Afterschool Teens Line The Red Carpet!

Tom Cruise meets Afterschool teens from Brownsville Recreation Center

Over the past several years, courtesy of a developing partnership with Paramount Pictures, NYC Parks Afterschool youth and teens have had the opportunity to attend free movie screenings, as well as receive various promotional items such as books, posters, and toys. Most recently, on December 13, youth from Chelsea, St. James and St. Mary’s Recreation Centers Afterschools took a trip to Times Square to see renowned director Steven Spielberg’s first animated film, The Adventures of Tintin. For many of the children who attended, it was their first experience in Times Square. The children had a great time and loved the film.

A testament to the partnership between Parks and Paramount Pictures is the invitation extended to fifty Parks teens for the December 19 Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol red carpet event and U.S. premiere. Teens from Brownsville Recreation Center, Pelham Fritz Recreation Center, E. 54th Street Recreation Center, and Owen Dolen Recreation Center lined the exclusive red carpet outside of the famous Ziegfeld Theater.

In addition to meeting Tom Cruise, many received autographs and pictures with the world-famous actor, who even shared a few jokes with our Parks teens. Both the teens and the actors were very enthusiastic at the event; co-stars Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, and Paula Patton also stopped for autographs and pictures.

Following the star-studded red carpet event, the teens were escorted into the Ziegfeld for the premiere of the fourth Mission Impossible film. Director Brad Bird, most famously known for his Pixar hit Ratatouille, formally introduced the cast with a short speech prior to the start of the movie.

The evening was a complete success; the teens were certainly star-struck, and in their opinion, the film certainly lived up to the overwhelmingly positive reviews of the movie critics. Through the efforts of Mary Polemarhakis, Central Recreation’s Director of Program Development, the partnership with Paramount Pictures will continue to grow in hopes of bringing such exciting and unique experiences to even more youth and teens citywide.

Written by Elissa Connors, Recreation Intern

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

Bertrand Russell
(1872 - 1970)

<< Back to Daily Plants Main.