In 2015, Irondale invited the New York Police Department to join them in developing a community program that would use theatrical improvisation to build communication and empathy between officers and the communities they are charged to protect and serve.
Every season, our cast of community members and police officers join founding members and facilitators Terry Greiss, Rivka Rivera, and Michael-David Gordon for 10 weeks of improvisational training, in which they learn and apply the tools of the actor to be heard, bear witness to others’ perspectives, and spotlight needed change.
The workshops culminate in original and spontaneous public performances that show what can come from mutual trust and empathetic understanding.
