Download Art Space Charter School, Swannanoa, NC Reference

2030 US 70 Highway
Swannanoa, NC 28778
Ph: (828)298-ARTS
Fax: (828)298-6221
April 17, 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
This letter is to recommend Bright Star Touring Theatre for engagement with your programs. I have
been working with Bright Star in a professional capacity since 2004 and I am happy to say that I have never been
disappointed with the content or quality of their work. Bright Star is a great company, a conscientious employer,
and a great benefit to our local community and the arts education landscape.
I first came to work with Bright Star as an actor in a staged reading that the company produced at North
Carolina Stage Company in 2004. At that point, the company was still very young with just a couple of shows
touring regionally. However, even then, the company’s Director, David Ostergaard, had a vision to create a
company that toured nationally with dozens of annual shows.
Fast forward to 2009. At that point, our positions had changed. I was now the lead theatre teacher at a
local arts-focused charter school and David had written many more shows and was looking for places to try them
out. I offered my school as a “guinea pig” somewhat expecting there to be difficulty with the new shows. I must
say I was more than pleasantly surprised!
Bright Star’s actors were talented, professional and impeccably prepared. They showed up on time,
were respectful of our students, our school culture, and very courteous. The shows they performed, even as
previews, were vibrant, content-rich, and wholly applicable to our curricula. These shows crossed cultures for
our students and enriched their understanding in the arts and in non-arts areas like social studies, history and
English language.
Since then, I have never refused the opportunity to host a Bright Star show at our school. Through
Bright Star, our students have learned the story of African American luminaries like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
and George Washington Carver, become familiar with the American History through the “Jacks Adventures”
series, and been dazzled by the impressive sets, costumes, and talents of the actors.
Please consider this letter to be a full-throated endorsement for the work of Bright Start Touring Theatre.
They will be an excellent addition to or centerpiece of any arts programming and will soon be a favorite of the
children, teachers and administrators that you serve.
Sincerely,
Joshua Batenhorst
Enterprise & Development Mgr.
1| ArtSpace Charter School