The celebration convened students, alumni, and nationwide practitioners as part of a larger symposium on theatre for social and civic engagement.
In April, NYU Steinhardt marked a milestone moment by celebrating the 60th anniversary of its pioneering Educational Theatre program. Founded in 1966 by Lowell and Nancy Swortzell, the program has spent six decades redefining what theatre can do, not just on stage, but in classrooms, communities, and civic life.
The anniversary event, titled 60 Years of Impact, was more than a celebration; it was embedded within Amplify & Ignite: A Symposium on Theatre for Social and Civic Engagement, jointly sponsored by the program and the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (AATE). Together, the event and symposium position NYU Steinhardt at the center of a national conversation about the role of theatre in shaping a more just and connected society.
A Field Built on Purpose
Jonathan P. Jones
“When the program was created, it was the first of its kind,” says Jonathan P. Jones (MA ’04, PhD ’14, Educational Theatre), program administrator for NYU Steinhardt’s Educational Theater and Music Education programs. “Work in theatre education and community-engaged theatre was happening in pockets across the country, but it was informal. This program helped define the field.”
Today, that field has grown to include more than 100 programs nationwide, but NYU Steinhardt’s remains a leader, both in training practitioners and in shaping the discipline itself. At its core is a philosophy that theatre is not just about performance.
“The arts are a fundamental human right,” says Jones, who is also the current board chair of AATE and helped design and facilitate both the event and the symposium. “Theatre is often a bridge between art forms, bringing together storytelling, movement, design, and community dialogue. It’s a vital part of human development and communication.”
Theatre as a Catalyst for Change
(L to R) Adam D–F. Stevens, Marissa Russo, Courtney Boddie, and Daryl Embry
60 Years of Impact included a panel comprising distinguished Educational Theatre alumni whose careers reflect the program’s expansive reach: Courtney Boddie (MA ’03), vice president of education and school engagement for New 42 and Educational Theatre adjunct faculty at NYU Steinhardt; Daryl Embry (BS ’05), director, designer, and Educational Theatre adjunct faculty; and Marissa Russo (MA ’21), a performing arts special education teacher for New York City Public Schools and a consultant and coordinator for TDF’s Autism Friendly Performance Series.
Moderator Adam D–F. Stevens (MA ’18, Drama Therapy) led panelists through a conversation exploring the “how-to” of teaching theatre to explore deeper questions of purpose, ethics, and impact.
“The questions [tonight’s panel] will take up—how theatre shapes civic life, how practice adapts to non-traditional spaces, how we navigate the ethics of community-centered work—are not abstract questions,” said Jack H. Knott, Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of NYU Steinhardt in his opening remarks at the event. “They are the questions [educational theatre practitioners] have been answering, one room, one community, one performance at a time.”
Our alumni are sparking dialogue and creating change in so many different spaces. That’s the legacy we’re celebrating.
“At NYU Steinhardt, we’re not just training artists; we’re asking our students to think about theatre holistically and across the lifespan,” says Joe Salvatore, clinical professor and director of Educational Theatre, vice chair for academic affairs, and founder and director of the Verbatim Performance Lab. “Sometimes people think educational theatre is just about K–12 classrooms, but we’re also preparing practitioners to work in healthcare settings, community centers, correctional facilities, and cultural institutions.”
That broader vision is reflected in the Amplify & Ignite symposium, which highlighted organizations using theatre in innovative, community-centered ways. Featured practitioners included Roundabout Theatre Company’s workforce development initiatives in New York City; Alliance Theatre’s EXPAND program that offers free, on-site childcare to artists and arts workers in Atlanta, Georgia; and Children’s Theatre Workshop in Toledo, Ohio, which offers family support programs in tutoring, literacy, meal support, and more to help its community, which has a 45 percent poverty rate.
The Educational Theatre program’s alumni network offers a powerful testament to that impact. Graduates are working across sectors—and frequently on some of the highest-profile stages in the industry. Each year, multiple alumni are recognized among Tony Awards nominees and winners, particularly as producers bringing new work to Broadway.
“Educational theatre is not necessarily about the artist only making art,” says Salvatore. “The artist is a catalyst for something happening in the community, and that’s a very Steinhardt way of thinking. Our alumni are sparking dialogue and creating change in so many different spaces. That’s the legacy we’re celebrating.”
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