
Bond Street Theatre serves refugee populations and communities affected by conflict by utilizing the arts as a pathway to peace and prosperity. We provide joy and laughter, educational enrichment, trauma relief, and cultural stimulation through our arts-based programming. The company is a non-profit NGO in association with the UN-DPI and has worked in a myriad of critical regions worldwide.
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
Intern spotlight: Rukhsar Balkhi
Wednesday, August 17, 2022
Intern Spotlight: Maihan Naimi
Hi there, my name is Maihan. I am in my third year at Bard College in New York, where I study Computer Science. I am an intern at the Bond Street Theater in Manhattan. In the meantime, I participated in Bard's globalization and international affairs program. I had been a student for three years at the American University in Afghanistan. After the government collapsed, I transferred to Bard College. At the Science Olympiad, I took home two silver medals in chemistry, and at the Amity International Olympiad, I got a bronze medal in biology.
Summer 2022 |
Monday, April 19, 2021
Intern Spotlight: Molly Stone
Finding Community in Social Distance
From the beginning, Bond Street Theatre excited me with their commitment to using theatre as a tool for change. I learned of the organization through a passion for empathy, conflict resolution and the power of theatre. During my final year at Grinnell College, I conducted a research project with my advisor, Dr. John Garrison, about the power of performance as a tool for peace. While researching All My Sons, the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace and “Give Peace a Chance,” I delved into non-profit organizations that utilize performance to explore social justice themes. I discovered Bond Street Theatre and, as I learned more about their incredible work, I decided to reach out to get involved. I am very thankful that I did.
Although I initially expected to be in New York City with the team, the pandemic shaped my experience into a virtual summer internship. This, however, did not take away from the incredible relationships and essential skills I developed over the course of three months. I stepped into a community that welcomed me and my ideas, encouraging me to learn and grow. I researched countries for grant proposals, developed a new Twitter strategy, and conducted grant research. My biggest project grew out of my desire to build connection and accountability despite physical distance. Bond Street has an incredible network of past interns who share strong beliefs in the power of theatre and its place in changing the world. I wanted to bring together the youth members on a monthly basis to discuss current social issues, brainstorm ideas, and explore ways that the organization’s work could evolve. Our first meeting took place at the end of July, when we all came together to share anti-racism resources and explore our role as individuals and members of Bond Street in the fight for racial justice.
My internship may have ended in August, but my involvement with Bond Street is far from over. The Youth Group continues to meet monthly as new interns lead discussions on issues close to their heart. The Bond Street community is not a stranger to distance and the conducting of important projects across borders, so this group easily maintains an honest and open space for Bond Street-related brainstorming, personal project development, and essential conversations with like-minded artists. Tim Steckler, a fellow Bond Street Youth member, came to the group with a desire to create a space where theatre can be used as a tool to explore anti-racist allyship. Now, Theatre for Anti-Racist Allyship (TARA) meets weekly where we discuss important texts, learn together about our roles in working towards a more compassionate, just world, and develop theatre techniques that can be used to explore anti-racist allyship. Personally, I hope for more domestic Bond Street programming in the future and I continue to develop ideas that may one day be implemented into a project stateside. I am beyond grateful for the community I found in Bond Street, the amazing friendships that have developed out of the Youth Group, and the commitment we all have to develop projects that combine performance and social change. I look forward to seeing how Bond Street Theatre and all those who support it will continue to create projects that prove performance is a strong, essential tool for the peace-making we all wish to see in the world.
Friday, February 26, 2021
Intern Sportlight: Nina Rosstalnyj
This month Nina Rosstalnyj, our new intern from the Central European University and participant of Bard College's BGIA program, writes about her connection to theatre and what brought her to Bond Street Theatre.
After too many ungraspable ‘no's’ I was so frustrated that I decided to do something totally different in my life, and to never even think about theatre again. It took me three years of studying political science in a new city, one internship at the German embassy in Ukraine and five months student's exchange in Romania to overcome my anger and unwillingness towards performing theatre myself. In my last undergraduate year, I participated in the University's theatre group and learned to appreciate it as a hobby, without all the pressure I put on myself before and, in the meantime, political activism and the theory behind it had become my new passion.
Monday, March 30, 2020
Intern Spotlight: Erin Eubanks
Friday, May 31, 2019
Border Stories: a US-India-Bangladesh collaborative adventure
Tuesday, February 06, 2018
Intern Spotlight: Rania
Saturday, November 25, 2017
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women
- 750 million women and girls alive today married before their 18th birthday
- 35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence
- Approximately 120 million girls worldwide have experienced non-consensual sexual intercourse and/or sexual assault
Bond Street Theatre continues to promote an end to violence against women, both through our work with women and girls and, equally importantly, by engaging men and boys to speak out for justice. Through artistic solutions, we aim to change entrenched cultural gender norms present in communities from the US to Afghanistan, and to bring an end to violence against women.
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Members of the Rohingya Women's Theatre and Masakini Theatre perform a play about refugee rights in Malaysia. |
Friday, September 22, 2017
Malaysia: Scenes from Kuala Lumpur
Performances also address resources that refugees can access to help deal with common issues, as seen in this snapshot of a rehearsal with Masakini Theatre. Though Malaysia is not a signatory of the UN Convention on Refugees, domestic and international non-profits operating in the country do offer some limited resources.
All performances are interactive, meaning that audience members have the opportunity to discuss, or even correct information presented based on their experiences. This is both an effective tool for sparking dialogue among refugees, and for relaying the most up-to-date information about refugee experiences to advocacy groups attending performances.
Audience members ranged in age, nationality, religion, gender and background. Here, some of our youngest audience members enjoy a refreshing post-show treat with a cast member.
The program has been a great success, and we are so excited to share that the Rohingya Women's Development Network and Somali Community Coalition will continue to train with Masakini Theatre.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Working with Refugees in Malaysia
After one week, we’re already off to a great start. We can’t wait to see where this project takes us.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Celebrating World Refugee Day
1987: Montreal
1999: Kosovo Refugee Camps - Macedonia
2001: Afghan Refugee Camps - Pakistan
2011-2012: Refugee Camps - Haiti
2016: Borak Arts Series - Penang Malaysia