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Theatre in Motion is an award-winning, participatory, educational, non-profit theatre company. We feature intergenerational, multi-ethnic, creative and performing artists with and without disabilities, serving intergenerational populations, without and with
Special Needs. Programs include original creative drama and music workshops, residencies, and performances, as well as online Professional Development. Our programs are interactive and most (not all) are offered via Zoom or other digital platforms. Everything is created to meet your specific needs, virtual or in-person. Emotional Intelligence abounds.

We serve New York, New Jersey, and Well Beyond!

Our Newest Project ...

Lovingly crafted by Leslie Fanelli and the team of Teaching Artists at Theatre in Motion,

"Celebrating Intergenerational Community: Youth, Family, Neighborhood Partnerships"

Via interactive Theatre Arts and Music is being conducted at

The Boys and Girls Clubs of Poughkeepsie, NY,

And Ft. Myers, FL ... as well as Special Pops Day Program in Cape Coral, FL.

Funded by the J. M. McDonald Foundation

A joyfully successful community. Improvisation, Music, Storytellig, Dance, and more!

Here are some of the participants!

image-1016206-Boys__Girls_Club,_Poughkeepsie-c9f0f.w640.jpg

Please take a few minutes to scroll down and get to know our other programs.

Program One: For all ages! Participatory, Creative Drama workshops that embrace Emotional Intelligence. (Although that link pertains to youth, Emotional Intelligence applies to everyone.)

Theatre in Motion has created a new booklet entitled, "Nurturing Emotional Intelligence with Creative Drama, Acting, Improv, Music, and Visual Art via Live Classes and Zoom." Please contact us to receive a free copy. TSHIRL@aol.com (Cut and paste email address, if needed.)

Program Two: Improvisational Theatre Performances with participation, ages 10 to adult

Program Three: Original Award-Winning, Orchestral Music Videos that showcase performers with and without disabilities, as well as captivating original art.

These videos have been honored by VSA, a Program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and selected to be part of their International Digital Arts Festival, "40 Days Around the World," celebrating the 40th anniversary of VSA, founded by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith. This festival also celebrates the anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act.
Also, we have an educational component, customized for your group, to join in tandem with the videos, if desired. The imaginative music videos and informative presentation are about The Father of American Landscape Architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted, the story behind his success, and America's parks over the centuries. For ages 12+

The honored Theatre in Motion music videos are:

"Song of the Land" with American Sign Language

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXUGU3EpGwc

"Back in 1873" with American Sign Language

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKjtPzH2Ni4

Other Theatre in Motion music videos, with captions, can be found at:

YouTube Leslie Fanelli

The paintings below depict Frederick Law Olmsted in 1859, then much older in 1894. These and other original images are juxtaposed into the filmed footage of our prize-winning, music videos. Enjoy all of this enchanting visual art, which is fully featured on The Art Gallery for our Music Videos page.

Program Four: Interactive Multiple Intelligences Workshops with a lively, instructive approach for educators, paraprofessionals, aides, therapists, administrators, parents, caregivers, student teachers, teaching artists, advocates, and all other interested organizations, inclusive of empowered people with disabilities.

“I certainly believe that theater involves a multiplicity of intelligences ....” Dr. Howard Gardner,

Author of Frames of Mind:The Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Program Five, Online: Professional Development for Teachers, Parents, Administrators, and interested others

Online participants will acquire skills in conducting creative drama and music activities for students who have a wide range of disabilities as well as abilities. When you employ these newly acquired skills, your students will gain much improved communication, self-esteem, cooperation, and a sense of fun. Included are:

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Multiple Intelligences

Program Six: Published Music and Books: Theatre in Motion has recorded the musical soundtracks to two of its original shows, The Promise of Central Park (from which the aforementioned music videos originate), plus a completely different soundtrack, Disability Pride. Respectively, these soundtracks can be found at:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-promise-of-central-park/281883833

https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Pride-Theatre-Motion/dp/B001CISGXM

We have also written a "How To" book about generating dynamic Arts-in-Education programs.

It is a multi-volume book, Playhouse Verse: Creative Drama, Poetry, and Universal Design for Learning. Part I, which is the text overview that describes the pioneering theatre residencies, can be accessed by contacting Leslie Fanelli at tshirl@aol.com, or call 908-723-0564 (USA). Below are Parts II and III. They are WORD files of student poetry.

(Other original books are on the next Contact Page.)