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Our mission is to foster the emotional, physical and social development of the young people we serve by enabling them to create and engage in programs for music, the arts, and health and wellness, while preserving and improving the historic Phoenix Theater as a resource for youth and the community at large.

THE MISSION OF THE PLAY BALL FOUNDATION IS TO CREATE AND EXPAND TEAM SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL AGE URBAN YOUTH WHO ARE AT A PIVOTAL TIME OF PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT. THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE OF TEAM SPORTS, PLAY BALL! SEEKS TO INSPIRE YOUNG ATHLETES TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL, BECOME ENGAGED IN THEIR SCHOOL COMMUNITIES AND DEVELOP LIFE SKILLS THAT WILL MAKE THEM BETTER PREPARED TO ENTER HIGH SCHOOL.THE PLAY BALL FOUNDATION SEEKS TO CREATE AND EXPAND SPORTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR URBAN MIDDLE SCHOOLERS BECAUSE WE STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT ATHLETIC COMPETITION INTRODUCED AT AN IMPRESSIONABLE AGE CAN GREATLY IMPROVE SCHOOL PERFORMANCE, COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT AND LIFE SKILLS OF YOUTH. IT'S HEALTHY PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY.

Music Maker Relief Foundation strives to help the true pioneers and forgotten heroes of Southern music gain recognition and meet their day to day needs. They support the health and well being of these legendary musicians. Their organization provides the ways and means to expand their professional careers and share their unique musical gifts with the world. Music Maker does this for the betterment of their lives and for the preservation of our culture.

We embrace the infinite theatrical potential of intimate live performance. We contemplate questions that inspire us and devise theater pieces which respond to and engage with the world in which we live. We address the ambivalence, terror and exhilaration of our age on the scale of person-to-person through theater that utilizes a simplicity of means to achieve richness of expression. Our original, story-driven, visceral theater straddles the line between mainstream and experimental, elevates design while valuing strong storytelling, and pulls you close and doesn't let go. We strive to create great happenings in small rooms, theater as close as a whisper in your ear or a stranger's hand brushing yours. Intimacy is our way in. Artistic Director Adrienne Campbell-Holt leads a 16-member ensemble of actors, playwrights and designers to nurture the next generation of theater artists through the development and production of new plays and by providing arts education to students from underserved NYC public schools. Over 6 years, Colt Coeur has produced 7 world premieres; developed 28 plays; and provided free arts education for over 100 students. Productions All 6 world premieres received rave reviews and have enabled us to build an audience base. Steven Levenson's SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN was selected by Ars Nova for ANTFEST and subsequently transferred to the Emerging America Festival in Boston before running for 3 weeks at HERE. Lucas Kavner's FISH EYE ran for 3 weeks at HERE and was included in NY Magazine's “Best of 2011″ list. Eliza Clark's RECALL had a 4-week run at the Wild Project and also received rave reviews. Nikole Beckwith's satire EVERYTHING IS OURS ran for 4 weeks in 2013 at HERE and extended due to demand. Ruby Spiegel's DRY LAND made NYPost's Top 10 of 2014 list and was recently published in American Theater magazine (along with photographs from our production). MJ Kaufman's HOW TO LIVE ON EARTH enjoyed a 4-week run in the fall of 2015 and was even featured on MSNBC's “The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donell. All of these plays have also been published and will receive future productions around the US and abroad. Play Hotel Our primary arena for developing new work is held 6 times/year. Workshops last 4-10 days, culminating in a free public presentation. Dialogue between artists and audience are held after each presentation. Past writers included Chiara Atik, Clare Barron, Lindsey Ferrentino and Amelia Roper. Education Initiative Company members serve as the Teaching Artists for this free annual play-making intensive which we offer NYC public school students ages 11-15 during the NYC public school Spring break. Student alums of the program return as paid Student Leaders and professional actors and playwrights serve as our Teaching Artists.