High Turnout and Quality Mark 2024 Theatre in Education Festival

The MA in Applied Theatre (MAAT) program at the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) hosted its annual Theatre in Education (TIE) Festival with a two-day showcase of four different student projects that participants could join live.

Held each Spring, the TIE Festival offers an opportunity for students to share the work they developed from the MAAT course “Teaching Through Theatre: The Theory and Practice of TIE.” Originally devised for a specific age group ranging from 3 to 18 years, these projects explore theatre forms that are designed to both entertain and educate. This year’s festival, which was held on the weekend of May 18-19, featured TIE projects by four separate teams of MAAT students (see complete project descriptions below).

Several attendees and participants shared highlights from the event.

“I was very impressed by the high quality of work the students achieved this year, and the number of people who attended the festival over the two days,” said Chris Vine, academic director of the MAAT program. “It was gratifying to be able to introduce the work to visitors, including friends and family of our students, many of whom were encountering the program for the first time. Equally, our presenting students were excited to discover how their work resonated and was so well-received by a wide range of adults, beyond the original intended school and college audiences. Both the plaudits and critical feedback they received were very much appreciated.”

Michael Carklin, a theatre and drama professor from the University of South Wales in Cardiff, Wales, attended the TIE Festival while visiting New York to do research for a book on applied theatre. “It was a real joy to see the MAAT students in action, and to talk with some of them about their work. It was great to take part actively in each group's participatory performance to get a sense of how their work was delivered in schools with the groups they were designed for,” Professor Carklin said. “I've watched a lot of TIE work over the years, and I was really impressed with the high standard of the projects presented—they were imaginative, thoughtful, and skillfully delivered.”

MAAT student Avery Rausch was the co-creator and performer of the immersive theatre project Agents of the Humanity Initiative: Secrets of the Pandora Vault (pictured above). “The TIE was a true celebration of the hard work our cohort accomplished this semester, and there were so many standout moments!” he reflected. “It was inspiring to watch my classmates' work and see the vast possibilities for what TIE can look like.”

Sam Funk, a MAAT student who collaborated on the piece Echoes of the Amazon: Saving the Great Kapok Tree, described her own big highlight. “…My parents flew in from Wisconsin to see the festival. It was the first time that my parents have ever gotten to see me to do strictly applied theatre work, and I was so grateful to share those moments with them.”

The success of this year’s TIE Festival also showcases the MAAT program’s standing within the applied theatre field. As Professor Carklin further observed, “It is worth noting that while in NYC, I visited some other applied theatre organizations and practitioners…and it was really clear to me how graduates of the CUNY MAAT course are having a significant impact in the field more broadly and how strong the reputation of the course is within the applied theatre profession.”

The projects presented at the 2024 TIE Festival include:

Echoes of the Amazon: Saving the Great Kapok Tree. Devised and presented by Kalyani Singh and Sam Funk

Echoes of the Amazon: Saving the Great Kapok Tree invites participants on a journey to explore and investigate the ways animals and plants live and work together in the Amazon Rainforest—especially during times of critical distress. Originally designed for kindergarteners, this Theatre in Education (TIE) piece seeks help from Mother Tree’s Little Helpers as they embark on a quest to learn why all the trees in the rainforest have been disappearing and how they might fight to stop deforestation. At its core, this piece aims to explore how the rainforest can teach us alternative ways of being in community with each other.

‘Get Up’ & ‘Get Over’ The Art of Activism  Devised and presented by Chris Bouknight, Janelle Castellano, Brie Freeman, and Lisa Leighton

How do we use our creative voice to stand up for what we believe in? When art student Skyler finds herself being targeted in a toxic ranking game at her high school, she refuses silence, turning her hurt into a platform for empowerment. Can she protect her community and herself? ‘Get Up’ & ‘Get Over’ The ART of Activism explores the challenge and the power in speaking out. In this high school TIE piece, participants are encouraged to examine the artist’s responsibility to both themself and their community. This exploration unfolds through Skyler’s narrative and the experiences of female artists who preceded her, with the aim of inspiring participants to find their own voices and consider their potential impact.

Agents of the Humanity Initiative: Secrets of the Pandora Vault Devised and presented by Avery Rausch and Gideon Bautista

Generations ago, the Humanity Initiative created a piece of technology so powerful it could change everything—and threaten humanity itself. Not wanting this technology to fall into the wrong hands, they sealed it in a vault and buried it somewhere beneath the Lower East Side of Manhattan to be safeguarded forever…or so they thought. Today, the Humanity Initiative’s new director, Major Mal Wishes, is on the verge of reopening the vault. Only the Humanity Initiative Team (HInT) can stop him and they need you—their premier agents. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is simple: Open the Pandora Vault before Major Mal Wishes, understand what’s inside, and disarm it.

Shattered Glass: Breaking Assumptions about Accessibility in Arts Spaces Devised and presented by Anna Lou Hearn, Claire Tumey, Dominick Mastrodonato, Laura Simpson, and Tanya Perez

Shattered Glass is a participatory Theatre in Education (TIE) project designed for college students with a focus in arts education and disability inclusive practices. This interactive TIE piece invites participants into the final day of rehearsals as an Off-Broadway company puts their final polish on a new, radical adaptation of The Glass Menagerie. Through a range of drama conventions, students will have the opportunity to question, dialogue, and challenge the company’s inclusive practices as they interact as actors in this “revolutionary” play within a play.

About the Master of Arts in Applied Theatre

The MA in Applied Theatre degree program, the first program of its kind in the United States, uses theatre as a medium for education, community development, and the pursuit of social justice. The goal of the program is to educate scholar-practitioners to become future leaders in the field of applied theatre. Applied Theatre involves the use of theatre and drama in a wide variety of nontraditional contexts and venues, such as in teaching, the justice system, health care, the political arena, community development, museums, and social service agencies.

About the CUNY School of Professional Studies

As New York's leading online school since 2006, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) offers the most online bachelor's and master's degree options at the City University of New York, and serves as the University's first undergraduate all-transfer college. With 26 degrees and numerous other non-degree and grant-funded workplace learning programs, CUNY SPS meets the needs of adults who wish to finish a bachelor's degree, progress from an associate's degree, earn a master's degree or certificate in a specialized field, and advance in the workplace or change careers. Consistently ranked highly by U.S. News & World Report for its online offerings, CUNY SPS has emerged as a nationwide leader in online education. The School's renowned and affordable online programs ensure that busy working adults may fulfill their educational goals on their own time and schedule.

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