Theater by Me (Spring 2025!)
Theatre by Me, NECS’s third annual student-created theater program, invites youth ages 12-18 to develop essential life skills through the transformative power of theater. In a fun and supportive environment, students will collaborate to write and perform an original play, honing skills in storytelling, teamwork, self-advocacy, and creative expression. The program will culminate in a Juneteenth showcase presentation, offering a powerful and meaningful performance experience for both the cast and audience. Session include Tech week rehearsals. June 16, 17 & 18 with performace on June 19.
- Appropriate for: 5th to 12th Grade
- Dates: Saturdays 10 Sessions (April 5, 2025 - June 14, 2025)
Instructors
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Leslie Fields-CruzArtistic DirectorLeslie Fields-Cruz is the Executive Director of the Black Public Media (BPM), and produces the PBS series AfroPOP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange.
Searching for an opportunity to share her love of theater with her children, Leslie Fields-Cruz joined the staff of Peekskill’s Children’s theatre company in 2009 with her own kids in tow. Since then, every fall season Leslie eagerly looks forward to creating the magic that is theater with the CTC community. Leslie served as the Artistic Director of City Lights Youth Theater in NYC from 1998-2000, and spent several years prior to that as an actor performing on stages in New York and Los Angeles.When she is not playmaking at CTC, Leslie spends her time funding and distributing documentary films that explore the cultures of African Americans and people of the African Diaspora. Leslie lives in Cortlandt Manor with her musician husband Gerry Cruz, and their three daughters, Maya, Sumara, and Cierra.
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Matthew BensonServicial, dynamic, dependable. Matthew Benson is a New Yorker who has engaged his time to serve others. He started his studies in Dobbs Ferry and later in the city of Peekskill, where he is currently living and offering his work to the community. He is part of the NECS team as a coach in the theater program and for the empowerED boys club.
