Theatre Arts For All

Making the Arts Accessible 

The Tennessee Theatre’s Theatre Arts for All program (then called Youth Arts Alliance) was founded in 2007 by the Tennessee Theatre, Knox County Schools and corporate partner Quantum Environmental & Engineering Services, LLC (QE2) with the hope that if students and community members can attend world-class performances in one of the most well-known theaters in the region, they would leave the experience enriched and inspired. 

Goals for Theatre Arts for All (TAFA) include:

• Engage under-supported youth and community members in the performing arts
• Encourage arts education
• Expose our community to a range of arts influences and career paths in the performing arts
• Provide tickets to world-class performances, free of cost
• Introduce youth to the Tennessee Theatre and downtown Knoxville

Since its first year, TAFA has provided over 10,000 tickets to students in the area. This program has also allowed the Tennessee Theatre to sponsor a student matinee performance of a touring production which served over 1,500 students across 14 schools. In the coming years, we hope to expand the reach of the program to encompass more school and community groups to share what Knoxville’s Grand Entertainment Palace has to offer, including new opportunities through the Broadway Bridges On the Road program.

TAFA relies on grant money and generous donations from individuals and businesses in the community to provide arts enrichment. This project is being supported, in part, by federal award number SLFRP5534 awarded to the State of Tennessee by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as well as generous support from the Thompson Charitable Foundation, Tennessee Arts Commission, and individual donors.

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