationships, moving beyond ourselves to look through the eyes of fellow human beings.
     
  5. Our resiliency mandates that should we fall down seven times, we will get up eight.
     
  6. We focus our energy and imagination into one point of concentration, directing all of our efforts to the achievement of our goals.