About Read Play Love
Our mission is to provide educational experiences to empower children and create an inclusive culture of love. Welcome to our little village!
Founded in Summer 2014, Read Play Love is a community of families build on creativity, collaboration, and compassion.
Since its inception, RPL has existed to share the arts with children of all backgrounds, beliefs, and abilities. We offer enrichment opportunities in all the arts, including our unique approach to musical theatre classes and productions. One of RPL's highlights is our series of "new musicals for a new generation" and in RPL productions, the focus is always on the creative self-discovery of each child by creating empowering experiences. We encourage the development of inclusive collaboration as all children work together to launch one-of-a-kind world premiere productions. Every child is given the opportunity to shine and expand their growing edges of confidence and expression.
In addition to theatre, we also offer all kinds of classes and activities for homeschoolers, after-schoolers, and pre-schoolers. In 2019, we acquired the property for the RPL Arts & Nature Exploratory, and now many of our newest programs are related to adventures in the out-of-doors.
We refer to our unique mix of the arts & nature as free-range creativity.
We continue to evolve creatively and organically, growing our little village in a culture of love.
Since its inception, RPL has existed to share the arts with children of all backgrounds, beliefs, and abilities. We offer enrichment opportunities in all the arts, including our unique approach to musical theatre classes and productions. One of RPL's highlights is our series of "new musicals for a new generation" and in RPL productions, the focus is always on the creative self-discovery of each child by creating empowering experiences. We encourage the development of inclusive collaboration as all children work together to launch one-of-a-kind world premiere productions. Every child is given the opportunity to shine and expand their growing edges of confidence and expression.
In addition to theatre, we also offer all kinds of classes and activities for homeschoolers, after-schoolers, and pre-schoolers. In 2019, we acquired the property for the RPL Arts & Nature Exploratory, and now many of our newest programs are related to adventures in the out-of-doors.
We refer to our unique mix of the arts & nature as free-range creativity.
We continue to evolve creatively and organically, growing our little village in a culture of love.
About Our Director
Marney Makridakis graduated from Duke University with a BA in Drama, and went on to direct innovative arts education programs in New York City, including for The American Place Theatre and Westchester Philharmonic. In 2000, she launched Artella Land, a ground-breaking online creativity network that was one of the very first virtual social communities, and a true pioneer in the design and utility of digital products.
She and her husband have written all of of Read Play Love's series of "new musicals for a new generation," which she has also directed in alignment with Read Play Love's mission: to empower children through the arts and create an inclusive culture of love.
She and her husband have written all of of Read Play Love's series of "new musicals for a new generation," which she has also directed in alignment with Read Play Love's mission: to empower children through the arts and create an inclusive culture of love.
One of their original RPL Musicals, The Whimsical World of Sherlock Holmes, was later revised for an adult cast and then selected for the highly competitive Broadway Bound Theatre Festival. It performed a successful run in Times Square in 2021, where it received rave reviews and 5 Broadway World Nominations, including Best New Off-Broadway Musical.
A leader in the creativity movement, Marney founded the ARTbundance™ philosophy of self-discovery through art, and has trained over 400 individuals to be ARTbundance Coaches and Practitioners, using her methods to support the personal growth of others. She is also the author of two bestselling non-fiction books about creativity, published by New World Library: Creating Time: Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life, and Hop Skip Jump: 75 Ways to Playfully Manifest a Meaningful Life.
What Families Say
"It feels just like yesterday when after seeing your open house performance, my daughter turned to me and said, "I want to be a part of this!" Thank you for casting her in her first play... and helping her dream for the stars! We love you!" ~Zar Atiqzoy
"In our first semester at RPL, we have been touched by the warm embrace of community. Whether it’s Marney’s encouragement and affirmations of our budding actors, r other moms helping us out with costume design and baby wrangling, we are heartened by the authentic spirit of community that permeates this place." - Jen Babisak
"RPL, for our family, has been a place of unconditional acceptance and appreciation. RPL gave us what I had always imagined & dreamed for our children. We are so grateful for the gift of RPL and all of the other RPL families for putting the beautiful, colorful bow on that gift every day we are together." - The Fiorentino Family
"In our first semester at RPL, we have been touched by the warm embrace of community. Whether it’s Marney’s encouragement and affirmations of our budding actors, r other moms helping us out with costume design and baby wrangling, we are heartened by the authentic spirit of community that permeates this place." - Jen Babisak
"RPL, for our family, has been a place of unconditional acceptance and appreciation. RPL gave us what I had always imagined & dreamed for our children. We are so grateful for the gift of RPL and all of the other RPL families for putting the beautiful, colorful bow on that gift every day we are together." - The Fiorentino Family
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"I cannot say enough how much I love the people at RPL. The kids are so talented, and also sweet and supportive of each other. And I guess the same goes for the adults! Ms. Marney is just beautiful with the kids, just totally giving them a space to shine in the musical theater productions at RPL. And every class my kids have attended (science, art, etc.) have been wonderful and they've been entirely absorbed into whatever is being presented and worked on. Love this place." - Lorna Goldsmith
"RPL has been a great place for our entire family to have a creative outlet. We love that our entire family gets to be involved and all of us have enjoyed getting to know the other amazing families at RPL." - Desi Brown |
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"The musical theater experience that our daughter has gained from being part of RPL productions is immensely enriching. So grateful for RPL to have provided this opportunity and I know that she will cherish the memories made here for years to come." - Lakshmi Devajaran
"Our family has been welcomed to Read, Play, Love with open arms (literally). Our kids have made friends, grown in confidence, and felt validated as they were included in the creative process. Marney created such a safe and encouraging environment that my kids took risks they have never taken before." - Jenny Barham "What makes RPL different from all the wonderful children's theater experiences we've garnered around the metroplex is the LOVE! They genuinely nurture and mentor each child through the musical theatre production process." - Renae Lesley "We knew from the moment we walked into RPL that it was a perfect fit for our family...a place for our kids' creativity to bloom in a positive, loving environment." - Abby Espinoza |
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