043 - Deborah Jung

Avert Your Eyes

This episode's guest is Deborah Jung, the Founder and Executive Director of Kids Who Care. Deborah is a 2007 Great Women of Texas honoree, 2008 Legacy of Women Award recipient for the Arts, and most recently the Heart of Gold award recipient from the Fort Worth Arts Council.

Deborah Jung has produced and directed tours of original musicals since 1990 with Kids Who Care, previewing Off Broadway at the Lamb's Theatre, and appearing at the Kennedy Center, Bass Hall, and Disneyland. Additional tours include venues in New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Italy, Albania, Germany, Washington D.C., Orlando, Nashville, across Texas and at 30,000 feet in the air on the American Airlines Wish Flight.

Deborah has produced and directed family musicals for Kids Who Care including West Side Story, Peter Pan, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Annie, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Godspell, Narnia, Wizard of Oz, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, A Christmas Carol and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Under Deborah’s direction, Kids Who Care has produced Family Concerts with Peter Yarrow, Trout Fishing in America, Sara Hickman, Inca Son, Eddie Coker, Danny Wright, and Joseph Vincelli.

Prior to founding Kids Who Care, Deborah Jung was a member of Actor’s Equity and a member of the Resident Company at Casa Mañana (1975-1989). While at Casa, she directed and/or appeared in over 75 productions and is the original founder of Casa Kids. Celebrating thirty years this year, Kids Who Care is still following the original vision and desire of Founder and Executive Director Deborah Jung….. which is “To Create a place where the Child is Cherished. To Write and Produce Original Works designed to Change the World. To Find Stellar Arts and Business Professionals, who adore Kids, and work with them. To Gather the Brightest Business and Community leaders, who love Kids, and ask them to volunteer alongside us. So that, When the Lights Go Up … We Find Delight!”

Kids are transformed when their confidences are built, and when the combination of artistic development is infused with entrepreneurial leadership, Kids are more than ready for the bright futures that await them! At Kids Who Care, they do this by leading with an entrepreneurial mindset, valuing the artistic integrity of kids, promoting excellence in artistic development, seeking financial and cultural diversity, teaching ensemble driven mindset, mutually respecting all ages, and producing original works that are designed to change the world!

By offering a year round artistic education to kids of all ages and backgrounds, children have opportunities to be part of summer musical and leadership camps, weekly classes, or even the opportunity to tour an original work which is designed to change the world.

During my conversation with Deborah Jung, we discuss how she accidentally got into theater, her time at CASA Mañana, the creation of Kids Who Care, and so much more on episode number 43, of the Avert Your Eyes Podcast! Consider yourself warned...

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