I am a visual artist, playwright, and facilitator dedicated to empowering young people. I employ a holistic approach to art making, developing both the body and mind as art making tools. I empower young people to have ownership in the creative making process. I create a safe space where young people can share their perspectives and discuss their experiences, as well as, explore and take risks. I am committed to celebrating diversity and multiculturalism. I foster an environment where uniqueness is celebrated and utilized in the theatre making process. I encourage empathy and critical and creative thinking in developing work. I empower young people to explore issues important to them and their future. I support socially conscious work. I utilize a variety of tools, such as visual art, playwriting, devising, physical theatre, mask work, forum theatre, process drama, and puppetry when working with young artists.  I aim to cultivate in young artists remembering to pause, an awake body, a tender heart, and an open mind.

I have taught visual and dramatic arts with the following organizations;

ArtsConnection

Children’s Art Guild, NYC, NY

Daurma Eco-Farm, Bang Phra, Thailand

Enigmata Arts Camp, Camiguin, Philippines

Fit for Life, NYC, NY

Hands On; A Musical Experience, NYC, NY

Hartley House, NYC, NY

Lawrence Arts Center, Lawrence, KS

Newark Collegiate Academy, Newark, NJ

Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Madison, NJ

ProjectArt, NYC, NY

Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy, Topeka, KS

Trinity Church, Wall Street, NYC, NY

Tykes in the Heights, NYC, NY

Saint David’s School, NYC, NY

William Inge Center for the Arts, Independence, KS

ArtsConnection

Upper Elementary

Parade puppets themed around “Solidarity”.

Project Art, Puppetry Projects

Elementary

Children’s Art Guild, Pre-K-Middle School Art Teacher

Pre-K

Lower Elementary

 

Upper Elementary

Middle School

 

Trinity Wall Street’s Summer Arts Camp, Drama and Costume Construction

Hands on!  A Musical Experience, Visual Arts Teacher

Tykes in the Heights, Visual Arts Teacher

Playwrights Theatre of New Jersey, Madison, New Jersey, Playwriting

Daurma Eco-Farm, Bang Phra Thailand, Devised Theatre, Puppetry, Playwriting, Costume Construction

Enigmata Treehouse and Eco-lodge, Enigmata Arts Camp, Camiguin, Philippines, Creative Writing and Puppetry

Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy, Topeka, Kansas, Wrote Plays for young artists, directed productions, created costumes/taught costume construction

He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.

St. Francis of Assisi

In many shamanic societies, if you came to a shaman or medicine person complaining of being disheartened, dispirited, or depressed, they would ask one of four questions. When did you stop dancing? When did you stop singing? When did you stop being enchanted by stories? When did you stop finding comfort in the sweet territory of silence? Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories, or finding comfort in silence is where we have experience the loss of soul. Dancing, singing, storytelling, and silence are the four universal healing salves.

Freeing the soul, freeing ourselves to be soulful, means empowering ourselves to really see what’s going on in ourselves, in others, in our lives. This seeing is not the ordinary sort of looking we’re habituated to. Looking operates on the surface; seeing probes beneath to discern the essence, the motion, the energy. Looking is just a matter of regarding things things according to our preconceived, static ideas. But as the new physics and biology have clearly shown, our surface impression of the nature of reality as static naively misses the truth of the constant motion and infinite space that truly constitute reality.

Gabrielle Roth