Broadway Professionals and Hauppauge Students Stage Social Change Through Theatre
Broadway Playwright/Actor/Professor Anna Deavere Smith, Actress/Writer Nikkole Salter, Actor Howard Sherman and others are among the theatre professionals who joined Hauppauge, North Babylon and Farmingdale High School theatre students on their mission to use their creative talents to become voices of social change at the third annual “Stage the Change, Theatre as a Social Voice” Conference, which was held on November 6, 2015, at the Tilles Center for Performing Arts in Brookville, New York. Participating in “Stage the Change” “was an enlightening experience and really made me stop and think about the power of our voices in the arts,” stated Hauppauge High School Student Maria Johnsen.
Since 2012, the students in Hauppauge Theatre Teacher Ruth Pincus’ Advanced Acting Ensemble Class have written and performed numerous vignettes bringing a voice to such issues as: bullying, social injustice, peer pressure, healthy relationships, making a difference in the world and so much more.
About 525 students, educators and administrators from approximately 25 Long Island high schools participated in
the
2015 Conference. “Year after year, I watch students, educators and communities empowered by the use of our ‘arts voices.’ I am so proud to be part of a community that not only cherishes but supports and encourages our student voices as we teach them how to hone their passions to ‘stage a change’,” stated Hauppauge High School Theatre Teacher Ruthie Pincus, who founded the event. “It is so very important as we gather our ‘allies’ in this mission, to understand and appreciate the difference that we make in the lives of our students, communities and our audiences. It is a privilege to be among this generous community of people that give their time and efforts to this very important cause.”
“Theatre programs can be catalysts for change in school districts and communities. I enjoy watching the students’ enthusiasm and the many works that have been generated from the ‘Stage the Change’ conferences,” described Pincus. “By bringing kindness and dignity to the forefront through theatre, students are empowered to make a difference.”