B Street Theater Takes Center Stage on SacRT Light Rail
March 9, 2018 - B Street Theatre actors captivated an audience of middle school students today while they traveled on Sacramento Regional Transit District’s (SacRT) light rail train. The performance was part of a celebration to mark the beginning of free transit for student field trips to the newly opened Sofia Tsakopoulos Center for The Arts in midtown, Sacramento. More than 75 students and teachers traveled by bus and light rail to catch the early morning performance of Gandhi at the 365 seat children’s theater. B Street Theatre actors performed a custom skit written specifically for the students, which emphasized the wonders of theater as well as the convenience of public transit.
“It was terrific having B Street Theatre actors perform on our light rail train and we really enjoyed the smiling faces of the students.” said General Manager/CEO Henry Li. “SacRT is a strong supporter of community arts, and we want to make sure no student misses the opportunity to enjoy a live theatrical production due to a lack of transportation.”
Students from John Still Middle School succesfully traveled on one bus and two light rail trains to make their way to the theater. Their teacher, Ena Brown, used the field trip as an educational experience from beginning to end. “This was an exciting adventure that not only provided some students with their first experience on public transit, but for many, this was also their first time watching a theatrical performance,” said Brown.
SacRT is partnering with the Sofia Center to provide free class passes to all teachers in the Sacramento region who travel on transit to reach the new theater, which is located five blocks from the Gold Line’s 29th Street Station. SacRT’s customer service team will create custom transit itineraries for participating teachers that will include all the necessary information for travel to and from the theater. Teachers are advised to reserve their performance time before reaching out to SacRT for trip planning by calling 916-443-5300.
“We regularly hear about classes that cannot attend our children’s productions because of a lack of transportation funding,” said theater Outreach and Education Ambassador Tara Sissom. “Finding a path forward to overcome this challenge is gratifying, and we are thankful that SacRT is such a strong community partner.”