In its continued mission to support arts and cultural organizations, Rocky Mountain Power has awarded more than $246,000 in arts grant funding across Utah, Wyoming and Idaho. Two arts companies in Davis County are Rocky Mountain grant recipients: The Davis Arts Council and On Pitch Performing Arts.

The DAC received $5,000 for its Active Pages and Davis Arts Presents programs that introduce thousands of students in the Davis County area to live theater and classic literature. 

Teri Cowan, DAC director of development, said the Active Pages program is held every Halloween and Christmas at Layton Commons Park. Families walk through the park and see live performances of classic stories like “Dracula,” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” “A Christmas Carol” and “The Nutcracker.” At the end of the event, families are given a hardback copy of the book to take home. 

“It’s an outdoor program where we present, with professional actors, a piece of classic literature,” Cowan said. “We’ve had parents tell us it’s so fun to go home afterwards and kids want to read the book.”

Partnering with Plan-B Theatre Company, the Davis Arts Presents program takes plays written for specific age groups into Davis County schools, addressing a different topic each year. 

“It’s fun but it’s informative,” Cowan said. “Each of the teachers get a student guide where they can talk with the kids. Part of the presentation is asking kids different things.”

Danielle Bendinelli is the development director at On Pitch Performing Arts (587 N. Main St.) in Layton. OPPA’s $2,500 Rocky Mountain grant will be used in the children’s education department to cover things like royalties, costumes and props. 

OPPA specializes in children’s performances, holding nine kids productions each year. Students meet once or twice a week to practice their play and put the performance on at the end of the semester. 

More than 100 kids are enrolled in production classes that are open to any child, regardless of ability or experience. Every person gets a role and learns to work with a diverse group of performers. 

“Performance is one thing but our mission is about lifelong skills and that’s what we focus on,” Bendinelli said. “It’s not really about the show, it’s about the kids coming in and learning confidence and learning how to communicate with people and empathize with people. They take these skills they can utilize for the rest of their life, it just happens to revolve around a production component…It’s not about training the next round of Broadway stars, it’s just giving these kids lifelong skills.”

Teams learn acceptance, inclusivity and how to work together to create art. OPPA has activities coming up this summer including a kid’s camp and weeklong workshops. Additionally, families can audition for roles in the summer production of “The Little Mermaid.” 

Find more information at OnPitchPerformingArts.com and DavisArts.org.

“These groups foster creative expression, inspire young minds, nurture well-being, and help us look at the world in new ways,” said Kirk Nigro, Rocky Mountain Power regional business manager. “We’re honored to support the incredible work they are doing.” λ