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Programs

Cultural Events On-Site Performances Prevention Education Arts Workshops Programs for NYC Schools

Current Features

Prokofieff & HAI Access Guides Outsider Art Exhibit The Gallery at HAI Special Access Audio Visual Publications

General Information

Operational Statistics Make a Donation Personnel

Prevention Education

In the past year, HAI has presented over 700 Educational performances & workshops to an audience totaling over 40,000

behavioral skills and self confidence through the arts

HAI’s Prevention Education program uses theatre arts to confront volatile health and social problems. Held in schools, detention centers, community centers and other youth venues, performances and workshops physically, intellectually and emotionally engage their audience, challenging individuals to assess and solve difficult issues for themselves.

In both performances and workshops, the role of youths working as peer educators is crucial. These youths inspire their peers, model behaviors and are able to connect, teenager to teenager, on important issues. Youths’ input into writing and performance adds authenticity and energy to HAI’s productions.

Left:Tiffany Winston and Heather Hanemann in Loss & Gain. Photo: Lucy Skeen

Education Workshops

Peace by Peace

Respect

Loss & Gain

Year Began: 1994

Use role-play to develop life saving behavioral skills that protect against HIV/AIDS, violence, substance abuse and homelessness. Trained facilitators assisted by peer educators present theatrical scenarios recreating real-life situations. Workshop participants take the place of characters in the scenes and experiment with alternative behaviors, training themselves to react appropriately when similar situations arise in their daily life.

Year Began:1999

Peer Educators enact scripted scenes of youth violence. Following the
presentation are two interactive workshops in which audience members role-play alternative behaviors to the problematic scenes presented.

Year Began: 2000

Features dance, spoken word, music and theatre. Respect is written and performed by NYC teens and directed by Tony Award winning choreographer George Faison. The performance presents the teens' personal stories of painful moments when respect was denied, and weaves them into a powerful expression of urban teenage concerns.

Year Began: 2002

A performance piece written and performed by youths, and directed by playwright Elizabeth Swados. Conceptualized in response to the events of 9/11, the production has expanded to encompass all types of loss.

Strength Through Dance

In the fall of 2004, HAI collaborated with Gina Gibney Dance Company to augment HAI's domestic violence workshops with modern dance. Shown: workshop participants experiment with a dance move. Photo: Rebecca Griffin.

Both HAI and Gina Gibney Dance are funded by Altria to work with domestic abuse survivors. For this collaboration, dancers from Gina Gibney Dance attended three of HAI's ongoing domestic violence workshops. The dancers led the women in physical exercises, which afterwards were tied into the HAI
curriculum with discussion of issues such as control over one's own body,
self-esteem and decision making. The use of dance allows participants to sidestep the intellect and bring them closer to feelings they may not be able to verbalize or even otherwise acknowledge.

“Your organization has mastered such difficult topics as HIV/AIDS and Domestic Violence making it easier to discuss and comprehend with your enjoyable hands on workshops. The facilitators were very informative and sensitive to the clients’ issues and needs, allowing them to feel comfortable enough to participate in your weekly workshops and role playing scenes.”
- Zenobia Mercado, Recreation Coordinator, Center Against Domestic Violence

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Updated February 20, 2008

Hospital Audiences, Inc. - 548 Broadway, 3rd Fl - New York, NY 10012
Ph: 212-575-7676 - Fax: 212-575-7669 - hai@hospaud.org