52nd Street Project

Founded by writer/actor Willie Reale in 1981, the 52nd Street Project is a New York-based, non-profit organization that enables lower-income children from Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood to write, direct, and act in one-act plays.

The program begins with an eight-week playwrighting course, followed by weekend retreats outside of New York City. Off-Broadway theaters donate space for the performances, which sometimes involve prominent adults from the world of theater and film as participants. Frances McDormand is the group's chairwoman of the board, and others contributing their time include Edie Falco, Spalding Gray, Angela Bassett, Francis Ford Coppola, Wendy Wasserstein, and Kathy Bates.

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