This New Voices program for formerly homeless men enjoys even greater success with the enrollment of an excellent playwright named Charles Johnson. Section enrollment continues to grow steadily, and there is better follow-through on the part of participants. TFANA hopes to implement two more residencies in 1998-99, and is also considering an in-house staged reading of Charles Johnson's full-length play The Reprieve. Back to Education

TFANA and District 11 were awarded a highly prestigious grant, funded in part by New York State Council on the Arts in order to create an integrated interdisciplinary curriculum for 7th and 8th grades, linked thematically to Richard III and the Shakespeare unit by the theme of "Survival".

"I can tell you that students in remedial English classes were inspired by the program. 40% of them passed English in comparison to 20% the year before."

--   Pamala Stengel, teacher, George Washington High School, 1994

"Not only have these students found their artistic voices and learned the fundamentals of playwriting, they believe there is a possibility of changing things. They know that their plays speak the truth and are a positive contribution to the process of change . . . a 'new voice' has truly been created."

--   Sharon O'Reilly, teacher and playwriting coordinator, Southshore High School, 1995

TFANA Education programs are also in residence at 3 Annenberg Schools: IS 285 in Brooklyn, as well as PS 79 and PS 165 in Queens. Last year we began the planning phases within the schools wherein extensive staff development was provided in order to prepare the teachers for their work within the program. This year, implementation begins in full with the World Theatre Project participants as well as an Oral History Literacy Project designed by TFANA.Back to Education

Through a partnership with Teachers and Writers Collaborative and NBC, TFANA piloted a co-teaching model with a poet and a playwright at Martin Luther King High School in Manhattan. The playwright visited 17 times, the poet 10, and professional actors visited the school twice in a residency that will serve as a touchstone for teaching the classics and the model for a writing program.

"This was the first play I ever wrote. I enjoyed this class because it was the first time anyone ever let me write and be honest. The most important thing I learned was to use my imagination, and I think using my imagination can help me do a lot of things in life. It can help me write better, but it can also help me in the future..."

-- Andy Richards, John Dewey High School student, 1994

TFANA Education has now developed an after-school literacy program based on A Midsummer Night's Dream for the first through the third grades, piloted this year in District 18. Back to Education