Broadway Advocacy Coalition Opens Applications For Theatre Of Change Workshop

Applications are now open for Broadway Advocacy Coalition's flagship Theater of Change workshop, a program in partnership with the Center for Institutional and Social Change at Columbia Law School. The workshop invites New York–based directors, performers, playwrights, dramaturgs, and composers who are interested in using their artistry for social change to apply.

Now entering its eighth year, the Theater of Change blends artistry, law, policy, and community engagement to create impactful artistic projects. This year’s workshop will include partnerships with the HALT Solitary Campaign to address the harmful impacts of solitary confinement and explore alternative solutions, as well as with the Inheritance Theater Project to examine ongoing gentrification and displacement in Hoboken and their impacts on affordable housing.

Artists, law students, and directly impacted community leaders will collaborate to develop performance pieces that enhance these advocacy efforts. Participants will gain effective advocacy skills by learning how to combine community narratives and policy analysis with high-quality artistry.

Theater of Change 2026 Partnerships

This year, the Theater of Change workshop will include partnerships with the following organizations:

HALT Solitary Campaign works to end solitary confinement for all people, promote alternatives proven to better protect people's health and safety, by advocating for New York State prisons and jails to implement the HALT Solitary Law, a law enacted in 2021 to significantly limit the use of solitary confinement across New York State, as well as Local Law 42, a law enacted in 2024 to fully ban solitary confinement in New York City.

Inheritance Theater Project builds relationships across divides through participatory, community-based playmaking with intersectional, intergenerational, and interfaith groups nationwide. In Hoboken, they recently created a play that united local artists and organizers to confront gentrification and displacement. The next phase focuses on accessible and affordable housing, partnering with groups like Hoboken United Tenants to explore policy solutions, strengthen community accountability, and ensure enforcement of tenant protections.
The course will run on weekends from January 30 - February 9, 2026 and provide participants with a week of intensive collaboration and creative development at Columbia Law School.

PROGRAM DETAILS

            •           Workshop Dates: January 30 - February 9, 2025

            •           Location: Columbia Law School

            •           Application Deadline: November 30, 2025

            •           How to Apply: Visit theaterofchange.org/application/