Performers run through their last rehearsal before the Y.T.A.P. program’s first performance tonight at The Rotunda at 7 p.m.

When a dozen or so 4th through 6th graders from Henry C. Lea School (4700 Locust St.) take the stage tonight at The Rotunda for their performance of “Let’s Learn Each Other!” they will complete what Beth Nixon hopes will be the first of many semesters of collaborative youth involvement in the West Philly arts scene.

The students have worked with poets, musicians and puppeteers, including Nixon, to tell their story through performance. That collaboration has been difficult this semester, the pilot run of Y.T.A.P., but Nixon hopes the program can adjust and grow to become a unique after-school program that will allow kids to design and stage their own performances.

The program is still looking for funding and in-kind donations – from art supplies to snacks. It’s also looking for kids interested in spending a couple of days a week after school at The Rotunda working with an amazing group of artists.

Tonight’s show at The Rotunda begins at 7 p.m. and is free.