Ready, set, eat!

How much pizza can one YPT staff member eat in a month?

Let’s find out!

As YPT gets ready for the 2012 New Play Festival, we are excited to be participating in several fundraising events. Four generous local pizza restaurants will be hosting fundraisers for YPT throughout April, with a portion of proceeds from each event going to support the Festival.

Now I like pizza as much as the next person, but I wouldn’t consider it one of my major food groups. However, as a dedicated YPT staff member, I have courageously volunteered myself for the task of eating pizza at all four fundraising events. After all, it’s for a good cause.

So throughout April, follow my adventures as I eat pizza from Columbia Heights, to 14^th Street, to Dupont Circle, and chronicle my experiences on this blog. Who has the best pizza?  The most unusual toppings? Can we finally settle the age-old debate: regular vs. thin crust?  How many hours on the treadmill will I have to clock in May to work off all this pizza? (hah)

And if you’re feeling inspired, take on the challenge! Attend all our events and share your experiences. Snap a picture of yourself eating pizza at one of our events, share it on our Facebook page, and our fans will vote for their favorite with “likes”. The winner will receive a special prize at the New Play Festival.

So mark your calendars now and follow our giant pizza party throughout April as we celebrate the 2012 New Play Festival and raise money to support our amazing students.

The itinerary:

Tuesday, April 3, 11am-10pm: Pete’s New Haven Style Apizza
1400 Irving Street, NW (right next to the Columbia Heights metro)

On April 3, Pete’s will donate 25% of proceeds from YPT supporters for the entire day. Don’t forget to mention that you are there to support YPT!

Thursday, April 12, 5-9pm: Flippin’ Pizza
1745 Connecticut Avenue, NW (near the Dupont Circle Metro)

On April 12, Flippin’ Pizza will donate 50% of proceeds from YPT supporters from 5-9pm. Don’t forget to mention that you are there to support YPT!

Tuesday, April 17, 1-10pm: HomeMade Pizza Company
1522 14th Street, NW (a few blocks from the U Street Metro)

On April 17, HomeMade Pizza will donate a portion of all sales from pizza, salad, bread sticks and gift cards to YPT.

Wednesday, April 18, 5-8pm – RedRocks Pizzeria
1036 Park Road, NW (a few blocks from the Columbia Heights metro)

On April 18, RedRocks will donate 30% of their happy hour proceeds to YPT. This will be a fun, celebratory event and we hope to see many of you there! (Friends 21 and older, please)

The journey begins!

Alison
Development and Producing Associate

Calling All Designers: Innovate for YPT

YPT is excited to announce our first ever t-shirt design contest!

We are looking for designs that capture the idea of “Innovation through Arts Education.” The winning design will be announced on November 7, 2011.

Innovation through Arts Education, huh? So what does that mean? As President Barack Obama said in his 2011 State of the Union address, “To win the future, America needs to out-educate, out-innovate, and out-build the rest of the world.” At YPT, we know our students will not “win the future” by correctly answering multiple choice questions on standardized tests. We are committed to teaching our students to innovate, so they’re ready for the challenges of tomorrow, giving them the tools they need to think critically, solve problems creatively and share their ideas clearly with the rest of the world.

As YPT launches our first-ever online store, we are looking for a flagship t-shirt design that captures the message and the promise of “Innovation through Arts Education,” to spread the word about the importance of keeping the arts in the classroom.

Our Mission
Young Playwrights’ Theater teaches students to express themselves clearly and creatively through the art of playwriting.

Through interactive in-school and after-school programs, YPT activates student learning and inspires students to understand the power of language and realize their potential as both individuals and artists. By publicly presenting and discussing student-written work, YPT promotes community dialogue and respect for young artists.

How It Works

1. Create a beautiful design that captures YPT’s mission and commitment to Innovation through Arts Education!
2. Create a mockup of the t-shirt with your design.
3. Email lharbison@yptdc.org your design, along with this form, with the subject line “YPT T-Shirt Contest”. Submissions are due on Thursday, October 27.
4. The YPT staff will choose our three favorite designs and post the finalists on Facebook for a public vote based on number of “likes”!
5. The winning design will be sold in YPT’s CafePress store and worn by staff and supporters to promote our Innovation through Arts Education campaign. The winning designer will also receive a free t-shirt featuring his/her design, a feature interview article featuring his/her design work in an upcoming addition of The YPT Wire (reaching 3,000 readers), and front row seats and public recognition from the stage during YPT’s Express Tour Showcase on November 14, 2011.
6. Every t-shirt sold will raise $5 for YPT, and help spread the word about the importance of keeping the arts in the classroom.

Design Rules

• Your design must be sent as a vector graphic or actual size JPEG (minimum resolution 300 DPI).
• Designs should complement YPT’s existing branding and support our mission. YPT orange is #F8971D (RGB: 248, 151, 29; CMYK: 0, 48, 100, 0). YPT purple is #5D2070 (RGB: 93, 32, 112; CMYK: 63, 95, 0, 30).
• You may use YPT’s company logo and the Innovation through Arts Education logo within, or as inspiration for your design, but this is not a requirement.
• All designs should be for a white t-shirt. Designs should fit within a square on the chest of the shirt, and no part of the design can be on the sleeves, shoulders or stomach.
• YPT assumes all entries are the work and property of the entrant, with all rights granted therein.
• You can submit more than one design, but only one of your designs will be eligible for the final voting round.
• YPT Staff will choose three designs based on originality, effective visualization and communication of “Innovation through Arts Education” and completeness of design.

Have fun innovating!

Liza
Communications and Graphic Design Associate