A Seat at the House
In the middle of S.E. Hinton’s classic story, Ponyboy Curtis reminds us that no matter where we come from or what neighborhood we call home, we all watch the exact same sunset. It is a quiet moment about shared humanity, empathy, and belonging. Yet for millions of public school students across North America, sitting inside a professional theater to watch those very themes play out live on stage remains out of reach. Ticket costs, bus logistics, and tight school budgets regularly close the curtain before young people ever get a chance to step inside. When live theater becomes an exclusive privilege, young people miss out on experiencing their own stories up in lights.
Opening the Doors Wide
When a student walks into a theater for the first time, the energy is undeniable. The quiet hum of the crowd, the dramatic dimming of the house lights, and the sudden rumble of live music create a moment of pure magic. Immersing students in artistic stories early does more than entertain, it expands their imaginations, builds empathy, and shows them that their voices matter.
The Stay Gold Project was created to ensure that cost is never a reason a young person stays outside the theater. What started as a local initiative bringing New York City public school students to see Tony Award®-winning Best Musical The Outsiders on Broadway is now expanding its reach to welcome youth across North America.
A Community Coming Together
This week, in order to make this moment possible for thousands of young people, the team behind The Outsiders joined forces to launch a national arts education partnership alongside City Year and Situation Project. Angelina Jolie and Octavia Spencer were among the special guests and advocates championing this initiative at the launch in Los Angeles. This uniting of missions turns an afternoon at the theater into a joyful, shared journey. This partnership was sparked by longtime City Year champions and the lead supporter of the Stay Gold Project, The Crimson Lion / Lavine Family Foundation, whose generous support along with private donors will provide thousands of more students and educators with the same opportunity.
Situation Project, serving as fiscal sponsor and core partner in this expansion, is taking its mission national, opening doors for deserving students across the country. Partnering with City Year—a national nonprofit recruiting AmeriCorps members to serve as student success coaches—brings the story straight to the heart of local school communities. Across 29 sites supporting 250 schools, City Year coordinates student attendance and removes every logistical barrier so students can simply focus on the excitement of the show.
City Year’s 1,500 student success coaches, who work alongside these students every single day in their classrooms, will sit right beside them in the theater. Before the lights go down and long after the final bow, coaches lead lively pre-show chats and post-show conversations using study guides and other educational resources. Students get to explore the show's themes of loyalty and belonging, carrying those deep connections back into their daily routines.
Sharing the Spark
For Situation Project Founder Damian Bazadona, watching this national effort take flight is a powerful reminder of what happens when communities show up for young people with open arms. When commercial theater, local educators, and passionate advocates join forces, the energy is contagious.
“We are so immensely honored and thankful to collaborate with the amazing team bringing such an incredible show to so many worthy kids across the country,” said Bazadona. “We hope this inspires even more action to open doors to the arts for deserving youth nationwide.”
There is an unforgettable shift that happens when a young person sits in the theatre’s soft glow, watching complex, youthful struggles performed on stage with honesty and respect. Seeing their own feelings and friendships mirrored in the spotlight tells young people that their stories are worthy of applause.
A Bright Way Forward
Beyond the thousands of students who will experience The Outsiders on Broadway and across North American tour stops, this initiative offers a workable model for how the commercial theater industry can systematically invest in future audiences. Rather than relying on occasional ticket giveaways or ad-hoc community outreach, embedding structured educational partnerships directly into a show’s operational footprint ensures equitable access remains a priority throughout a production's lifecycle.
As the touring production of The Outsiders travels from city to city, thousands of middle and high school students will take their seats, catch their breath as the curtain rises, and step into a national community that believes they belong in these spaces. This initiative offers a joy-filled blueprint for how the theater world can continuously invite the next generation in.
When we throw open the theater doors, we do more than hand out tickets. We offer young people a seat at the table, a shared sunset, and a memory that stays gold forever.
To learn more about The Stay Gold Project and The Outsiders, visit outsidersmusical.com/stay-gold.
To learn more about City Year, visit https://www.cityyear.org/
