Arlene Goldbard is an American writer, social activist, painter, and consultant whose work explores the intersections of culture, politics, and spirituality. She is a leading advocate for cultural democracy, emphasizing the essential role of art and creativity in shaping a just and compassionate society. Throughout her career, Goldbard has worked with community-based organizations, public agencies,…
Listening Lab is a New York–based initiative dedicated to strengthening social cohesion through the simple yet powerful act of listening. The organisation designs programmes that engage communities in the practice of listening as a way to foster empathy, understanding, and connection across social and cultural boundaries. Its work spans education, community action, and research —…
Jan Cohen-Cruz (1950–) is an author, teacher, and practitioner of community-based performance art. She is the Founding Editor of Public: A Journal and served as Director of Imagining America from 2007-2012. Cohen-Cruz writes on the work of performance artists who address social issues. Her trilogy on the topic includes Local Acts: Community Based Performance in the U.S. (Rutgers, 2005), Engaging Performance: Theater as Call…
Michael Romanyshyn is a theater artist, musician and composer. He worked with the Bread and Puppet Theater for 17 years before founding and directing at other theater spaces in New York City and in rural Maine. He has worked with groups of trained and untrained musicians and artists on theatrical and musical projects all over…
In October 1963, Schumann and his friends Bruno Eckardt and Bob Ernstthal founded the Bread & Puppet Theatre at 148, Delancey Street on the Lower East Side of New York. Working in their house on Delancey Street this young arts collective worked with local children to make thousands of masks and puppets. They came in…
Pregones Theater is a Bronx-based ensemble founded in 1979, whose mission is (1) to create and perform original musical theater and plays rooted in Puerto Rican/Latino cultures, and (2) to present other performing artists who share a twin commitment to the arts and civic enrichment. Pregones is known for mining connections between theater and popular…