Theatre doesn’t always happen on stage. It unfolds all around us on a daily basis.
In 2015, we witnessed with horror the tragic death of Eric Garner at the hands of NYC police officers. Our city was forced to grapple with questions of history, procedure, and social responsibility, and Irondale saw an opportunity to contribute to the discussion through its unique lens of improvisation, actor training, and ensemble building.
Over the past 8 years, To Protect, Serve, and Understand™ (TPSU™) has gained local and national acclaim for being an innovative training program designed to ease tension between police and community members. Each series of workshops lasts ten weeks. Seven officers and seven community members come together to break bread, play, sing and have difficult conversations. They learn how to communicate and how to listen. They learn to improvise, tell their own stories, and “step into each other’s shoes.” The workshops culminate in public performances that show what can come from mutual trust and empathetic understanding.
Watch a video about the series here:
We are looking for civilians to join the 12th round of TPSU™, a transformative 10-week, 40-hour workshop rooted in social change, activism, and humanity. You will be in a room with other civilians and some police officers, and the facilitators will guide the group through theatre exercises, improvisations and difficult conversations.
Registrations are open for anyone who are ready to commit to the program and attend all workshops, rehearsals and public performances at The Space at Irondale. Civilians receive a $1,000 stipend for participating.
ROUND 12 IMPORTANT DATES:
- Interviews: August - October
- Workshops: Oct 22 - Jan 14, 2025 - Tuesdays evenings from 6-10pm
- Rehearsals: Jan 15 & 16, 2025
- Public '"sharings": Jan 17 & 18, 2025
REGISTER NOW FOR AN INTERVIEW
For more than 40 years, Irondale has been a place where artists and audiences matter.
To do the work we do, we count on our community of friends, neighbors and citizen artists who share our value of creating projects that speak to the issues of today.
We are entirely in debt to our community. Your support makes it possible.
DONATE TODAY to help us guarantee the future of our company, artists & staff.
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