Mission and Vision

Act One provides meaningful arts experiences that enhance the academic and creative potential of children and families in Arizona. We envision a time when all Arizonans acknowledge the value of creative arts experiences as a significant component of educational advancement and personal well-being.

What we do

Act One makes the arts accessible to thousands of children and families in Arizona each year through field trips for preK-12 students from Title I schools, brings arts education directly to the classroom with our Arts Immersion™ Virtual Reality Field Trip program, and the Culture Pass program in libraries around the state.

The Founding
of Act One

Act One was started by Russ and Mac Perlich to address the many issues faced by schools and arts organizations alike when organizing field trips. Although many theater companies offered student matinees, low-income schools could not afford the tickets, nor the necessary transportation. The solution became Act One’s signature program: Act One Field Trips.

Field Trips

Act One sends students from Title I schools on educational arts field trips and covers the cost of admission tickets and transportation. Act One facilitates the field trips from start to finish: securing tickets with the arts organizations, working with teachers to book field trips, paying for the transportation and providing educational materials that teachers can use to integrate the field trip into their curricula and prepare the students for their arts experience.

VR Field Trips

In 2021, Act One launched its newest program and began creating arts education content using Virtual Reality. Act One’s curated, groundbreaking Virtual Reality field trip program, Arts Immersion™, allows schools, libraries, senior living facilities, and community organizations to explore the world of art from anywhere. Our VR Specialists travel to urban, rural and remote locations in Arizona in two donated vans with custom “bus cases” filled with 100 VR headsets and built in Wi-Fi.

Culture Pass

In 2013, Act One adopted its second program, the Culture Pass. By “checking out” a Culture Pass at one of 64 local libraries, library cardholders receive free admission for two to one of the many museums, theaters and cultural sites that participate in the program. In its first year under Act One, the Culture Pass was expanded to include passes to performances, and today more than 10,000 performance tickets are available annually to library cardholders in Maricopa and Pima counties. In 2014, the Sedona Public Library joined the list of partners, bringing the Culture Pass to Northern Arizona. In October 2015, the program launched in Pima County and is available at 11 Pima County Public Libraries and the Pima Community College Desert Vista Campus Library.

In November 2015, Act One founder Russ Perlich received the Piper Trust Encore Career Prize for an Exceptional Individual. Read More

Act One
Board of Directors

Priscilla Marquez, Chair

Retired, Community Leader

John Clifford, Treasurer

Retired, Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, Travelers

Mac Perlich, Secretary

Act One Founder | Owner, ON Media

Russ Perlich

Act One Founder | Partner, PWP Capital

David Drennon

Policy Advisor, Economic Development, Arts + Culture | Office of Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego

Phoebe Glawe

Senior Account Manager | Manley Creative

Christopher Houk

Owner and Founder, Houk Law Firm, PLLC

Robyn Lambert

CEO, ON Media

Judy McDermott

Executive Director, First Tee Tucson

Al Priem

Retired, Community Leader, Lifetime Member

Southern Arizona
Advisory Committee

Andrea Crane
Gail Koshland
Judith Brown
Judy McDermott
Lendre Kearns
Priscilla Marquez
Robyn Lambert
Juliana Osinchuk

Aaron Abbott, 9-12 Print Photography, Art, and Art History

North High School, Phoenix Union School District

Erika Adelman, 9-12 Visual Arts

Valley Vista High School, Dysart Unified School District

Julie Andrews, 9-12 Dance

Mountain View High School, Marana Unified School District

Robert Encila, 9-12 Theatre Technology

Desert View High School, Sunnyside Unified School District

Jen Estrada, Beyond Textbooks Coordinator

Vail School District

Ciara Goulette, 6th grade Math

Copper King Elementary School, Pendergast Elementary School District

Candace Greene, 4-8th grade Art

Sevilla West, Alhambra School District

Jillian Hernandez, IB Coordinator/ Collaborative Coach

Puente De Hozho Bilingual Magnet School, Flagstaff Unified School District

Rebecca Oravec, 6-8th Art

Wrightson Ridge, Sahuarita Unified School District

Chach Snook, K-5 Arts Integration Specialist

Davidson Elementary, Tucson Unified School District

Holli Tayor, Biology and Environmental Science

Mountainside High School, Nadaburg School District

Taryn Tidwell, Choir, Drama & Musical Theatre Director

Shepard Junior High School, Mesa Unified School District

Lynette Stant, 3rd Grade

Salt River Elementary School, Salt River-Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation

Elaine Veatch, 5th Grade

Longfellow Elementary School, Mesa Unified School District

Chris Will, Theatre

Pima Community College

Act One Staff

Beth Maloney, Ed.D., NBCT

Executive Director

Alyssa Still

Development Director

Emanuel Class

Field Trip Manager

Anne F. Osborne, MNLM, CNP

Communications and Culture Pass Manager