ArtStream, Inc.
Perform your art out
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
ArtStream Theatre Companies
Now in our fifteenth season, ArtStream has six Theatre Companies: four in Montgomery County, MD, and two in Alexandria , VA. ArtStream’s six Theatre companies perform original musicals in front of a live audience totaling over 1,500.
One hundred adult actors with Intellectual and Developmental disabilities - including Autism - plus volunteers and theatre professionals, develop original characters and plots based on their own ideas. For example, after everyone votes to make the play about an enchanted forest, that inspires a series of improvisation (improv) exercises: “Who might we find in an enchanted forest? What might they be doing? How would they interact?” The improvised characters, scenes and plot developments are used to create the script. Then, actors begin rehearsing from the script and learning songs and choreography.
Auditions are required to demonstrate dedication and self-determination, even though everyone is accepted.
Classes and Workshops
1,200 people of all ages with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities - including Autism- participate in 800 inclusive performing arts classes and workshops. Class topics include comedy, musical theatre, improv, public speaking, role play, party dancing and other social skills. Classes also offer more advanced skills such as scriptwriting or choreography.
“I signed up for a fall music and dancing class. My family was amazed at how well I was able to learn choreography and all the words to songs from famous musicals. Up ‘til then, most of my dancing looked a lot like just hopping."
ArtStream actor since 2013
Social Clubs are weekly classes focusing on community engagement skills, as ArtStreamers work on real-world, every day interactions. They drive the content based on their interests and needs, and work through common scenarios in a creative way, helping them gain confidence in speaking with peers and interacting with the community. Weekly topics might include: self-advocacy, community involvement, preparing for a meeting, interview skills, making friends, planning activities with friends, and being your best self.
Workshops include “Positively Speaking,” recently awarded “Best Teen/Adult Program” from the 11th Annual Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action (DSAIA) Leadership Conference. Participants practice tongue twisters, speaking clearly and loudly, and standing tall. They practice talking to a co-worker or supervisor and write self-advocacy speeches. In our “Super Social Saturday” workshops, we focus on a specific theme to create a welcoming environment for our participants to learn socializing skills, let loose, and have fun.
Each ArtStream class or workshop incorporates multiple performing arts techniques to build listening, focus and concentration, flexibility, and problem-solving skills. Improvisation exercises teach actors how to respond quickly, make connections between ideas, and synthesize information. Actors practice social interaction, eye contact, time management, meeting deadlines, and project completion. The performing arts can also be transformative for actors with limited speech. It builds their verbal skills and gives them confidence in speaking which leads to increased participation in conversation. ArtStream actors are able to improve communication, self-advocacy, and social interactions, and transfer these competencies to the home, school, workplace, and community.
ArtStream also partners with 30 DC/MD/VA organizations to provide performing arts classes and self-advocacy workshops. The students vary in age and ability, and each one learns at his or her own pace, through music, dance, and drama skills.
ArtStream Cabaret
Four Cabaret productions each year feature up to 15 people each in solo and small group performances. The actors agree on a theme for ensemble music and dance performances, and then each actor works with the choreographer and music director to develop his or her own individual performance. Examples of performances include songs, dances, comedy skits, and a song performed in American Sign Language.
Where we work
Awards
The Maxwell J. Schleifer Distinguished Service Award 2008
Execptional Parent Magazine
Proclamation Ceremony 2007
Arlington County, VA
Local Hero Award 2009
Bank of America
"One of the Best" Nonprofits 2013-2014 2013
Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington
Community Leader Award 2013
Montgomery County Executive's Awards for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities
Affiliations & memberships
Catalog for Philanthropy 2023
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Average dollar price for performance tickets
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with disabilities, Families, Caregivers
Related Program
ArtStream Theatre Companies
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Tickets are $20. Two free tickets are offered to students with disabilities ages 16-26. $5 tickets for adults with IDDs/Autism and their caregivers. Tickets are free for ArtStream participants.
Total number of paid seats filled for performances
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with intellectual disabilities
Related Program
ArtStream Theatre Companies
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Includes total audience numbers for all performances in Alexandria, VA; Gaithersburg, MD; and Silver Spring, MD, and virtually.
