Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble Launches Custom-Made Programs With NYC High School Partners

Strike Anywhere Performance Ensemble, an interdisciplinary collective of world-class improvising musicians, dancers and actors, announces three unique projects, tailored to individual partner schools, that use the arts to address students' social-emotional needs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three $15,000 NYC Department of Education grants are awarded to support Strike Anywhere residencies at long-time NYCDOE partners International High School for the Health Sciences, Manhattan International High School, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, to implement programs that build community, connection, and empathy through theater.

"Whether it's activating a teacher's curriculum, amplifying student stories or devising a new play about mental health, DOE's Office of Arts and Special Projects really gets how transformative arts programming can be for English language learners and students with disabilities," says Leese Walker, Artistic Director of Strike Anywhere. "Having the opportunity to customize these programs with partners that we know and trust is a joy. We are grateful for this opportunity to help students develop greater communication skills and nurture an environment where students feel safe to share their unique perspectives."

In partnership with International High School for the Health Sciences, Strike Anywhere will pair a professional playwright with 9th/10th grade students to devise original scenes and stories destigmatizing mental health. Students will conduct research, respond to writing prompts, practice interviewing, generate questions and interview mental health professionals in preparation for an in-class play reading and performance with professional artists.

Strike Anywhere will also customize lessons for The Manhattan International High School's immigrant student base that utilize theatrical teaching methods to actively explore academic concepts and hone student skills. Workshops are designed to enhance students' English language literacy and linguistic skills through the arts. Since 2007, the two organizations have worked together on various residencies that employ theater, improv, and playwriting to animate the teacher's curriculum.

The International High School for the Health Sciences and The Manhattan International High School are part of the Internationals Network, a consortium of 30 schools across the US, 16 of which are in New York's five boroughs. The network's collaborative approach connects school districts and education partners to design, develop, and support immigrant and refugee multilingual learners.

The third project, a unique Windows and Mirrors storytelling residency with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis High School, will amplify student voices. Strike Anywhere's approach pairs professional playwrights and actors with students to engage them in crafting and performing a personal story about a pivotal life moment. JKO High School and Strike Anywhere have partnered on many customized residencies with final performances centering around compelling themes such as the water crisis in Flint, MI with Worth of Water, or Farce of Nature, which explored issues of climate change, and Same River which explored fracking and community relationships.

Additionally, Strike Anywhere received a general operating grant for $7,200 from The Alliance of Resident Theaters/New York and New York State Council on the Arts for Strike Anywhere's exceptional work in serving the NYC community while addressing the needs of their organization.

Strike Anywhere has worked with dozens of NYC public school partners over it's 24 years as a theatrical performance ensemble and teaching organization. Its one-of-a-kind theatrical education approach has impacted the lives of thousands of students.