Shake It Out, Inc a 501(c)(3) non-profit is a tuition free summer theater program that seeks to empower female identifying teen girls from NYC based neighborhoods regardless of geographic location, socio-economic status, nationality and/or ethnic origin to explore storytelling through theater in a peaceful, supportive, fun and educational setting. Shake It Out, Inc. is founded on the premise that exploration through theatre arts is essential to youth development and contributes to the overall social and emotional well-being of young people.
Our vision is two-fold. First, our program is aimed at increasing literacy, writing skills, team building/communication skills, self-expression, and friendship through theatre. We believe our youth participants can engage their “theatre brain” as a way to gain much needed confidence that can often be lacking in adolescence. In addition, we believe we can use theater as a way to teach empathy. Learning empathy through theatre is essential to fostering self-awareness in young people. Empathy deepens understanding of text, allowing the young performer to connect to and internalize the emotional life of a character.