viBeStages, our core program, is a performance creation-rehearsal-production program offered three times a year (Summer, Fall and Spring). During this 8 to 10-week program (meeting after school and on weekends), we introduce young women to elements of writing, acting, dancing, singing, and songwriting through collaboration as well as solo work. The young women create stories, monologues, scenes, dances and songs that reflect and respond to the positive and negative situations in their lives. viBe teaching artists guide the participants to explore and articulate what they want and need to say to the community in their production. The girls craft a play that includes a host of the performance elements they develop during the program. The fully designed performances are held, free of charge, at professional theaters and are open to friends, family and all members of the community.

viBeSolos is an advanced program for motivated and independent viBe Alumnae who wish to write and perform one-girl-shows. Small ensembles of girls work with a professional dramaturg/director to write individual shows that express each girl’s unique vision of her world. The girls workshop their individual writing together, critique each other’s work, offer suggestions and support each other in performance.

viBeSongMakers is a specialized program that provides the tools for viBe Alumnae to write, record and perform original songs. Through progressive, hands-on music education and pre-professional mentorship, participants develop their creative voices through music, learn basic music theory and appreciation, and build confidence through collaboration and performance. Under the guidance of skilled teaching artists, a small group of girls study different genres and styles of music, explore rhythm and poetry and learn to write original songs. The girls then record the songs professionally in a studio, culminating in a full-length CD of their original material and perform their music at various venues and festivals. The girls also work with graphic artists in development of the packaging as well as participate in the marketing for their CD, which helps them build a sense of independence and entrepreneurship. viBe’s first CD, HOTFIRE: Finally Someone Hears Us! has already generated a positive buzz in the New York City-area music scene, including being listed on WFMU as one of the top ten albums of 2005. It is available at independent music stores and has been played on radio stations and heard around the country, and most recently picked up for distribution in Paris, France.

viBeApprenticeShip is a job-training program for viBe Alumnae who have expressed dedication to the theater and are interested in learning more about different career opportunities available for theater artists. Each viBe Apprentice is paired with an adult mentor, a professional theater artist, who teaches her one-on-one about an individual area of theater. The viBe Apprentice learns and practices her skills as part of the viBeStages production team. viBeApprenticeShips are available in Directing, Dramaturgy, Publicity and Marketing, Stage Management, Technical Theater, Theater Design and Choreography.

viBeGirlsInCharge is an innovative program that takes the viBe mission one step further by empowering viBe Alumnae to create their own program from top to bottom. Through close mentorship with a viBe teaching artist, this team of young leaders build the skills and gain the necessary experience to transform their community through creating and running their own performing-arts program. viBeGirlsInCharge leaders submit a proposal to viBe to develop and implement a new youth arts/education project. When accepted, they recruit and select an ensemble of fellow viBe Alumnae, develop and implement an arts/education curriculum. The young leaders teach, guide and direct their peers to write, produce and perform original work. They model their program after the successful structures of other viBe programs but the young leaders create their unique approach. In addition to their leadership of rehearsals and performance, the young leaders are also responsible for creating a budget, helping raise funds, securing rehearsal and performance space, generating marketing materials, and completing administrative tasks. They will learn to build skills that will help them when they enter the adult workforce. In order to effectively learn responsibility, these girls are given the responsibility.

viBeCreations is specifically created for pregnant and parenting teenaged girls. It began with a pilot run with pregnant teenagers living in foster care at Inwood House in Manhattan. A viBe teaching artist and a trained childbirth educator/ doula work with an ensemble of pregnant teenagers to create, rehearse and perform individual, original poetic shows. With few creative outlets, they have little opportunity to process their emotions, hopes and fears during this tremendous time of transition as they await the birth of their babies. The program moved to Brooklyn in the spring of 2007 and was co-directed by Ari, an astounding seventeen year old viBe Alum. We have witnessed the extraordinary power that the creative, playmaking process can have for these girls as they learned to trust themselves and find the strength to prepare for their futures.

Girls Life Adventure (GLA) In partnership with Girls Write Now, viBe launched GLA in the Fall of 2006. GLA is an arts based/ life skills program for teenage girls in New York City. Through a series of writing, performance and publication workshops the girls use creative approaches to discover practical solutions for the challenges they face. Each bi-monthly Quest embraces a specific topic (Sex, "Beauty," Spirituality, Food, Justice, & Money). A team made up of peer leaders, teaching artists and experts from the community serve as Quest Guides. Each Quest includes a workshop and an accompanying Travel Guidebook that has been created by the peer leaders. The workshops are fun, informative, interactive afternoons of arts-based activities inspired by the theme of the Quest. For more information go to http://www.girlswritenow.org/gwn/?q=node/25

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