Dear Prologue artists, teachers, parents and arts lovers,

Welcome back to what we anticipate will be a wonderful school year. As Prologue is now in its 49th year I find myself, more than usual, thinking about the impact of the arts for young people. 

It has become more important than ever to articulate the value of arts in the lives of children and this was my motivation, back in the spring, in asking Andre Prefontaine (All-Star Slam) to write the poem, that is included here for our annual showcase/festival event. 

What are we fighting for? can reference many things (okay, my initial thought was Woodstock not Winston Churchill – you’ll only get this if you are of my generation!) but it really is a question about what we value and what matters. 

I, and all of us I believe, would fight to ensure that children have equal access to creative, joyful, meaningful experiences… the kind of experiences that artists provide every time they perform or that you demonstrate when you buy shows and workshops for your school, or the ways we all share our love for the arts. 

Thank you to the artists for what you offer all of us and… keep fighting, singing, playing, poetry slamming, dancing, acting, telling stories…

Warmest regards,

Patty Jarvis
Prologue’s Executive Director