Elm Shakespeare's Youth Present BUILDING A BRAVE NEW THEATRE 2022: The Next-Gen Theatre Industry Forum

On Saturday April 23, 2022 from 12-7:15pm EST, Elm Shakespeare Company's nationally recognized online series Building a Brave New Theatre returns with a one-day youth conference, the Next-Gen Theatre Industry Forum (NGTIF).

Created and presented by Elm's entirely teen-run youth advisory council, the Youth of Elm Shakespeare (Y.E.S), NGTIF is a full day of panel discussions that will be streamed live on both Zoom and Facebook. Building a Brave New Theatre: Next-Gen Theatre Industry Forum is designed by and for the next generation of theatre-makers and will explore the development and implementation of physically, mentally, and emotionally healthier theatre education, creation, and performance practices. NGTIF aims to empower the next generation of theatre-makers to be vocal advocates who help make theatre more accessible, equitable, diverse, and inclusive on and off stage.

 

The Next-Gen Theatre Industry Forum will spotlight a host of internationally acclaimed theatre practitioners and will be moderated by Y.E.S. leaders. It will feature four one-hour-and-fifteen-minute webinars, followed by a community conversation, "Next-Gen Discussion." Each panel focuses on a different topic that is important to young artists entering the field. ASL interpretation will be provided.

 

· 12:00 pm: "To BFA or Not To BFA" with Broadway actor & American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) teacher Reynaldo Piniella (he/him); BFA Boston University School of Theatre & MFA Brown/Trinity Rep Acting graduate Cloteal Lee Horne (her/she); BFA Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Musical Theatre graduate Dylan T. Jackson (he/him); current BFA University of Connecticut Acting student Carlos Fruzzetti (he/him); and BA Yale Theater Studies & English major & MFA Pace Actors Studio Drama School Acting graduate Eden Ohayon (she/her).

· 1:30pm: "Holding Institutions Accountable" will bring together Tony award-winner, nine-time Broadway actress, and acclaimed activist Tonya Pinkins (she/her); ADA 25 Advancing Leadership Member, accessibility consultant, theatre-maker,and deaf rights advocate Richard Costes (he/him); MFA Juilliard student and activist Marion Grey (she/her); and Advancing Arts Forward & Building Our Own Tables Founder Yura Sapi (they/them).

 

· 3:00pm: "Investing in Healthier Theatre Practices" features the Director of NYU's Drama Therapy Program and Theatre & Health Lab Dr. Nisha Sajnani (she/her); theatre-maker, Trauma and Resilience Trainer, and Certified Trauma Support Specialist Bridget McCarthy (she/they); Certified Holistic Sexuality Educator and intimacy director that specializes in trauma-informed theatre practices Chels Morgan (they/xe); and East Asian Medicine practitioner turned self/community care focused theatre-maker Tanuja Devi Jagernauth (she/her).

 

· 4:30 pm: "Exploring Fight and Intimacy Direction" with twenty-time Broadway and West End fight director & certified conflict resolution trainer David S. Leong (he/him) and intimacy director & community outreach coordinator for Intimacy Coordinators of Color Kirsten Baity (they/them).

 

· 6:00 pm: "Next-Gen Discussion" Audience members may gather to talk about what they learned during the webinars and make connections with other young creatives around the nation!

 

All panels are FREE and scheduled in Eastern Standard Time. Registration is required. To register and learn more information about the Next-Gen Theatre Industry Forum, visit Elm Shakespeare's webpage.

The Next-Gen Theatre Industry Forum was created from Y.E.S.'s hunger to build a theatre industry and education system that serves all artists and audiences including BIPOC, LGBTQ+, women, disabled people, individuals of varying socioeconomic statuses, and others of marginalized identities. The program is made possible through the generous gifts of The Jane and William Curran Foundation, Greg Grinberg, and the support of Elm Shakespeare Company.

Building a Brave New Theatre is an online discussion and event series created in 2020 to bring the New Haven community and beyond together to celebrate and interrogate the 400-year-old white playwright's work and legacy, asking essential questions raised after centuries of Bardolatry. Shakespeare's place at the apex of the Euro-centric classical cannon has allowed the plays to sometimes be presented in ways which demeaned, erased, or appropriated other cultures. Modern theatre practices have often supported this. Elm Shakespeare Company believes in the transformative power of these plays and is committed to creating theatre that uplifts everyone in our community, including the artists. This series invites the larger community to explore together how these plays can serve audiences in 2022.

Y.E.S. is an entirely teen-run youth advisory council comprised of seven members who are all passionate about the intersection between theatre and social justice. Dedicated to affecting change, we collaborate with Elm's Board of Directors and staff to incorporate the needs, desires, and perspectives of Elm Shakespeare's students, the Greater New Haven Community, and the next generation of theatre-makers into Elm's performances, educational opportunities, and organizational values. We also advise Elm on their current projects by bringing awareness to, addressing, and implementing social justice, equity, and accessibility practices throughout Elm's programs. To make education about the executive side of theatre more widely accessible, Y.E.S. creates an opportunity for young creatives to gain hands-on experience with the inner workings of non-profit theatre. As the creative youth of today and the theatre industry leaders of tomorrow, our council hopes to share the knowledge we have gained access to through Y.E.S. with our peers around the world; this is one reason for why we created NGTIF.

Elm Shakespeare Company is a professional theatre that has brought people together through Shakespeare for 27 years and performs in the summers for over half a million people in Edgerton Park for free. Dedicated to igniting a spark in our humanity, enriching the lives of people from widely diverse backgrounds, and strengthening the artistic and educational landscape of the Greater New Haven region, Elm Shakespeare offers passionate, inclusive, and relevant theatre performances and innovative educational experiences to all of New Haven and beyond in our parks, classrooms, neighborhoods, and now computers! Visit www.ElmShakespeare.org for more information.