Education

Through partnership-based education programs, National Queer Theater teaches acting and storytelling skills to underserved groups in the LGBTQ community to instill pride and promote creative leadership.

Write It Out!

Over the course of ten weeks, the program consists of eight one-hour workshops that challenges and supports each participant in finding their unique voice as they navigate through their status. Understanding the difficulties that sometimes come with existing as a person living with H.I.V., these workshops also focus on creating a community for people of similar lived experiences to express themselves freely.

The workshops are for 10-12 participants and are taught by Donja R. Love, an Afro-Queer HIV-positive, award-winning playwright, and arts educator.

This program was created in partnership with MOBI, The Lark, and The Each-Other Project as a free, virtual playwriting workshop by and for people living with HIV of all ages and writing levels. This program is supported through the generosity of Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS.

Photo courtesy of The New York Times

Theater for Elders

SAGE NYC

National Queer Theater partnered with SAGE in 2018 at the Edie Windsor SAGE Center in Midtown, NYC. Over the past year, NQT has been sending professional artists to teach acting and improv class. Working with SAGE, we have been able to bring joy and community building to the LGBTQ elders at SAGE who are often faced with overcoming issues of loneliness and isolation. SAGE is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older adults. Their mission is to lead in addressing issues related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender aging.

Click here to learn more about SAGE.

"Best class I've had here in 7 years"

-SAGE theater class participant

"You brought so much magic out of us, and allowed us such freedom"

-SAGE theater class participant

Theater for Youth

New Alternatives

National Queer Theater has partnered with New Alternatives to bring improv classes led by NQT teaching artists to LGBTQ youth experiencing homelessness. Approximately 40% of LGBTQ youth experience homelessness due to rejection by families. New Alternatives increases the self-sufficiency of LGBTQ homeless youth by enabling them to transition out of the shelter system to stable adult lives. They do this by providing long-term support, weekly case management, education services, life skills training, community-building recreational activities, opportunities for self-expression, and programs for HIV+ youth. Their guiding principles are those of harm reduction, youth development, and empowerment.

Click here to learn more about New Alternatives.

Photo courtesy of New Alternatives

Teaching Artists:

PJ Johnnie Jr., Adam Odsess-Rubin, Marcus Crawford Guy, Marcos Ospina, Donja R. Love, and James Arthur