Community Service

The Performing Arts Council is committed to engaging and interacting with the Philadelphia community at large, and particularly with West Philadelphia and University City neighborhoods.  To that end, we support a number of organizations committed to encouraging community participation in the arts, particularly for youth. Below are three PAC organizations dedicated to community service:


Front Row Theatre CompanySpecializing in socially relevant theater, Front Row combines each of their productions with a thematically linked community service project, ranging from participating in the annual Philadelphia AIDS Walk to helping build a house in West Philadelphia.  Learn more about Front Row
Sparks Dance Company Sparks performs at various community organizations (including Red Cross, Salvation Army, Ronald McDonald House, and many others) and offer complimentary tickets to both fall and spring shows and dance workshops for young children. They sponsor a coffeehouse in the fall to raise money for charity and participate in other campus benefits. All proceeds from shows are donated to one or more of the organizations at which they perform.  Learn more about Sparks
Stimulus Children's Theater Stimulus Children's performs for elementary schools, community centers, day care centers, hospitals, and elderly care facilities. Before and after each performance, they supplement the program with classroom workshops. Stimulus performs a variety of shows, ranging from published classics (such as Charlotte's Web) to original scripts (for example, A Philadelphia Children's Story).  Learn more about Stimulus


In addition to those PAC groups whose missions specifically call for a commitment to service within the community, many groups within the general PAC body engage in various service activities throughout the school year. These include annual benefit performances, coffeehouses that raise money for various charities, and lectures with socially conscious speakers from the professional performing arts community. If you or your group would like more information on participating in or organizing a community service project, please feel free to contact the Community Service Chair of the Performing Arts Council, Shiv Nadkarni, at paccomserv@gmail.com

Platt House & PAC Supported Programs

PAC Charity Shows

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    Charitable Laughter

    This event is organized and run by Penn's various comedy troupes, who perform selected sketches and stand-up routines for the student body. The proceeds from the performance each year are donated to a charity chosen by the groups performing.  For more information, contact the SMAC Chair at smac.chair@gmail.com.

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    Emily Sachs Dance Benefit Show

    The Penn dance community gathers to celebrate the legacy of Emily Sachs--an amazing dancer and human being--and the spirit of community among dancers and choreographers at Penn. Proceeds from the show support asthma research, the disease that took Emily from us.  For more information, contact the DAC Chair at dacchair@gmail.com.



Our Partners in this work on campus are Platt Student Performing Arts House, Civic House and the Center for Community Partnerships.