ABSTRACT
Judy Tate discusses the history, theory, and practice of the Stargate Theatre Company, which engages justice-involved adolescents and young men as an ensemble to devise and perform original work. Under the guidance of professional directors, stage managers and social workers, Stargate offers their youth the opportunity to engage in theatre as a work-readiness project and be paid to write, rehearse, and perform on one of MTC’s stages. Charting her own background as a Performer and Teaching Artist, from early training under Stella Adler to years of work with incarcerated youth on Rikers Island, Tate offers perceptions and practical advice about the uses of theatre to engage this population of traditionally marginalized, unrepresented, and frequently misrepresented youth. The author describes the rigorous process by which Stargate enlists its members and builds its work, step by step, from ensemble building activities through rehearsal and performance. At the same time, the reader gains an understanding of the ethics and values by which these young men are expected to support one another in a challenging collaborative theatre-making enterprise, and how those skills can offer further pathways to self-reflection and self-efficacy.
