Usdan Center & BAM Performances to be Held 7/30-31

Creative writing students ages 12 to 16 from Long Island¹s Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, the acclaimed summer arts day camp whose alumni include Natalie Portman, Mariah Carey, Jane Monheit, Taylor Dayne, Jackie Hoffman and Broadway playwright Michele Lowe, have joined for the third season with students of the same age from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Summer Youth Program in a unique two-week joint workshop through July 31. The project, which includes study at both Long Island¹s Usdan Center and BAM, will result in the cooperative creation of a new dramatic work, to be performed Thursday and Friday, July 30 at 1 PM at Usdan Center¹s McKinley Ampitheater and July 31 at 1:30 PM at the BAM Fisher space in Brooklyn, by both the students and professional actors at both venues in the final days of the workshop.

The theme for this year's work is Time Travel: entertaining the possibilities of what the writer would do -- or not do -- in terms of world history and personal events if it were feasible to actually go back or forward in time ... but also actively exploring our individual and collective pasts and creatively envisioning the multiple possibilities for our futures through the Time Machines that are Memory, Fear, Hope and Imagination.

The workshop debuted two summers ago in a one-week version, which resulted in a cooperatively produced work at the BAM Fisher Space, called War and What To Tell You, exploring issues around war. Last year¹s theme was Family. The resulting performances were given staged readings at Usdan and at the BAM Fisher.

Andrew Copper, Associate Executive Director of Usdan Center and Usdan¹s coordinator of the project, says "Usdan Center is delighted to work once again with BAM in this unique process. It has become a thrillingly creative journey for the students, and we look forward to their latest work.²

The workshop will be co-directed by Usdan¹s David Surface, who returns from last year, and by BAM teaching artist Todd Woodard.

David Surface is instructor of the creative writing major program at Usdan Center for Performing and Creative Arts. He is a teaching artist for Teachers & Writers Collaborative and ArtsWestchester and leads writing residencies in public and private schools throughout New York City and Westchester County. He is founder and director of the Veterans Writing Workshop which partners with Fordham University, Common Ground, and Jericho Project to provide free writing workshops for U.S. veterans and their families in the NY-Metropolitan area. David also works as a resident teaching artist in the mental health field, leading therapeutic writing programs in mental health facilities, rehab programs, and homeless residences. David's stories have been published in Doubletake, North American Review, and Crazyhorse. He is a recipient of a non-fiction literature fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and was a nominee for the NYFA Prize.

The BAM co-director is Todd Woodard, an actor, writer, and theater arts educator who creatively engages public school students of all ages in theater performance, learning through drama, and writing projects throughout the New York City area. In addition to his work with with BAM, Woodard also works as a teaching artist with numerous other leading organizations including Lincoln Center Theater, Metropolitan Opera Guild, DreamYard, and the Center for Arts Education. He trained with Atlantic Theater Company and Terry Schreiber, graduated English Valedictorian from University of Rochester, and holds a master's degree in educational theatre from the City College of New York.

The Brooklyn Academy of Music¹s mission is to be the home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideas. America¹s oldest performing arts institution, it is recognized internationally for innovative dance, music, and theater programming‹including its renowned Next Wave Festival. BAM also features an acclaimed repertory film program, literary and visual art events, and extensive educational programs.

Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts opened its 48th season on June 29th. Featuring more than 60 programs, it is annually attended by students from Long Island, New York City and additional neighborhoods throughout the Tri-State Area. Usdan has introduced the arts to more than 60,000 young people since its inaugural season in 1968. The Center is situated on a magnificent 200-acre woodland campus in the Town of Huntington, Long Island, and is open to all young people from ages 5 to 18. A hallmark of Usdan¹s mission is its tradition of welcoming all students based solely on their expression of interest in the arts, as no audition is required for most courses. The Center offers programs in music, dance, theater, visual arts, creative writing, nature and ecology, and chess, in flexible 3, 4 and 7-week sessions. Although the mission of the Center is for every child to establish a relationship with the arts, the unique stimulation of the Center has caused many to go on to arts careers. Alumni include Natalie Portman, Mariah Carey, jazz star Jane Monheit, Seth Rudetsky, Jackie Hoffman, Olivia Thirlby, Taylor Dane and members of Broadway shows and major music, theater, and dance ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New York City Ballet. Usdan Center is an agency of the UJA Federation of New York. For more information, write to info@usdan.com, Call (212) 772-6060 or (631) 643-7900, or visit usdan.com.

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