Big Green Theater Fall 2022 production with PS106:
RIVERVILLE GOES DOWN
The P.S. 106 BGT Team worked tirelessly with amazing students to bring the students' original play Riverville Goes Down to life! Full of a cast of characters including local townspeople, government officials, and vegan/vegetarian animals and creatures, this work reflected the importance of seeing everyone as a stakeholder in working collaboratively to actualize sustainable change in one's neighborhood/local environment. Check out these video excerpts from the production!
THE CAST:
Mrs Oscar: Jenelle Campbell
River: Josenny Colon
Noah: Prince Mason Negron
News Reporter + Claire: Ariana Pineda
Walter Melon: Josiah Reyes
Ms Lily: Jhaelyn Solis
Head: Justus Thompson
Pigasaurus: Angel Torres
News Reporter: Jaylee Varela
DESIGN TEAM:
Federica Borlenghi: Co-Designer
Andrés López-Alicea: Co-Designer
Clara Wiest: Design Assistant
Sheldon Bennet: Sound Op
TEACHING ARTISTS:
Jonathan Assensoh: BGT Intern
Allisha Edwards: Co-lead Teacher
Jnk Enzo: Co-lead Teacher
Nadia Sepsenwol: Assistant Teacher
Magaly Moncayo: Principal
Ms.bangora: P.S. 106 Movement Teacher
Dior St. Hillaire: BK ROT Exec. Director
Imani Russell: Songwriting Teacher
BUSHWICK STARR TEAM:
Noel Allain: Founding Artistic Director
Machel Ross: Associate Artistic Director
Cassandra Brown: Education Director
Jay Maury: Technical Director
Sheldon Bennett: Tech Assistant
French Toast Compost
Compost can help my neighborhood
Plant more trees, clean air, that's good
More flowers, more bees, more love, more seeds
More life for we, that's what we need
Not broken glass or rice and beans on the street
Actually compost can happen with ease
Scoop it up, chop it up, mix it with the wood
Compost for all is better for our hoods
That's how we keep the environment clean
Environmental Justice means respectin' our streets
When you see the trash don't blame me
Cause I am not the reason this is happening
Compost can help reduce our trash
Rich soil and mostly no more rats
Written by the students of BGT, in a workshop facilitated by BK ROT taught by Dior St. Hillaire
ABOUT BIG GREEN THEATER
Big Green Theater (BGT) is an eco-playwriting program for public elementary school students that uplifts the imaginations of young people most impacted by our new climate reality and brings their ideas to life on stage. BGT aims to inspire students to manifest a sustainable and just community by using the power of their creative voice.
The curriculum is structured as a creative outlet for students to learn the tools of playwriting and the fundamentals of environmental justice, practice critical thinking, and develop an expressive voice.
Guest professionals from the fields of science and activism visit the BGT classroom to lead interactive presentations, and students also take field trips to engage with the people and problems most relevant to their community. Students collaborate with each other to write plays inspired by these interactions.
Big Green Theater at The Bushwick Starr has grown to encompass the full school year through biannual curriculum in four public elementary school classrooms in Bushwick & Ridgewood. Our Fall BGT program allows students to transition from being playwrights to exploring performing, directing, designing, and stage managing alongside an adult ensemble of mentors. The final productions they create are performed in their school auditorium for fellow students, teachers, families, and the community. Our Spring BGT program culminates in a professional production at The Bushwick Starr theater, and is open for free public attendance.
BGT's history and objectives
How we keep bgt eco-conscious
Check out past PRODUCTIONS, pROGRAMS + MORE
Get involved
There are many opportunities to participate in this program. From working with students in the classroom, to developing eco-projects and initiatives, to helping paint stage sets or sewing costumes for the show- there’s something for everyone! If you’re interested in getting involved, please email us at: cassandra@thebushwickstarr.org
Program Support
Big Green Theater is made possible through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs' Cultural After School Adventures (CASA) Program and New York City Council members Jennifer Gutierrez and Sandy Nurse, The Revada Foundation of the Logan Family, Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation’s P/Arts program, the Lotos Foundation, Con Edison, and our community of supporters.
*This activity is not sponsored or endorsed by the New York City Department of Education or the City of New York.
Big Green Theater was initially conceived by Bushwick Starr founders Noel Allain and Sue Kessler. The program was developed and run in partnership with Jeremy Pickard and eco-theater collective Superhero Clubhouse from 2010-2020.
After 10 years of partnership on Big Green Theater, Superhero Clubhouse and The Bushwick Starr have begun running the program separately in order to expand our capacity to reach more students. Superhero Clubhouse will seed Big Green Theater in new neighborhoods while The Bushwick Starr continues to run the program in North Brooklyn. We are proud of the work we have done together over the past decade to uplift imaginations of youth on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and eager to see how this program will grow in the future.