Academy of Music, Play Incubation Collective, collaborate on new program for queer youth

Academy of Music
Reminder Publishing file photo

NORTHAMPTON — The Academy of Music and the Play Incubation Collective are making a call to the area’s queer youth for a new theater opportunity.

The Brave Space Youth Theater Project is set to come to Northampton this fall, and registration officially opened on July 6.

The collaborative effort from the two performing arts organizations is designed specifically for queer-identified youth ages 13-18 and will be held on Saturday mornings from Oct. 3 to Nov. 14. A closing performance is set for Monday, Nov. 16, at the Academy of Music.

The collaboration between the Academy and PIC will be an opportunity for local queer youth to amplify collective voices, according to organizers. Participants will be guided during the seven-week workshop through the creation of a devised theater piece by PIC co-founder and instructor Sarah Marcus.

Marcus credited Academy Education Director Kyle Lawrence for initiating the collaboration in an effort to expand youth offerings at the Academy.

“We all had a very similar view about the local arts ecosystem and that we really view it as an opportunity to collaborate, connect, lift each other up, not operate from a scarcity mindset or a competitive place, but the opposite. We’re actually really excited to see, what can we bring to each other? How can we expand the audiences of each of our own organizations by doing things together and just helping each other?” said Marcus. “We enjoy collaborations, we enjoy getting to try new things, and it seemed like such a perfect match to work on developing a new program with the focus on creating original work for young people.”

Registration for this workshop, which opens July 6, is only $30 thanks to a generous gift from the Scarlet Sock Foundation. For more information and to register, people can visit aomtheatre.com/brave-space-project/. Space is limited.

For those seeking financial assistance, the Academy of Music Theatre is committed to making these enriching experiences accessible, offering two half-tuition scholarships per session. Families interested in applying for scholarships are encouraged to visit the Financial Aid page on the Academy’s website for more details.

PIC is a local launchpad for new theatrical work that nourishes the community and fosters civic dialogue. Through its different programming, PIC aims to provide developmental opportunities for theater that spark community conversations, while also building a collaborative network of local multidisciplinary artists and supporters in fostering creativity, teamwork and a celebration of the artistic process for artists of all ages.

“I have always been curious about collaborating with the Academy. They’re such a staple of the Northampton arts scene, and we’re so excited about the opportunities to do something together,” said Marcus. “Our mission is really to support the development of brand new work and support the creative process, and we really do that with all ages because we see the value in giving attention to the early stages of the creative process, because that’s what really allows people to amplify their voice and have a greater impact.”

Lawrence told Reminder Publishing that he wanted to create a program space where he could specifically highlight the voices and experiences of queer-identified children and provide a space where they could work and grow their craft.

“If we look at the country as a whole and the world beyond as well, it can still be a very scary time, especially for the youth and especially for queer youth and for those who don’t fit into the norm, the boxes,” Lawrence said. The name of ‘Brave Space,’ we did not make that up. Furthering from safe space, it’s not just a safe space because sometimes we do need to step out of that comfort of safety a little bit and be brave and bold.”

Marcus said the freedom the youth will have in this program is unique and incredibly valuable for any creator.

“I’ve seen it countless times where that is powerful to a kid, to say your voice matters and you get to be in charge here,” said Marcus. “You’re the writer, the director, and people are going to listen. That’s a rare experience I think that kids don’t usually get because much of their life is directed and dictated to them, so just that change of dynamic of saying you are the creative engines, you are really in charge here, the adults are going to be listening to you and helping to guide you, is really empowering for kids and I think makes a pretty deep impact.”

Lawrence added, “The autonomy of it. Letting it be what they want it to be, what’s important to them? What do they want to talk about? What do they want to bring forward, to celebrate, to cry out about, to rally again. That’s the big thing for me and what I’m hoping can come from this. Something unique, something specific to the group that happens to come together in creating this.”

The first few weeks of the program will place youth in brainstorming games and scenarios as they think about what they want to bring to life on the stage. The following weeks will allow the youth to zero in on genre and theme as they develop their material. The participants will then spend the final weeks refining and shaping the production before the Nov. 16 performance.

“We both work very intentionally to make sure that all of our programming really does provide that platform and safe space for a variety of voices. I love that it is a specifically targeted and intentional opportunity for queer teens,” said Marcus.