Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit
Encyclopedia
Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit is a youth development 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
in Detroit, Michigan
with a mission is to empower young people to maximize their potential through professional performing arts training and the creation of first-rate theatrical and musical art.
. Founded by Rick Sperling, Mosaic specializes in artistic studies for young actors, singers, and stage technicians. Mosaic's national and international touring performances also work to bring recognition to Detroit as a center for arts and culture and promote a positive image of metro Detroit
area youth.
Over 95% of Mosaic alumni have been accepted at the college or university level despite being disproportionately low income and/or minority; this acceptance rate is significantly higher than the national average for youth of comparable backgrounds. The Mosaic Model is built on the goal of providing positive opportunities for positive youth development
through performance art
s training.
Metro Detroit’s newest holiday tradition returns to the Detroit Institute of Arts! Filled with whimsical holiday stories innovatively staged, joyous songs from the Mosaic Singers and special guests and surprises, Woodward Wonderland: A Detroit Holiday Celebration kicks off the holiday season...Detroit-style.
The joint will be jumpin’ as the Mosaic Singers take us to the heart of 1930’s Harlem – The Cotton Club
. The performance will feature jazz standard
s made famous by the greatest entertainers of the era, Ella Fitzgerald
, Louis Armstrong
, Billie Holiday
and Nat King Cole
. With a live jazz combo and swinging dance moves, The Mosaic Singers will work their magic in a performance guaranteed to get audiences on their feet.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
with a mission is to empower young people to maximize their potential through professional performing arts training and the creation of first-rate theatrical and musical art.
History
Since its foundation in 1992, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit has worked to alleviate gaps in arts educationArt education
Art education is the area of learning that is based upon the visual, tangible arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practical fields such as commercial graphics and home furnishings...
. Founded by Rick Sperling, Mosaic specializes in artistic studies for young actors, singers, and stage technicians. Mosaic's national and international touring performances also work to bring recognition to Detroit as a center for arts and culture and promote a positive image of metro Detroit
Metro Detroit
The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is the metropolitan area located in Southeast Michigan centered on the city of Detroit which shares an international border with Windsor, Ontario. The Detroit metropolitan area is the second largest U.S. metropolitan area...
area youth.
Over 95% of Mosaic alumni have been accepted at the college or university level despite being disproportionately low income and/or minority; this acceptance rate is significantly higher than the national average for youth of comparable backgrounds. The Mosaic Model is built on the goal of providing positive opportunities for positive youth development
Positive youth development
Positive youth development, or PYD, refers to intentional efforts of other youth, adults, communities, government agencies, and schools to provide opportunities for youth to enhance their interests, skills, and abilities into their adulthoods...
through performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
s training.
Performance Season 2009-2010
Mosaic has 4 shows scheduled for 2009. Tickets are available by phone or online through the Mosaic Box Office website.Woodward Wonderland: A Detroit Holiday Celebration
Detroit Film Theatre
… a nostalgic theatrical journey to magical Motor City destinations."
-Michigan Chronicle
Metro Detroit’s newest holiday tradition returns to the Detroit Institute of Arts! Filled with whimsical holiday stories innovatively staged, joyous songs from the Mosaic Singers and special guests and surprises, Woodward Wonderland: A Detroit Holiday Celebration kicks off the holiday season...Detroit-style.
Singsation! Mosaic Singers in Concert
Detroit Film Theatre
"They can sing, they can dance, and they know just how to bring down the house.” - NBC Today Show
The joint will be jumpin’ as the Mosaic Singers take us to the heart of 1930’s Harlem – The Cotton Club
Cotton Club
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem, New York City that operated during Prohibition that included jazz music. While the club featured many of the greatest African American entertainers of the era, such as Fletcher Henderson, Duke Ellington, Adelaide Hall, Count Basie, Bessie Smith,...
. The performance will feature jazz standard
Jazz standard
Jazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
s made famous by the greatest entertainers of the era, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
, Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
and Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
. With a live jazz combo and swinging dance moves, The Mosaic Singers will work their magic in a performance guaranteed to get audiences on their feet.
Awards & Accolades
Since its inception Mosaic has been a pillar of success, gaining attention both nationally and internationally.| 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
| Mosaic receives $100,000 grant award from the Erb Family Foundation, one of the first grants made to arts and cultural organizations by the foundation | Mosaic is one of two organizations to receive Bank of America Bank of America Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina... ’s first-ever Neighborhood Builders award in the Detroit market. A part of the company’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative, organizations selected as Neighborhood Builders receive $200,000 in unrestricted operating support over two years. |
With the expansion of the Education Department, Mosaic training programs reach over 1,000 young artists in FY07 | Named Crain's Detroit Business' 2007 Best-Managed Nonprofit | The Youth Sports and Recreation Commission's Leonard Smith Award for Organizational Excellence | National Conference for Community and Justice National Conference for Community and Justice The National Conference for Community and Justice is a national, human relations, non-profit organization in the United States. Its mission is to fight bias, bigotry, and racism and promote understanding and respect through advocacy, conflict resolution, and education.The NCCJ was founded in 1927... 's William Beckham Community Service Award for The Children of Abraham Project |
Officers
| Chair | Treasurer | Secretary | Immediate Past Chair | |
| Kevin A. Smith | Melanie A. Duquesnel | Candy Collins-Adams | Robert G. Riney |
Board Members
| Name | Matthew P. Cullen | Maha Freij | Sven Gierlinger | Linda H. Gillum, Ph.D., | Diane Borgus Green, M.A., N.C.C., | Timothy P. Higgins | Dr. Deirdre Holloway Waterman | Douglas Maibach | Reuben A. Munday | Deborah M. Pfliegel | Lynn M. Quigley | Kathy Stinehour | Dr. Geneva J. Williams |
| Company | Rock Enterprises | ACCESS | Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital | Senior Research Fellow Research | Henry Ford Community College | Comerica Bank | Halloway Eyecare P.C. | Barton Malow Company | Lewis & Munday | GMAC Insurance | Ford Motor Company Fund | Radio One Detroit | City Connect Detroit |
Staff
| Name | Rick Sperling | Annette Madias | DeLashea Middleton | Megan Miller | Courtney Burkett | Samuel Pollack | Anna Serra | Tara Adams | Scot Cleaveland | Ariel Jones | Sealoyd Jones III | Tiffani Langford | Nicole LaVallee | T.Renee Mott-Smith | Ayanna Smith |
| Position | Founder & CEO | Associate Marketing and Development Director | Co-Artistic Director/Director of Music Programs | Education Director | Co-Artistic Director/Director of Acting Programs | Managing Director | Director of Marketing and Development | Executive Administrative Assistant | Production Manager | Programs Administrator | Youth Support Director | Development Manager | Sales Manager | Volunteer Coordinator | Business Manager |