1,800 Local Students Served During Theatre’s 2009-2010 Season

Program Continues for Theatre’s 2010-2011 Season

Washington, D.C. — The Ford’s Theatre Society and Target have teamed up to provide Target Field Trips to Ford’s Theatre, a program providing free bus transportation and educational activities to qualified D.C. metro-area schools. During the Society’s 2009-2010 season, grant funding from Target provided 44 buses and transported 1,800 D.C. public and charter school students to the historic Ford’s Theatre. Target has renewed its financial support for the Society’s 2010-2011 season, with a plan to provide 50 buses and serve 2,500 Washington-area students.

“Teachers from local schools have told us that the number one obstacle to bringing their students to Ford’s Theatre is lack of transportation,” said Ford’s Theatre Society Director of Education Sarah Jencks. “Visitors from across the nation travel to Ford’s Theatre each year and it is essential that local students have the same access. With Target’s support we are better able to serve our own community by encouraging students to build meaningful connections to history.”

Once on site, students experience free field trip activities, including guided tours of the Ford’s Theatre Museum; access to a Ranger program or performance of the Society’s one-act production One Destiny; workshops showcasing themes and production elements of the Society’s mainstage plays; and/or participation in the Target Oratory Festival, a February event that honors Abraham Lincoln by inviting schools to perform some of his most famous speeches on the Ford’s Theatre stage.

“At Target, our local grants are making a difference in the communities we serve,” said Laysha Ward, president, community relations, Target. “We’re proud to partner with Ford’s Theatre as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work.”

Schools in the D.C. metro-area that would like to schedule a visit to Ford's Theatre as part of the Target subsidized program should email the Education Department or call (202) 638-2941 ext. 567 to determine school eligibility. Additional information is available on the Ford’s Theatre website at www.fords.org.

About Target
Minneapolis-based Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) serves guests at 1,740 stores nationwide and at Target.com. Target is committed to providing a fun and convenient shopping experience with access to unique and highly differentiated products at affordable prices. Since 1946, the corporation has given 5 percent of its income through community grants and programs like Take Charge of Education. Today, that giving equals more than $3 million a week.

Ford’s Theatre Society
Since reopening in 1968, more than a hundred years after President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, Ford’s Theatre has celebrated Lincoln’s legacy and explored the American experience through theatre and education. Under the leadership of Director Paul R. Tetreault, Ford’s Theatre has been recognized for the superior quality of its artistic programming. From the nationally acclaimed Big River to the world premieres of Meet John Doe and The Heavens Are Hung In Black, Ford’s Theatre is making its mark on the American theatre landscape. For its accomplishment, the organization was honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts. For more information, visit www.fords.org.