Hassenfeld Applied Theater
Hassenfeld’s Applied Theatre (HAT) program is a new writing and
acting program designed by graduate students in the Educational Theatre
department at New York University for Hassenfeld patients.
Over the course of 15 weeks, participants will be guided by trained theatre educators through the act of creating and producing their own original theatre pieces.
During the first weeks of the program, participants will be introduced to various theatre games and exercises that focus on team-building and trust.
Teachers will provide a fun, creative, and safe atmosphere in which everyone can get to know one another while laying the foundation for the playwriting and performances to come.
In the second stage of the program, students will start to experiment with structured improvisation in order to explore theatrical forms like character, objectives, the internal logic of a scene, and conflict as a critical element in drama. In addition, participants will have the opportunity to play and replay various dramatic conflicts, as well as to make different choices that affect the outcome of the story.
The participants will then be guided through the process of composing and adapting an original theatrical piece that will reflect the group’s interests.
Participants will flesh out the fictional universe of a protagonist, create supporting characters, and explore the moment or moments of choice that these characters might face.
The last stage of the program will be the preparation, rehearsal, and production of each of the new pieces for an invited audience of family and friends.
Over the course of the last weeks, the children will polish and reline their work with the close guidance of our team of teachers.
They will have the opportunity to perform, direct, work on the technical crew, or to create visual arts and music that support the final project.
The presentation will be a rewarding and exciting time of sharing and celebration for participants and audience members.
The HAT project provides a forum for Hassenfeld children and young adults to explore their creativity adults, to have fun, to play, and to create through theatre and drama.
It can also provide a forum for Hassenfeld patients to speak literally or metaphorically about their lives.
