childrenstheatre

The artists at the Magik Theatre use the power of theatre and storytelling for children that activates imagination, grows young minds, and inspires creativity. We visited Artistic Director Anthony Runfola in his office for a conversation about their current production, Schoolhouse Rock Live (through June 5) that helps raise awareness of civics in a fun, retro way. Anthony also shared about their summer production, The Lightning Thief (July 1–August 6), and summer camp, The Percy Jackson Musical Theatre Experience. Children may identify with the Camp Half Blood crew who have learning differences because of their divine heritage; they may also be inspired to pick up a Percy Jackson book and spend more time reading this summer. The Magik Theatre is helping children develop a love of learning that is the key to a more literate future for our community.

Theater is one of those experiences that is enhanced by the audience around us - by the reaction, by the community interaction, by the sheer feeling of having others witness what we ourselves are experiencing - it makes it all that much more real, sometimes, magical, sometimes, devastating…but always human….and always leads to a conversation about the topic of the theater production on so many levels. Rapunzel Alone is an incredible collaboration between 24th Street Theatre & The Wallis to bring Children's Theatre with adult-like themes.

 

Drama Club is an innovative non-profit organization that provides theatre programming and positive mentorship to young people who are incarcerated or court-involved in New York City, bringing classes into juvenile detention centers, jails and community centers.  Drama Club is committed to providing New York City’s most vulnerable youth the opportunity to laugh, play, and cultivate life skills through improvisational theatre.

Josie Whittlesey is the founder and Executive Director of Drama Club. Her previous work includes teaching for Rehabilitation Through the Arts at Sing Sing and Woodbourne Correctional Facilities, where she taught courses on acting, public speaking, and comedy. Before founding Drama Club, Josie developed a drop-in acting class for GEMS, serving girls and young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking. Over the last ten years she has taught acting, improvisation, and text analysis at Fordham University, New York University, Montclair State University, and Larry Singer Studios. She holds an MFA from NYU’s Graduate Acting program.