CP-NY currently runs two programs:

Saturday Program

Participants meet every Saturday from 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., adding weeknight and Sunday rehearsals three months prior to the premiere performances. This program begins in October and runs through June the following year;

After-School Program

Participants meet two days a week from 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m in July and August. In September participants continue to meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. This program runs July through April.

 

Throughout the year, CP-NY participants work with professional artists to write, perform, and produce an original musical based on their lives and vision for positive community change. Additionally, the participants conduct community service and work on community action projects that act on that vision. These projects are intended to address a specific need in the young people’s communities. CP-NY understands the importance of activities and opportunities that instill confidence in young people and that open their eyes to the extensive possibilities that the future can offer. The program also gives young people the opportunity to enrich their lives through interaction with other teens from different backgrounds, and explore their common ground in a safe environment.

 

Pre-program
Because CP-NY is a youth-led program, 8-12 youth are chosen from the previous year’s cast to be a part of the Production Team. The Production Team is responsible for the leadership of the project. In July and August, they begin training sessions to develop their leadership abilities. Activities include an assessment of the previous year’s activities, leadership workshops, team-building exercises and “visioning and missioning” sessions. The team establishes goals and objectives; sets policy on issues involving the cast; assesses and plans the rehearsal schedule with the directors; and communicates regularly with cast members.

 

Selection of Participants
80 participants are chosen during non-competitive "auditions." These "auditions" include completing a written survey, as well as engaging in improvisation, simple dancing, and singing. Criteria for participant selection include need for the program, availability, willingness to collaborate with a diverse group of young people, and concern for the various issues facing young people today. No one is chosen on the basis of talent or ability.

 

Diversity and Conflict Resolution Training and Rehearsal Workshops – October - January: Using a focused diversity and violence prevention curriculum designed by specialists Paul Kivel and Alan Creighton, CP-NY combines interactive exercises with extensive discussion in order to provide a framework for participants to understand the value of diversity and analyze conflict in their own lives and communities. Youth participate in role-playing and other interactive activities that lead to formal scene development illustrating the root causes of, and potential resolutions to, these conflicts. These scenes are the basis for a full-length original musical that is presented to the community, including parents, teachers, friends, and peers, providing a “road map” for resolution for participants and audiences alike.

 

Additionally, the teens participate in workshops focused on specific issues identified by one or more cast members. These discussions are incorporated into performing arts workshops, led by the Artistic Director, that help the teens understand the causes, dimensions, and complexities of the issues raised.

 

Taught to the highest possible artistic standard by top professionals, cast members will gain not only the invaluable experience of mastering the skills and discipline of the performing arts, but also of producing an inspirational original show of semi-professional standard.

 

Show Outlining/Casting
The Production Team and Artistic Director construct an outline from the raw material of scenes, writings, discussions, and presentations. The outline includes several narratives – all taken from work presented by the cast – with suggestions for music and dance pieces, and is woven together inside a theatrical metaphor that represents the nature of the cast’s work together.

 

The Artistic Director assigns participants to the roles established in the outline. Like selection of participants, casting is based not on artistic ability, but on the needs of the cast members with respect to the issues addressed in each scene. (No cast member ever reenacts his or her own story.)

 

Rehearsals
The participants create, write, rehearse, and refine their performance. Each is responsible for creating his/her part in collaboration with the other scene partners. Decision-making is based on consensus and an active dialogue about the issues and messages to be presented, as well as theatrical viability. Artistic excellence is taught in all disciplines and is stressed and striven for in every aspect of the preparations.

 

Premiere Performances
CP-NY’s premiere performance is a significant community event where youth, parents, teachers, community leaders, and people from all walks of life gather to witness the culmination of the youths’ efforts. They experience a work of theater that uses a broad spectrum of the performing arts to articulate the reality of young people’s lives in New York City and their vision for positive change.

 

Ongoing Community Projects and Peer Education
Participants spend much of the year researching, designing, and executing community action projects that address their concerns about issues affecting young people and the communities in which they live. Examples of projects include the publication of a city-wide youth ‘zine’ that focuses on current issues that affect young people and provides a voice for their opinions, a group focusing on sex and drug peer education, and workshops for parents and teens that focus on communication skills and working towards a decrease in domestic violence, among others. Additionally, they learn and act on ideas for effective community service. Peer education also takes place with youth audiences who attend the show’s premiere. Being in the audience for these performances is profoundly important and impactful for these teenagers, giving them not only a rare opportunity to experience high-quality theater, but also by allowing them to witness other young people using their voices to create change.

 

Continuing Community Outreach
After the Spring premiere, the cast tours the show to local and regional high schools, community centers, and conferences such as the ‘Get Real’ Conference at Columbia University’s Teacher’s College. The participants also create peer education workshops, participate in leadership training, and serve in many capacities as leaders of the program’s operations. Workshops are created around the topics presented in the show and facilitated by a group of CP-NY participants in conjunction with professional facilitators.

Because they take a leading role in all elements of the production, the teens develop the interpersonal, communication, analysis, and creative skills needed to foster personal and social change. Participants also continue to provide a consistent support network for conflict resolution for one another. This network provides much-needed ongoing advice and encouragement as the teens attempt to resolve new and unforeseen conflicts in their lives.