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Santa Barbara, CA — Founded by high school students in 2020, Tomato Theatre Company is dedicated to providing affordable theatre education to youth in the Santa Barbara community. The nonprofit runs year-round programs for children of all ages and provides valuable volunteer experience for teens, and their community impact continues to grow. Each year, they provide two completely free Summer Camp programs. During the camps, children in grades K-6 learn an original musical by local high school students over the course of one week, and the campers perform the full show on the final day. This year, the camp hit capacity quickly, with each available spot filling up within one hour of the sign-ups opening. To accommodate this demand, capacity for the camp was increased, and so the organization is seeking to raise as much funding as possible to provide the highest quality experience for its young participants.
As part of this outreach, on Sunday, April 25th, Tomato Theatre Co. will be holding a fundraiser at Trinity Episcopal Church (1500 State St.) to support their mission. “Our annual fundraiser helps us cover the costs of custodial fees, the original set pieces, and costumes, allowing us to make the summer camps completely free for all students,” says Malachi Cottrell, Tomato Theatre Board member and junior at Dos Pueblos High School. “By reaching out to our community, we provide local youth with programs that teach important emotional skills and support creativity in a supportive, inclusive environment,” says Tara Jones, fellow Board member and volunteer.
The fundraiser is a free-admission event that will include performances from both the youth who participate in the program and the teens who run it. Attendees can also look forward to a silent auction, refreshments, games, and plenty of donation opportunities. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., with performances beginning at 5 p.m.
The young performers from the program cannot wait to show off their talents at the event. “Theatre makes me feel very good because I can be heard and I can express myself in front of an audience and even though I’m scared at first I can get through it,” comments Lala, a fifth-grade Tomato performer. “I am excited for the fundraiser performance because it can teach others that don’t know much about Tomato Theatre Company. There’s a lot of kids that join this program and it teaches them how to persevere and grow and have more experience in theatre,” adds Alexandre, fellow fifth grader and Tomato student.
The hard work put in by the teen counselors and young participants alike will be on full display at the fundraiser. All members of the community are invited and encouraged to attend, so come to Trinity Church on April 25th to support and join in the magic of theatre and community for all ages!
