2024 Playmaking Performances at Circle in the Square's Broadway Theatre

Hello, again!

We wrapped our fifth and final 2024 Playmaking performance on the Broadway stage at Circle in the Square this week. Every 3rd-grade student at PS 11 wrote a script that was performed by our team of professional adult actors who are completing our annual Arts Education for Actors program, which I direct at Circle in the Square. Besides attending Arts Ed workshops throughout the year, completing the 3-month PS 11 residency with me, and performing in all the kids’ plays, our group of alumni will also attend the NYC Arts in Education Roundtable’s Face to Face Conference next week, and have final meetings with me on Friday, which completes the program. This Arts Ed year has been a success with combined passion and effort from everyone in our group. I was touched and impressed by the care, talent, and professionalism of my team this year. Everyone had previous experience teaching or mentoring kids, and each one of them gave 100% of themselves to the students with whom we worked and their performances. Respecting the feelings and process the kids experience as they explore their creativity and write their scripts is of utmost importance to me, and these artists did that beautifully, honoring and supporting each playwright with sincerity. I’m very grateful for my team!

Speaking of gratitude, I will always be grateful to Daniel Judah Sklar: playwright, teaching artist, colleague, and my friend who created Playmaking many years ago; taught it to me in 2014; asked me to work and direct with him when he was in the classrooms, and continue Playmaking after he retired. I have tremendous respect for Daniel, his integrity, wisdom, compassion, and creativity, and am honored that he chose me to continue teaching Playmaking, which I will always treat as his baby.

I’m also thankful to continue working at Circle in the Square. I’m one of those people who feels a high in such places as recording studios and Broadway theaters. The fact that I get to work and perform in one year after year is a continued thrill and pure joy for me. I have sat alone in Circle’s Broadway Theatre many times, just breathing in the magic—meditating on the palpable pulse and rich history this place has provided and encompassed.

If you’d like to learn more about the Playmaking process that I teach, please see past blog posts. This link also explains more about the Arts Education for Actors alumni program.

Another Arts Outreach program I direct at Circle in the Square is Shakespeare with Talent Unlimited High School on the Upper East Side. With so many students who sign up each year, I’ve brought Gretchen Schneider (fellow Circle alum, Arts Education for Actors graduate, teaching artist, and friend) on board to go with me to TU each week to co-direct scenes that will also be performed on our Broadway stage at Circle in the Square. I wanted to write more about this Shakespeare program last year, but a hefty grant application (then report) that I handle opened as the program was ending, so I was caught up paperwork. It was a fantastic show. I’m not able to share photos of students online, but I will plan to write more about this year’s Shakespeare program after the performance in June—whether I’m busy with grants or not!

As always, thank you to PS 11, Circle, NYSCA, the DCLA, and NY City Council for providing funds to help us continue this Arts Education work each year.

Thank you for your time here. I hope you’re doing well: finding joy, depth, connection, fulfillment; I also know that some of you are navigating your way through grief or other pain, which is its own important process. I send my love and heartfelt support to you.

Photo by Carl Bindman

My talented and thoughtful Arts Ed team with me this week from left to right: Gretchen, Johannes, Chris, me, Sarah, Elle.

Sharing our beautiful space at Circle in the Square Theatre in case you love to feel the power and peace of an empty theater, too.

2023 Playmaking Performances at Circle in the Square

We’re back!

I’ll get to who “we” are in just a moment.

The past three years have offered all of us new twists and turns that we may never have expected. I’ll share a bit about my journey at Circle in the Square through the pandemic.

My work at Circle shifted during COVID from mostly teaching arts, arts outreach, and directing to mostly grants along with my regular administrative jobs while schools were closed to visiting artists. Broadway, too, was shut down, as we know. Our Executive Director of 40+ years at Circle retired, and I took on all of the city and state grants that he used to manage. For those of you not familiar with the grant process, each one includes an application and report. You apply for the upcoming year in detail predicting what you expect will happen, and then you document in the report what actually took place, and update the budget numbers previously projected. If I make it sound simple and quick, I’m sparing you some 100+ pages of excruciatingly boring details. Doing grants feels like a non-CPA doing a multi-estate owner’s taxes…year round. But I’m extremely grateful for these city and state funds and support! Each year during COVID, I hoped that we would be coming back to all of our Arts Outreach teaching and performances, and each year I elaborated on what didn’t happen, explaining how everything was mostly still on hold due to mandates. …until this past year.

At the beginning of last summer PS 11’s principal reached out saying they were ready and eager for us to come back in the fall to teach their students Playmaking—a form of Playwriting created by Daniel Judah Sklar. This was incredibly exciting because we at Circle also had mandates dropping and were ready, too!

Outside of COVID each year our work with PS 11 starts with Arts Education for Actors—an annual alumni program that I direct at Circle in the Square, which teaches a new group of our Theatre School graduates how to be teaching artists. You can learn more about our program here: https://circlesquare.org/outreach/

I then have a planning meeting with the PS 11 teachers to organize the residency with all the 3rd-grade classes at their school in Chelsea, Manhattan. I rewrite the Playmaking curricula to cater to the current season, students, and classes…then our playwriting residency begins!

My Arts Ed team and I go to PS 11 every Tuesday and Thursday winter morning.

Daniel Judah Sklar—my friend and colleague who created Playmaking and used to teach half the classes—retired during COVID; so now I teach all the classes, and my alumni team mentors a group of their own kids in each class as the students write their scripts. This gives the kids more 1-on-1 guidance, and offers the alumni hands-on experience in a NYC public school arts residency. I meet with my team every day after classes to discuss and reflect on the work, kids, scripts, and how they feel.

The Playmaking writing process starts on the first day with what’s called a Scribble Scrabble. It’s a blank page, and the budding playwrights scribble without thought for 20 seconds—then pencils down. Similar to a Rorschach test but without analyzing any of the kids’ answers, I ask them to see what they can find in their own scribbles. They choose two of their favorite things that they see, then create character profiles on those two things. The students learn play structure, script format, and how to bring feelings into character dialogue. One of the artistic challenges each playwright faces is incorporating aspects of their character profiles into their script subtly, while creating a story that speaks from their own heart.

After about three months of working with all the 3rd-grade classes, every student finishes their script, and my team and I start rehearsing all the plays at Circle in the Square.

Each class at PS 11 has their own performance at Circle in the Square’s Broadway Theatre. My team of professional actors perform every student’s play. This year, those shows started last Monday, and will continue for two more weeks. Adults acting in plays written from kids’ perspectives invokes its own very special type of joy, depth of feeling, and boundless laughter.

A new challenge I faced this year with the help of PS 11 teachers was accommodating and communicating with multiple ENL Spanish speaking students in three of our classes. 17 of these kids spoke no English, and we spoke no Spanish. We strive to make sure every student creates a play, whether it’s written or drawn in pictures, with character profiles translated. The latter is what happened with these new ENL students. Two talented Spanish speaking actors (also Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni) rehearsed with me. I was so touched by their beautiful translations, knowing that every student will be able to understand their play when it’s performed, that tears came to my eyes when the actors finished the first play in Spanish. It was an emotional moment for me after trying to figure out how it could all work.

I will have an assessment meeting with PS 11 after their performances to celebrate what worked, work on what can improve next school year, and decompress after a season of working together. It always takes a village to serve students in healthy ways and make sure every child is respected, heard, and reached.

I will also have 1-on-1 meetings with my Arts Ed team members to discuss our work together; and celebrate and support them and their future careers.

Teaching arts focuses a lot on community, and how individuals and the whole can gain more tools to thrive together with acceptance, encouragement, healthy artistic expression, honest communication, and support. For those called to this work, it can be a rewarding career that compliments our professional acting gigs.

You would be amazed how talented these actors are! I wish you all could see the performances. Watching each young playwright watch them perform their play on Broadway is priceless, and I can feel my face glued in a surely ridiculous-looking but beyond-grateful ear-to-ear smile.

Circle in the Square and PS 11 have been in collaboration doing this Arts Education for Actors alumni program and Playmaking residency for over 20 years now. I still feel so honored and thrilled to be doing this work. After a few years of COVID hiatus, being back in the classrooms and on Broadway with the kids and my Arts Ed team is deeply fulfilling.

And thankfully, now, I can report in all city and state grants that Playmaking, Arts Education for Actors, Arts Outreach, and Circle in the Square’s live student Broadway performances are back!

Thank you to PS 11 and their PTA, Principal Bender, all the 3rd-grade teachers and students, paras, and translators; Circle in the Square; our Arts Ed team and actors; the DCLA; City Council; and NYSCA!

My next arts outreach performance on Circle’s Broadway stage will be Talent Unlimited High School’s Shakespeare on Broadway—a program I’m in the middle of directing now. That performance will be in May. More to come!

In the meantime, I want to introduce you to our talented Circle in the Square Arts Education for Actors alumni team this year! I’ll post some photos.

For the privacy of the kids, we don’t open PS 11 performances to the general public, or post photos or videos of the students. If you’re a friend or colleague and would like to attend a performance, feel free to drop me a line and I’ll be happy to give you the details and welcome you to a show!

Wishing you all peaceful and adventurous travels on your own paths this spring!

Left to right: Gretchen Schneider, Monica Mendez, Abby Zeets, me, Quinn McKenzie, Carl Bindman

Our Arts Ed actors prepping for a PS 11 performance at Circle in the Square last week. This includes our talented ENL Spanish speaking actors, Christopher Browne Valenzuela and Alex Acosts too! Left to right top row: Gretchen, Quinn, Monica; middle row: Carl, Abby; bottom right row: Chris, Alex

Every morning before anyone arrives, I come to the Theatre to clean, prep the stage, and set the lights. Each morning so far, Quinn—one of our team members and actors—is kind enough to show up extra early to help me. I caught Quinn in the act of so kindly vacuuming the stage here. Thank you, Quinn! It takes a village!

2018/2019 Playmaking Final Performances

It’s this time of year again! We’re in the midst of our final Playmaking PS 11 performances, and all is going well.

Daniel Judah Sklar, who created this form of playwriting (called Playmaking), collaborated with Circle in the Square and Manhattan’s PS 11 (elementary school) 18 years ago, which started this program. I joined this team five years ago.

Each year, 10 Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni are accepted into the Arts Education for Actors program (at Circle in the Square), which includes, among other phases of training to be teaching artists, a five-month paid residency at PS 11. The 10 actors become Residency Assistants (RAs), and mentor students as they write their scripts.

Daniel teaches the first three classes of third-graders in the morning with five of the RAs assisting him, while I teach the last three classes, with five other RAs assisting me. There are six classes altogether. Each class gets its own performance on Broadway, and each child in each class has their own original play performed by the RAs/professional actors. After five months of working and bonding together while the kids write and edit their plays, it’s a deeply fulfilling experience for us all.

Daniel’s and my group had our first performances last week. Both of our 2nd performances were today, and both of our third performances will be on Monday. If you’d like to come to a show, let me know and I can give you details.

Watching the kids react to the actors bringing such meaningful life to their words is thrilling and heartwarming. Playmaking focuses on feelings: the kids’ and their characters’. We consider it a great responsibility to respect these young playwrights, their feelings, and the messages they intend to convey in their plays; so to finally see their joy after a lot of work put into this process means the world to us, and me. We will miss these kids!

I’m filled with gratitude for many things: my (and Daniel’s) responsible, caring, enthusiastic, and talented group of RAs; being on the team at Circle in the Square; my friend Daniel Judah Sklar; the teachers and administration at PS 11; and the students, who brought true feelings and honesty to our work every day.

Here’s a photo of my fabulous team and me taken today at Circle in the Square Theatre.

Left to right, upper row: Sara Lily, me, Bryan Songy, Robin Murray. Lower row: Alex Acosta, Molly Williams

2018/2019 First Play Readings at PS 11

Today we had our first 2018/2019 play readings of all the 3rd graders’ scripts in the library at PS 11 in Manhattan. This residency is part of the Arts Education for Actors alumni program at Circle in the Square Theatre School. 10 Circle grads per year work as Residency Assistants (RAs) in the classrooms at PS 11—five with Daniel Judah Sklar in the first three classes, and five with me in the last three classes. Daniel and I teach the classes, while the RAs mentor from 3-8 kids in each class. The RAs then type the kids’ plays, and act in them. While this first reading was done at PS 11, each child will get their final play performed on Broadway at Circle in the Square Theatre by the RAs, who are also professional actors.

This first reading is important for a few reasons: The kids get to witness their work start to come to life off of the pages. They can see and feel what they appreciate about their own scripts, and what might need editing. They can learn from seeing others’ plays, and they can support one another’s work.

We’re half-way through this season. The final performances will be at the end of March - early April.

During this reading today, each RA had a guest actor (also a Circle in the Square alum) read with them, so we had 10 actors reading plays in the library in various parts of the room, (while Daniel’s morning group did the same before we arrived). This relieves some of the pressure for the kids during their first reading. Their final plays on Broadway will be performed one-at-a-time on stage.

Circle in the Square has been in collaboration with PS 11 and Daniel Judah Sklar (who created this form of playwriting called Playmaking) for about 18 years. After starting as an RA, myself, I began teaching Playmaking five years ago. I also co-direct the annual Arts Ed program at Circle in the Square with executive director of the school, Colin O’Leary. I love this work, and am constantly grateful to be part of the team.

I’m lucky to have a talented, kind, responsible, and charismatic group of RAs. Each one of them works and relates beautifully with the students. Here we are (minus one: Molly Williams) today at the reading. We’ll take another photo at the final performances to include everyone.

Left to right: Sara Lily, Alex Acosta, me, Bryan Songy, and Robin Murray.

Left to right: Bryan Songy, Alex Acosta, me, Sara Lily, and Robin Murray.

Playmaking 2017-2018

It's that time of year again! This season of Playmaking at PS 11 is coming to a close. I taught my last classes there (until next season), the kids all finished writing their plays, we rehearsed them during the past two weeks, and have started the final performances on the Broadway stage at Circle in the Square. 

Playmaking is a form of playwriting created many years ago by playwright and master teaching artist Daniel Judah Sklar. Daniel, Circle in the Square, and PS 11 have been in collaboration for the past 17 years. I joined the team in 2014, and have been teaching classes at PS 11 as a master teaching artist for the past few years. 

We have a team of 10 Residency Assistants (RAs) who are also professional actors and fellow alumni from Circle in the Square Theatre School. They mentor 3-8 students of their own in each class. This residency is part of a year-long Arts Education training program, which I co-direct at Circle with Executive Director Colin O'Leary.

This year's 3rd graders at PS 11 were delightful. Some were passionate about writing from the beginning, while others struggled at first; but each and every one of them found and expressed their unique creative voice through writing and completing their own play.

Their first day started with a scribble scrabble, which sounds just like what it is: scribbling on a blank page. They do this for 20 seconds, then put pencils down. Similar to a Rorschach test--but without analyzing any of their answers--the kids then choose two of their favorite things that they see in their own scribbles, and create character profiles on them. They also learn about play structure and script format; how to build conflict into climax, then create action and resolution. They write their first imaginative plays, and witness them read by the actors. 

During the next step, we give the kids an artistic challenge, which is to transform their imaginary characters into realistic humans, while still keeping the essence of their original scribble scrabble characters. Their final realistic plays are the ones that are being performed at Circle in the Square this week. 

Not many kids can say that they get their original plays performed by professional actors on Broadway; but every single 3rd grader at PS 11 can. 

I consistently feel rewarded and lucky when I do this work. The kids brighten my days; I'm honored to call Daniel Judah Sklar my friend and colleague, and grateful that he taught me Playmaking years ago, and entrusted me to teach it; I so appreciate the whole talented team of 10 RAs; and I love still being a part of Circle in the Square after so many years (I graduated from the theatre school as a 20-year-old back in 1993).  

If you want to come see the rest of the children's plays at Circle in the Square this week, please drop me a line, and I'll give you the details. It's a rare and enriching experience to see the kids as they witness their own words come to life so beautifully on stage; and it's a delight to see the talented actors do what they do best. It's been an incredible pleasure working with them these past few months. 

Me and my team after the performance today. From left to right: Danielle Amendola, Matthew Boyd, me, Cristina Sebastian, Gretchen Schneider, and Shana Casey. (Photo credit: Colin O'Leary) 

Aesop's Fables at PS 96

I had the pleasure of working as a teaching artist at PS 96 in East Harlem last Tuesday. Two of the 4th grade classes were coming to Circle in the Square Theatre the following day to see the children's production of AESOP'S FABLES, so they wanted a lesson plan that introduced them to Aesop, the fables, and acting. 

I first wrote part of the lesson plan to introduce myself, Circle in the Square Broadway Theatre, theatre etiquette, and what we think we know about Aesop (after a few thousand years since he existed) and his fables; but I couldn't complete it until I saw the rehearsal and first performance of AESOP'S FABLES at Circle, so that I knew I would cover everything, and could answer all questions the kids may ask.

I spent 45 minutes in each of the two classrooms at PS 96. We discussed and practiced the importance of listening, as audience members and actors on the stage, and spoke about three of the fables that they'd see at Circle, while contemplating the portrayal of each character. I taught some acting techniques and exercises, and then the kids played a game where they characterized the tortoise and the hare.

The children in both classes were curious and kind. Their questions and comments were significant and thoughtful. 

I had a delightful time at PS 96, and am thankful for the experience of working with such engaging kids. 

Film Wrap

Just wrapped a film called The Shopkeeper, written and directed by Rachel Lambert.

I played a woman named Vicki (the shopkeeper), who had an intense, rich, and untamed inner life, which included dealing with uncomfortable angst and OCD. Her love of loud music resided in her backstory. Listening to it liberated her--so I created a few playlists for Vicki and listened to them in prep and during filming. 

I loved this character and her music. I felt protective of her. Her exterior was solid and tough; while her interior was child-like, sensitive, and vulnerable. 

Each character I play teaches me something; and while I say goodbye to Vicki, I'm thankful for all the incredible experiences and feelings I've gained from playing her. 

Here we are after filming the final scene in Times Square. From left to right, it's me as Vicki, Mikayla as Quinn, and Peter as James, my nephew.

...and here we are with writer and director, Rachel.

2016/2017 Playmaking Final Performances

Yesterday was the opening day of our Playmaking 2016/2017 PS 11 performances at Circle in the Square. All the 3rd graders at PS 11 completed their final scripts; the Residency Assistants/professional actors typed and directed the plays in rehearsals last week; and now is the time that these young playwrights have been waiting for: their first plays on Broadway!

Playmaking is a form of playwriting that master teaching artist and playwright (as well as my mentor, friend, and colleague) Daniel Judah Sklar created many years ago. I teach Playmaking to three of the 3rd grade classes at PS 11 (Daniel teaches the other three). I also taught it to my team of RAs/actors so they could guide their own group of kids in each class.

The performances yesterday were spectacular. The actors/RAs and young playwrights made me so proud! I absolutely love seeing the kids’ faces when they see their plays come to life so beautifully on the Broadway stage. One child and his mom stayed in the theatre long after others left. His mom shyly confessed, “He loves it here. He just can’t leave!” I know how it feels. I truly do.

I’m looking forward to my other two classes’ performances this Friday and Monday. If you’d like to be in the audience, please drop me a line so I can give you the details. 

This is such a unique and extraordinary program that Circle in the Square created with Daniel and PS 11 way back when. I’m really lucky to continue to be part of it.

Here’s a photo of me with my talented team. It was taken yesterday before the kids arrived in the theatre. 

From left to right: Shlomit, Chelsea, Hannah, me, Sam, and Cait

The Three Billy Goats Gruff at PS 166

I'm grateful to have worked as a teaching artist at PS 166 (The Richard Rodgers School of the Arts and Technology) yesterday on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I spent 45 minutes to an hour in each of the five kindergarten classrooms introducing acting and theatre. Since all classes were in the process of reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff, I created a lesson plan with the focus on that story. After a warm up and discussion, the kids rehearsed, then performed in small groups as five characters from the book: the little billy goat; the medium-sized billy goat; the big billy goat; flowers, grass, trees, and vegetables in the meadow; and the troll. It was a delight to work with such enthusiastic kids and supportive teachers. Thank you to Colin O’Leary at Circle in the Square for offering me this fun job; and thanks to PS 166 for having me! 

Photo credit: Jim Henderson

PS 11 Play Reading

We have a new group of residency assistants (RAs) this year working with 3rd graders at PS 11 in Manhattan, guiding them as they write their own plays.  I teach classes 4-6, and lead my RA team, while Daniel Judah Sklar (playwright, master teaching artist, and creator of Playmaking) does the same for his team and classes 1-3. We call my RA team the PM group, and I couldn’t be more pleased with all of these talented women. Yep, all women! Daniel’s AM RA group is mostly men (they're talented, too). It just turned out this rare way due to everyone’s schedules. All of us (except for Daniel) graduated various different years from Circle in the Square Theatre School.

Today, we had our first reading of the kids’ scripts in the library at PS 11. Each RA had a guest actor (also from Circle in the Square) and together they performed the kids’ imaginary plays. It was beautiful to watch the children in awe of their words coming to life so spectacularly!

From now until the end of the year, we will guide the kids as they transform their imaginary characters into realistic humans. Then, in January, their realistic plays will be performed by the RAs (also professional actors) on the Broadway stage at Circle in the Square.

I’m incredibly thankful to Circle in the Square, Daniel Judah Sklar, and PS 11 for welcoming me to this job. I started as an RA a few years back, and continue to love working with the kids as a teaching artist. I’m also thankful to all who were involved in today’s first readings—especially on such a rainy day. We all got soaked on our way to and from PS 11. I’ll include two photos here (both taken today): One of my PM RA team, and the other of our team plus the guest actors--a mini Circle in the Square reunion!

Hello World

Hello world, this is my new blog. I will periodically add thoughts, events and upcoming performances here.