Brentwood School Acting Students Form Partnership with VA

Acting students from the Brentwood School formed a partnership with the Veterans Administration in West Los Angeles, and it will be highlighted this Sunday with a performance of The Hunchback of Notre Dame at the Japanese Garden.

The performance is free and starts at 3 p.m.

According to James Hughes, upper school learning service coordinator, the project emerged out of a developing partnership with the veterans who maintain the garden.

"We have a group of students who began volunteering one a week after school at the garden, helping to beautify and maintain it," he said. "We do a number of different service projects at the VA with the Salvation Army's Haven and the California Veterans Home, but this one has been unique because it has been largely student driven."

Hughes said the idea for staging a production there emerged after the art department members toured the garden to get ideas for potential service learning projects and Tony Johnson, production manager, suggested staging this production there.

"We have invited veterans from our different VA partners to attend, along with the Brentwood School community," Hughes added. "Although no veterans are in the production, there are a few who work with the students in the garden and have helped to organize it."

Johnson said there are 21 students in the production, and the students have adapted it from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Click here for more information on the production.

Brentwood Patch: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates |