I have been a volunteer and supporter of Drama Club for the past 4 years. Working in the rooms with children who have been incarcerated has been an incredibly eye opening experience. We teach them acting and improv skills, but, at the heart of it, these kids have the freedom to be kids. They laugh and they play in an environment that forces them to have their guards up. It is such a gift to be a part of this organization.
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Being a volunteer with the Drama Club has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. These children are creative, heart forward, wildly intelligent, funny and inventive. Teaching them acting skills and improv allows them to play and laugh and let go. They are able to forget, if just for a moment, their current circumstances and just be kids.
Drama Club is an organization that actually makes a difference in the lives of the kids that they serve. Drama Club is giving our youth the opportunity to be youth and helping them navigate through really difficult times. Drama Club in the ideal model to follow attesting to the transformative powers of the arts restoring humanity in our communities. Thank you Drama Club.
Drama Club is an exceptional organization working with a very underserved community. I'm continually impressed by how efficiently DC uses its resources, serving a large number of kids in a very personal way. I have been a donor from the beginning, and always feel like my yearly contribution is reaching the participants of this program in a meaningful way. One unusual thing about this organization, as compared to several I've seen operating in the same space, is its ability to build community and rapport among both the kids and the staff. We often overlook how integral correctional officers are to the worlds of these kids. Correctional officers are often the only consistent adult presence in an incarcerated child's life, and their support of Drama Club makes a tremendous difference in the success of a given unit. I've attended many performances where the kids have been enthusiastically supported, and even joined onstage, by their CO's. It's a moving demonstration of how even correctional facilities are communities. Drama Club seems to continually enrich the relationships between their program participants and the staff of these facilities, and allow them to interact in a positive, rather than punitive, way.
Drama Club serves some of NYC's most vulnerable and traumatized youth by giving them the opportunity to play, connect with each other and laugh. I have been teaching with the organization for a little over a year, and have seen first hand the deep impact the organization is having on incarcerated young people. The leadership and staff are passionate about serving these youth, and are dedicated to providing them with a safe space to be creative.
I have been working with Drama Club for the past four years, and it is amazing to see how much the program has grown in such a relatively short amount of time. Executive Director Josie Whittelsey is beyond passionate about the students Drama Club serves, as are the amazingly dedicated staff, volunteers, and board members. Drama Club strives to create not only normative experiences for these most vulnerable youth, but places an emphasis on creating meaningful relationships with the students, with the hope of continuing a student's involvement with Drama Club post-incarceration. Events such as Family Day and Holiday performances involve families, who get to see their children recognized in a positive light, showcasing their creativity, courage, leadership skills, and collaborative progress.
Drama Club provides an outlet for incarcerated youth to just be a teen, in a safe space, without ridicule or pressure; whom would otherwise be riddled with idle time to possible have negative influences leading to more trouble. I get to see a different side of them (because I also work as staff within a facility) of how Drama Club allows them to dream, to think of other possibilities, to get to know their peers, to learn team work, but above all...to be Courageous. This is so important because many of these youth would have never thought they could be capable of standing in front of strangers and just be accepted for who they are not what they "allegedly" are.
Drama Club has provided a platform for our NYC youth to feel safe in a environment where they feel afraid; and heard in a environment where their voices have been silenced, and free while in a dark space of confinement.
Drama Club remembers the young people society tells us to forget about. They invest in those most vulnerable to a system that has been set up to work against them. Drama Club uses the powerful tool of theater to bridge the divide between our youth's current circumstance and their potential. Because of Drama Club, incarcerated youth envision a future they never imagined before.
Drama Club has a unique approach in engaging incarcerated youth through improvisation games that provide an outlet for kids in dire circumstances to express themselves freely in a fun and safe environment. As a teaching artist with Drama Club, I’ve witnessed the positive impact the program has on its participants; especially through the internship program.
As a volunteer with Drama Club, I saw amazing work from the students and watched as they were challenged and able to grow in a safe, nurturing environment. This work had a huge impact on the engaged participants and created skills that, I believe, will be used throughout their lives.
I support Drama Club because it allows incarcerated kids an opportunity to play and to safely be vulnerable at a time in their lives when both are in scarce supply. As a theater geek at heart, I know and see the power that theater can bring to young lives, as it helps us expand our imagination, drop our inhibitions, and overcome our stage fright. Drama Club brings these essential tools and life lessons to a population so often overlooked, yet so in need of support.
Drama Club is much more than simply a theater program for incarcerated youth in NYC, it is transformative for all involved, youth, staff and the audience . Youth engage in improv, acting exercises, and performances under the tutelage of talented and dedicated teaching artists.
Drama Club directly impacts the lives of the community it serves, bringing joy, inclusion, acceptance, and expression to a population so often ignored. Their work is undeniably valuable and I've seen with my own eyes the difference it makes in the lives of the kids who are lucky enough to participate.
I have had the privilege of seeing Drama Club in action at multiple facilities, including Rikers Island. The way the young people light up when they play improv games is truly inspiring. Not only are they smart and engaged and quick with the way they can act out scenes, they are learning to create an ensemble and make each other feel supported in the workshops. On top of that, it's amazing to see how the correctional officers support Drama Club's work and how proud of the young people they seem to be (some have even acted in improv scenes). Great work, Drama Club!