Irondale has invited the New York Police Department to join with them in developing a community program that will use theatrical improvisation to build communication and empathy between officers and the communities they are charged to protect and serve. Over a period of eight weeks, officers, teenagers and adult community members will learn to play together. They will be able improvise, to tell their own stories, and “step into each other’s shoes” to ultimately create an original and spontaneous performance that demonstrates what can come from mutual trust and empathetic understanding. Our goal is not to create actors but to create the opportunity to learn and practice important life-skills that will serve officers on the job as they attempt to sensitively deal with residents in their communities

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