Pasadena Playhouse is announcing Community@Play, a new free ticket initiative allowing thousands of local students and residents to enjoy the power of live theatrical performances at the playhouse.

Sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank, Community@play will offer thousands of free tickets to schools and nonprofit organizations. These groups are offered the layhouse’s season programming, which they will attend on general performance dates.

“Our mission at the playhouse is to use theater to enrich the lives of our community yet many among us, including students, are often priced out of this experience,” said Danny Feldman, producing artistic director of the playhouse. “Community@Play increases access to professional theater for all audiences by providing thousands of free tickets to those who might otherwise not be able to attend. ”

“There’s something powerful and magical about the theater, as it is a place where one can be transformed and taken to another world and share that experience with other theater attendees. We understand that many members of the community for different reasons cannot obtain the experience of live theater, and it is why we fund the arts to support programs and outreach to low-income, diverse communities and to share with them this amazing opportunity. Together, we at Wells Fargo with the Pasadena Playhouse hope to remove these barriers and do our part to make theatre accessible to everyone,” said David DiCristofaro, executive vice president of Wells Fargo and Pasadena Playhouse board member.

The program will foster greater awareness and appreciation for theater, enhance quality of life and strengthen community connections.

Current partnership schools include Pasadena Unified School District schools (Blair Middle and High Schools, Marshall Fundamental, Pasadena High School), Aspire Ollin University (secondary school), Aveson Charter School, California School for the Deaf, New Girls Academy, Northview Intermediate School and Rosamond High School. Youth services organization partners include Asian Pacific Family Center, Glendale Youth Alliance, North Hollywood Jeopardy Program, Teen Court Project for Justice and TYME Foundation.

The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 S. El Molino Ave. For information, visit pasadenaplayhouse.org/communityatplay.