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Morelli speaks to Woman’s Club of Warren

Eric Morelli

The Struthers Library Theatre isn’t just about performance, there is an education element, too.

That element is the focus of marketing and education director Eric Morelli.

Morelli spoke recently before the Woman’s Club of Warren about the theater and his role in it.

“Our education program, and the theater more broadly, is a place of tolerance and love,” Morelli said. “SLT programs are geared to give students the opportunity to see each other and to be seen.”

He has a three-part strategy for advancing the theater’s goals.

“The strategy’s first component is marketing,” according to a Woman’s Club release. “He considers the Allegheny Regional Theatre Experience (ARTE) as a funnel for the arts, giving participants every opportunity to develop a lifelong appreciation for theater.”

The program develops awareness of the possibilities of theater and serves as the first step in a student’s artistic journey, according to the Woman’s Club. ARTE reaches over 4,000 Warren County School District students each year.”

The second phase of the strategy is engagement, according to the release, “specifically through the SLT Academy and the development of its fall and spring shows.”

Morelli referred to engagement as “the next level of connection with the arts,” according to the release.

In the academy, students participate in all aspects of theater production. The program includes a week-long Summer Theater Camp, in which students investigate technology, writing, directing and more, he said.

“This past summer, our students helped form the basis of our Holiday Special during our script-writing class,” Morelli said. “By the end of the week, I felt like I was working in a writers’ room with peers.”

The final step is growing beyond SLT Academy, Morelli said.

Some students have gone on to pursue further education, internships, and careers in the theater arts, he said. The Spring 2021 production of the Lion King was directed by two former students.

“He concluded his talk by acknowledging that Struthers Library Theatre belongs to the Warren community and thanking his audience for their contributions, volunteerism, and attendance at SLT events,” according to the release

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