A Therapeutic Theater Project designed to inspire and encourage healing for at-risk underserved women and girls plagued by histories of childhood trauma, neglect and abuse. Through writing, dance, hypnosis, improvisation, and ritual, a deeper sense of purpose and connection to worth and power resulted. The workshop women continued to meet regularly with Rev. Heller, to explore and examine the most feared, dormant parts of themselves, as well as their deepest aspirations. As the process unfolded it became evident that further growth and development required stepping beyond the personal to the transpersonal. Accordingly, Let the Phoenix Rise! a play inspired by the creative process and writings from these workshops was written. Under the artistic direction of Pamela Scott, Playwright, Actor, and Founder of Aching Dogs Theater Co, LTPR! was presented in two staged readings by the Aching Dogs Theater Company and Actors from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. A performance was brought to girls from Phoenix House Residential Program and Represent Magazine at the Center Stage Theater January 2011. April 30, 2011 LTPR! was presented @ The Producers Club Grand Theater, introducing music and lyrics written by Laura Gosheff and Daniel Neiden. The April 30th Producers Club performance took place with the endorsement from the organization GEMS, allowing us to share LTPR! with the girls they mentor. Phoenix Project NYC Theater Collective also presented at Fordham University's Sept. 24, 2011 "Be the Evidence Project" forum on the use of arts for individual and social change. As of March 2012, artistic direction was picked up by Daniel Neiden. Under Neiden's direction, staged readings of LTPR! were performed for agency personnel and leaders in the social services and creative arts, followed by 'meet & greets' @ The Players Theater Loft on April 23, 2012 and May 25, 2012 and The Gene Frankel Theater on July 30.2012. October 2012 performances took place at the Kraine Theater in NYC. Daniel Neiden, sponsored and co-hosted a dynamic promotional event, featuring the NYC Premiere of the Dalai Lama documentary "Road to Peace", at the Tribeca Screening Room on Sunday October 21, 2012, where The Phoenix Project's promotional video and mission was showcased. A Gratis Part 2 Therapeutic Workshop, for the women who partook in the October 28th Phoenix Workshop happened in early April 2013. The April 2013 workshop prepared the women for a stage-worthy performance of the narratives and prose which they wrote in the workshop process. Dubbed The Atomic Butterflies, the workshop women performed their theatrical pieces as an opening act for LTPR! at the Kraine Theater in NYC on April 15, 2013. THE WORKSHOP
The Phoenix Project is a comprehensive workshop for women and girls who want to give creative expression to their struggles and find empowering solutions to life’s conflicts. Through psychological, spiritual, and creative exploration, we challenge and confront sources of oppression, so that a deeper sense of purpose and conviction of our own self-worth and power results. A comprehensive Phoenix Project creative arts workshop occurred on Sunday October 28, 2012 @ Theater Row Studios in NYC, and the follow-up workshop occurred on April 6, 2013. This Gratis Part 2 Therapeutic Workshop prepared the women for a stage-worthy performance of the narratives and prose which they wrote in the workshop process. Heller's vision involves integrating diverse form of spiritual and artistic expression within the workshop process. Collaborations with various artists and social service organizations will further expand the opportunities for under-served populations to give creative expression to their own journeys towards healing and self-realization via poetry, fairytale, mask work, dance, dramatization, and through a variety of fine art mediums that will manifest their experiences, hopes, and dreams into visual, musical, and/or theatrical form. To coordinate a Sistah Tribe Phoenix Project Event please contact Rev. Heller at [email protected]