Total number of free seats filled for performances
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Families, People with intellectual disabilities
Related Program
ArtStream Theatre Companies
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total number of free/complimentary tickets given to community members in Alexandria, VA; Gaithersburg, MD; and Silver Spring, MD, and virtually
Total number of performances
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, People with intellectual disabilities
Related Program
ArtStream Theatre Companies
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Alexandria Theatre Companies: 13 Gaithersburg Theatre Companies: 13 Silver Spring Theatre Companies: 13 Cabaret: 6 Onstage and virtual
Number of adults with disabilities receiving sufficient social and emotional support
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
People with intellectual disabilities
Related Program
ArtStream Theatre Companies
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
1241 adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities - including Autism - participated in 800 classes.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We will stay true to our mission while continuing to adapt swiftly. We are committed to providing more opportunities to connect, engage, and create than ever before, in whatever format health guidelines dictate.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Goal 1:
ArtStream will develop and implement performing arts opportunities which engage participants through enjoyable, embodied, and motivating experiences that inspire creativity, imagination, flexibility, self-confidence, self-efficacy, and independence. ArtStream’s performing arts programs will develop the abilities to improvise, listen carefully, self-advocate, and problem-solve, along with growth in self-discipline and improved communication and social skills.
Goal 2:
ArtStream will attract, develop, and inspire a corps of Teaching Artists who believe in ArtStream’s values and goals; Teaching Artists who understand, appreciate, and teach the performing arts; who can collaborate well; and who demonstrate a talent for engaging students by building relationships that earn their trust, create a safe space, support their curiosity, and encourage them to explore new paths.
Rationale: ArtStream has a strong, loyal corps of professional Teaching Artists who have training in the performing arts and either have training in working with individuals with I/DDs or can be trained by ArtStream. Increasing diversity to match the broader community will better support all participants. Facilitating a collaborative culture, professional development training programs, and an evaluation process, along with creating standard operating procedures and curating resource materials ensures the Teaching Artists will be better equipped to support participants’ growth and skills-building.
Goal 3:
ArtStream will offer opportunities for family engagement to create connections to ArtStream and each other and strengthen the ArtStream community.
Rationale: In two focus groups, family members showed their enthusiasm for ArtStream’s impact on participants. These families urged ArtStream to provide more programs and seek locations for rehearsals and classes closer to participants' and new potential participants' home areas. Significantly, the family members expressed a strong desire for ArtStream to take the lead in establishing a mechanism for regular communications among and meetings for participants’ family members.
Goal 4:
ArtStream will affirm the transformative power of performance by increasing reach, visibility, and enrollment for ArtStream programs and performances. ArtStream will reach out to communities that have been marginalized or underserved by the arts, to encourage them to participate in ArtStream’s programs and performances.
Rationale: Staff and board noted there is untapped potential for ArtStream to reach even broader with its programs by forging intentional partnerships with local organizations in target communities ArtStream would like to reach. This would also serve to diversify the pool of participants in ArtStream’s programs and increase the impact of its work.
Goal 5:
ArtStream will encourage and foster strong organizational capacity and a highly qualified staff team to maximize revenue streams for long term sustainability.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
ArtStream is now in its 17th year of operations, and has a large, committed base of volunteers, participants, and audience members in addition to a dedicated staff and Board of Directors. We partner with more than 30 organizations to extend our reach into the community. We are also committed to bringing even more diversity to the ArtStream community. In order to support our work, ArtStream regularly receives funding from state and county arts organizations, local foundations, and individual donors. Outcomes research shows that ArtStreamers feel they have made many friends, are more confident, and feel better about working in a group than working alone.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
ArtStream, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 11/20/2023
Mr. Jonathan Tepper
Timberlake Homes
Term: 2022 - 2024
Darlene Richeson
MaZie Global Solutions
Term: 2022 - 2024
Sari Hornstein
Historian
Eleanor Allen
Senior Development Officer, Institutional Giving, Freedom House
Molly Myers
Senior Vice President, retired, National Venture Capital Association President, Residential Continuum, Inc.
Matt DiGilio
Montgomery County Government, participant
Jonathan Tepper
Vice President of Sales, Timberlake Homes
Pamela Brown
Services Technician, Compliance Inspector, Chief Steward, Verizon, retired
John Bogasky
Managing Director and Co-Founder, Advancier
Kim Coates Schofield
Executive Director, Spirit Club Foundation
Lisa Gaffney
Principal, Market Matters Group, LLC
Robert Holden
Director, Office of Language Resources, Global Public Affairs/International Information Programs, US Department of State, retired
Chitra Jayachandran
Social Worker- Case Manager, Kaiser Permanente
Irene Stephens
Quality Improvement Consultant, Children’s Hospital Association
Sonia Hutchinson Trask
Senior Associate, Public Sector - Digital Transformation & Management Guidehouse (formerly Grant Thornton Public Sector)
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/07/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.