Support Black Theatre’s GroundED, a year-round educational arts program, creates career pathways in the creative industries for Los Angeles youth. GroundED prepares young people to enter the workforce with skills, confidence, and connections—paving the way for future artists, technicians, producers, and cultural leaders. GroundED offerings include the Legacy Rising Monologue Competition, Courage Through Creation Workshops, Teaching Artists Professional Development, Cultural Field Trips, Post-Secondary Learning Communities, and In-School Residencies.
Our Approach
GroundED is more than an arts program—it’s a comprehensive community- and career-building wellness ecosystem. Through collaborative partnerships with South L.A. high schools, youth-serving nonprofits, and local universities, we serve students in secondary grades 9-12, and also support young adults in college and entering technical careers.
We believe that sustainable career development in the arts begins with a deep investment in the whole person—from first spark to full launch. GroundED is structured around four key pillars that guide every element of our programming: Engage, Expose, Educate, and Employ. Together, these pillars create a holistic and culturally responsive pathway toward professional and personal growth and long-term wellness.
Engage
We meet students where they are—culturally, emotionally, and developmentally. Through culturally relevant curriculum, we spark curiosity and build trust, inviting students to explore their creativity, affirm their identities, and connect with a vibrant lineage of Black artistic expression. Young people are navigating identity, relationships, and increasing responsibilities, all while their brains are still developing. As a core strategy of this work, GroundED provides peer mentorship and culturally grounded mental health resources that impact long-term outcomes in well-being.
Expose
We open doors—both literally and figuratively—by providing students with comprehensive access to the professional world of arts and entertainment. From backstage tours to studio visits, GroundED brings young artists face-to-face with culturally-aligned working artists, designers, technicians, and producers. These moments expand their sense of possibility and plant seeds for long-term career goals.
Educate
We equip young people with the technical, creative, and professional tools they need to thrive. Our arts curriculum covers performance, design, and production, while emphasizing collaboration, critical thinking, and cultural storytelling. Our advocacy and movement-building activities offer young people opportunities to experience political agency. Whether through monologue competitions or hands-on training, GroundED participants gain the skills to tell their stories powerfully and professionally.
Employ
We launch students into real-world opportunities—internships, apprenticeships, and paid placements that align with their interests and ambitions. Our young adult Student Ambassadors are experienced participants in GroundED young adult programs hired to mentor youth participants in the monologue competition. For those pursuing college or conservatory programs, we offer guidance through every step: applications, auditions, references, and networking. GroundED helps students build relationships, reputations, and résumés.
Student Health & Wellness
At the heart of GroundED is a commitment to the holistic well-being of young people. Through intentional practices that center healing, identity, agency, and self-expression, GroundED provides a nurturing environment where students are cared for, valued, and supported. Our programming integrates mental health resources, wellness check-ins, and restorative community spaces to help students build resilience, develop emotional intelligence, gain ownership in the community ecosystem, and thrive artistically and personally.
Legacy Rising Monologue Competition
For the past two years, Support Black Theatre has proudly served as the Los Angeles home for the national August Wilson New Voices (AWNV). We are excited to announce the next evolution of this beloved program: Legacy Rising, a Los Angeles–based monologue competition celebrating the legacy of classical Black playwrights for high school students across Los Angeles County. The inaugural 2026 season will honor the works of Lorraine Hansberry, Philip Hayes Dean, Alice Childress, and August Wilson. Legacy Rising Monologue Competition (LRMC) invites students of all ethnicities and abilities to explore the power, beauty, and cultural significance of the Black theatre canon through performance.
What LRMC Students Experience:
- Study the craft of acting
- Explore their own creative voices
- Learn about four great playwrights who shaped American theatre
Click here for more info!
Watch our video below!