Newsletter | September 2020
Community-Building Online β€” We're Doing It. Find Out How.
As we prepare to roll out our fall programming in safe, engaging and accessible ways, we are listening to our community of educators, artists, students and families and keeping our ears, hearts and (virtual) doors open. Find your space in our community β€” from enrolling in virtual musical theater, to booking an online assembly, to signing up for our youth leadership program, to Zooming into our biweekly coffee chats, we have a place for you at Rehearsal for Life. 🎭
Freelance Players LAST CALL: Register Today
Freelance Players rehearsals begin soon β€” will we see you there? Register TODAY!

In this video, hear from some of our young performers about their experiences moving online with our afterschool musical-theater program last spring. Learn more about our plans for a VIRTUAL fall 2020, and check out the spring's video-theater productions. 🎭
Urban Improv Is Listening
To serve our students’ changing needs, our Urban Improv staff is updating curriculum to include workshops on Loss and Grief. Partnering with The Foundation Trust, our teaching artists are creating curriculum with new characters and stories to reflect these dimensions of our students' lives. Thank you to The Foundation Trust for making this invaluable collaboration possible. 🎭
Book a Re:Action Assembly
This fall, we're offering two options for our virtual Re:Action Assemblies!

Community Building Through Theater: Delivered virtually, our teaching artists lead interactive and inventive theater-based games and activities that build peer connections through shared experience and joy.

Topical Touchpoints Workshops: Even during a global pandemic, students still face challenges with interpersonal relationships, bullying and systemic racism. Workshops give students a low-risk peek into real-life situations and tap their creativity to problem-solve with empathy. 🎭
Last week, our Urban Improv ensemble piloted our Community Building Through Theater workshop at Groton School and had everyone laughing along in the Zoom chat!
Join Youth Unscripted
Afterschool Teen Empowerment Program Registration Open
Youth Unscripted participants are Boston Public School students in grades 9-12 who meet to discuss important issues and devise an original performance. This stipended role promotes collaboration, empathy and leadership skills. Forward the interest form below to the young people in your life with whom this strikes a chord!

Thank you to Partners - Brigham & Women's Center for Community Health and Health Equity for supporting this program.
Deepen the Dialogue: Biweekly Coffee Chats
Take part in the conversation! Every other Friday morning at 9:30 AM on Zoom, our Executive & Artistic Director Elena Velasco hosts roundtable discussions on a variety of topics. Our next coffee hour, which takes place on September 25, will focus on Virtual Performance in Theatre Education. Join Elena and industry professionals to learn how performance is evolving for our youth. 🎭
From Insight to Action
In continued amplification of thought leaders in social justice, we present "The Four Parts of Accountability: How to Give a Genuine Apology" from Mia Mingus. Writes Mingus, "Apologizing well is a fundamental part of accountability. The only way to get skilled at accountability is to practice it and the only time we can truly practice accountability is when we have messed up." Through self-reflection, we can identify when we mess up, and "most importantly, [that we] want to address it genuinely."

Mia Mingus is a writer, educator and community organizer for disability justice and transformative justice. Among a plethora of publications, you can find her work on her blog, Leaving Evidence. 🎭
Support Our Students

Your generous contribution today helps us continue to grow our ongoing programming and serve our students, who need our support now more than ever. Thank you for supporting the young people of Boston and beyond at this crucial time.
Thank You!
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