In the News

CUNY SPS MA in Applied Theatre alum Sarah Chalmers Simmons (Class of '10) published a chapter in the book "Into Abolitionist Theatre: A Guidebook for Liberatory Theatre-making". Her chapter 'The Power of Difference: Solidarity on the Path,' which explores the development of Civic Ensemble's ReEntry Theatre Program's 2018 production "Streets like this," focuses on writing, editing, and performance processes and draws on first-person interviews with participants and facilitators. By including practical steps for making theatre in community and the challenges of finding solidarity between participants and practitioners, the chapter unpacks conflicts inherent in pursuing a liberatory theatre practice that takes us beyond the easy binary of right and wrong and into the messy work of building solidarity across difference.

BA in Disability Studies student Lennyn Jacob was quoted in this Bronx Times Op-Ed, which detailed CUNY's various programs to strengthen support for students with disabilities.

CUNY SPS' Working the Gap initiative, which was established by the School's Youth Studies program to help young adults support the wellbeing of communities, is highlighted in an article announcing that the Mayor's Office and CUNY will be investing $16.5 million dollars in restorative justice work. As noted in the piece, the nonprofit Change Impact has been awarded a grant to create a Restorative Practice and Justice Fellowship for young adults that will be administered through Working the Gap.

In a special in-depth interview, CUNY SPS Applied Theatre alum Aryan Johnson details her background and offers insights about her multi-hyphenate career in the arts.

The website City & State New York named CUNY SPS alum Phara Souffrant Forrest (BS Nursing '20) on their list of the "2024 Brooklyn Power 100." Souffrant Forrest received a #30 ranking for her work in the New York State Assembly as a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. As a New York State Representative, Souffrant Forrest has focused on tenant rights and expanded access to health care, including championing efforts to eliminate copays for insulin. She also chairs the Assembly Task Force on New Americans and has worked on legislation to reform prison and jail policies. She was elected to office in 2020 and represents the 57th Assembly District in Brooklyn, which includes Prospect Heights, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and parts of Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant.