“You created a safe space every single time. You let them know that they were going to be experiencing something different, that they were going to be challenged in a way, but that it was OK to feel however you felt, and it was OK to share what you felt, and that creates an atmosphere that is not otherwise in - or permitted - in a didactic classroom.”
background
THEATRE IN TANDEM began in 2018 as a thesis project for the Applied Theatre MA program at CUNY SPS in New York City. We partnered with LaGuardia College to provide an experiential learning component for their Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program. The goals of the project were set up to aid the students in the real-world application of their learning: to help the OTA students develop observational skills, practice active listening and questioning in OTA/client interactions, and to address gaps in the curriculum around how to understand and interact with adolescent clients. For 7 weeks we met with the students and facilitated sessions customized to their syllabus using individual and group reflection, theatre and games.
Today, we offer customized theatre-based programming to higher education classrooms and beyond.
THEATRE IN TANDEM presents with Regina Lehman, 2019. Photo Credit: Michael Wilson
WHAT WE DO
We enhance coursework through embodied learning.
We are trained artists and facilitators who combine higher education goals with theatre techniques and group-reflection. Our collective experience in applied theatre, education, facilitation and the allied health field informs our unique approach to adult learning.
Where the textbook ends, our work begins.
In the field, students encounter many situations where they are tested beyond the textbook. Theatre in Tandem works with institutions and educators to create and facilitate sessions that provide the connection between what is learned in the classroom, and what is needed in the field.
We rehearse the skills necessary to build professional confidence.
Through a variety of theatrical techniques we practice problem-solving, critical thinking, observation and questioning skills, and explore professional ethics. Our framework supports students in interrogating and reflecting on their learning, culture, identity, power dynamics, and more in relation to their future profession.
Get in touch
We are currently offering virtual sessions in light of Covid-19. Please reach out to discuss how we can bring theatre and experiential learning into your curriculum online.
CONTACT US ▸
FACILITATORS
CO-FOUNDER
Brielle Silvestri
(She/Her/Hers)
Brielle is a graduate of the MA in Applied Theatre program at CUNY SPS. She is an educator, performer and writer who has facilitated workshops for start-up and early growth companies, The Ackerman Institute for the Family and The University of Rwanda. Brielle has worked as a teaching-artist with The Moth Community and Education Programs, the People’s Theatre Project, the Creative Arts Team, and New York City Children’s Theater. She received her BA from Rutgers University, studied abroad at the London Academy of Theatre, studied Improv at the Magnet Theater and is a graduate of The William Esper Studio’s two-year acting conservatory. Brielle is interested in using theatre in service of igniting radical, courageous conversations that will reimagine communication across differences.
co-founder
Colleen Horan
(She/Her/Hers)
Born and raised in NYC, Colleen is a theatre teaching artist, performer and applied theatre facilitator with over a decade of experience in using theatre for education, collaboration, exploration and joy. She is a graduate of the applied theatre MA program at CUNY School of Professional Studies, and her thesis work focused on utilizing theatre and play in adult education. She has facilitated classes, performances and workshops for multiple venues including the The New York City Department of Education, Fairfield University, The American Alliance for Theatre in Education (AATE), The Creative Arts Team (CAT) Junior Youth Theatre, The New York State Occupational Therapy Association (NYSOTA), Symphony Space, LaGuardia College and The University of Rwanda. She is also a teaching artist and ensemble member at Spellbound Theatre.
co-founder
DAVID MELCHIONNE-MARTINEZ, MA, COTA/L
(He/Him/His)
David is a certified occupational therapy assistant and applied theatre practitioner from the Hudson valley, NY. He has a BA in Theatre Arts from Le Moyne college and has worked in many off broadway productions both on stage and backstage. He graduated from SUNY Orange with an AAS in occupational therapy assistant in 2013 and has worked as a COTA in several practice areas including outpatient clinics, skilled nursing facilities, community based arts programs, and k-12 schools. He graduated in 2019 with a MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY School of Professional Studies where he focused on using theatre as an educational and pedagogical tool in OT education. He is currently serving as the vice president of the New York State Occupational Therapy Association . His professional focuses are on community building, engaging communities with critical reflection, and using theatre as a tool to broaden perspectives and interrogate the world around us.