A local launchpad for new theatrical work that nourishes the community and fosters civic dialogue
Upcoming Youth Programs
Youth Performance Festival
The Youth Performance Festival (YPF), a collaboration between Play Incubation Collective and the Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley, is a FREE opportunity for youth artists ages 8-18 to create original performance pieces under the guidance of mentor artists in the fields of music, dance, theater, poetry/spoken word, and video. YPF centers the creative agency of young artists, and is committed to supporting them as they discover their own creative processes. We are excited to partner with Make-It Springfield for YPF 2024 to create a Springfield-based youth cohort. This group will rehearse together at Make-It Springfield throughout the winter, and perform at the Festival in Northampton in February 2024!
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Please join us for an info session on Saturday, December 2nd at Make-It Springfield at 10:00am or Northampton Center for the Arts at 33 Hawley at 1:00pm. Rehearsals for all youth artists will be held on Saturdays starting December 9th. The Festival will be held February 10-11, 2024.
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Questions? Email sarah@playincubation.org.
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Upcoming Dates:
Sat 12/2
10-11am, Info Session at Make-It Springfield
1-2pm, Info Session at NCFA
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Annual Youth Programs
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At PIC Kids Summer, young artists (ages 7-11) went on an adventure through the creative process as they explored theater, movement, and music. Each of the 4 weeks followed a different theme, and all weeks culminated in a sharing of the young artists's original work.
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Our themes this year were:
Make 'Em Laugh
Instructors: Brianna Sloane and Andrew Roberts
We explored all things physical comedy this week in a vaudeville extravaganza! Embracing a spirit of play and joy, we drew on elements from classic comedy characters (commedia dell’arte) and story formats (vaudeville, slapstick) to develop our own vaudeville sketch show.
Growl and Groove
Instructors: Tracy Einstein and Richie Barshay
This week we immersed ourselves in theater and music activities that drew on natural elements and animal characteristics. Together we built habitats and stories using animal-inspired games, musical exploration, and imaginative play. Animals inspired characters and characters inspired a musical landscape, culminating in a theatrical journey through a new animal world.
Soundscapes and Sorcery
Instructors: Tracy Einstein and Richie Barshay
Rhythm and rhymes converged in this whimsical week of group storytelling, improvisational music making, writing, and more! We conjured new worlds as we created poems with a soundtrack and went on an enchanted exploration of our surroundings using theater, drumming, and movement, culminating in a sharing of our collaborative rhythmic soundscape.
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Five Day Play
Instructors: Brianna Sloane and Andrew Roberts
Together we embarked on the creative challenge of making our own play from scratch!WE used theater games, improvisation, and writing exercises to develop and explore characters, setting and story. Joyful collaboration guided our creative process, as we unlocked the magic of storytelling.
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PIC’s annual All-Ages Salon at Park Hill Orchard is a celebration of the artistic process. In 2023 it marked day one in the two day PIC Kids Fall Fest event. This sharing of new, original works created and performed by youth and adult artists in an iconic outdoor setting is always a big hit with the whole family!