Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School (PVPA) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1996 as part of the Massachusetts Educational Reform. It was originally located in Hadley, Massachusetts, but relocated to South Hadley for its tenth year in 2005.

Overview

Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School in Western Massachusetts is known for its performing and visual arts concentrations woven into its curriculum. Students are required to take all courses that Massachusetts public schools mandate (mathematics, science, English, languages, history, etc.) but also participate in a wide variety of performing arts and visual art courses. These include courses in instrumental and vocal music, many styles of dance, theater, visual arts, film, and musical theater. The students also participate in the revision of the school charter as a democratic process when the charter goes through renewals. The school has two performance spaces, a main theater and a studio theater. In the 2005–06 school year, PVPA made a deal with the Academy of Music to hold their musical production of the year at their facilities. From 2009 to 2011, PVPA relocated their musicals to

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst, UMass) is a public research university in Amherst, Massachusetts and the sole public land-grant university in Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Founded in 1863 as an agricultural college, ...

's Bowker Auditorium. In 2012, PVPA's musical productions relocated back to the Academy of Music, and many of the school's other productions were held there as well.Profile
gazettenet.com, 2011-08-24; retrieved 2013-09-07. In 2016, PVPA opened their new mainstage theater at their South Hadley campus, and the majority of PVPA productions are now held therehttps://www.gazettenet.com/New-theater-at-center-stage-for-PVPA-4102634

Professional Performance Groups/Productions

Music * Groovy Truth Jazz Ensemble * Pop RnB * Earwrum Rock Ensemble * Spectrum ACapella * Rock and Soul Revue Dance * Catalyst ''(Contemporary)'' * WOFA ''(African Drum and Dance)'' * Senior Dance Thesis *Funkadelic (''Hip Hop''), 2016-2019 Theatre *Fall High School Play * Winter Musical * Spring High School Play * Spring Middle School Play *Senior Theatre Thesis * Headgear Sketch Comedy

Notable alumni

* Michael Brooks, political commentator, talk show host, and comedian * Elisha Yaffe, comedian, actor and producer *

Naia Kete Naia Kete (born December 22, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and musician whose music spans numerous influences ranging from pop, reggae and soul. Naia was born in Northampton, Massachusetts and currently lives in Southern California where ...

, singer and songwriter *

Seth Glier Seth Glier () is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, guitarist, and activist. Career Seth Glier was born in Shelburne Falls, MA. and subsequently studied at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter School PVPA in South Hadley, Massachusett ...

, singer and songwriter * Sonya Kitchell, singer and songwriter *

Zoe Weizenbaum Zoë Weizenbaum (born September 21, 1991) is a former American actress, most recognized for her roles in Memoirs of a Geisha and 12 and Holding. Early life Weizenbaum was born in Seattle, Washington to a Jewish mother and a Chinese father. She ...

, actor * Alex Clark, Youtuber, comedian, animator and juggler

References

External links

* Charter schools in Massachusetts Schools of the performing arts in the United States Public high schools in Massachusetts Public middle schools in Massachusetts South Hadley, Massachusetts {{Massachusetts-school-stub