( ENSPIRE Community Spotlight ) Transforming School Closures Into Creativity & Community LEAP’s School’s Out Theater Program
ENSPIRE Contributor: Valerie Siu
School closures often leave students with many missed opportunities for personal growth, but that can all change with the aid of LEAP. LEAP’s School’s Out Theater Program redefines how students spend their days off by providing a safe environment to engage in the arts, build confidence, and explore their creative voices. Launched on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025, LEAP uses theater and workshops to educate and inspire students, using historical references and social justice themes that connect with today’s youth. The program fosters creativity and provides a structured space where students can connect with their peers, discuss important community issues, and learn leadership skills. This ensures they can be active and participate in a community where time away from their classrooms is spent meaningfully and positively.
LEAP’s School’s Out Theater Program offers a unique experience beyond traditional childcare options. By weaving social justice themes and historical context into its theatrical curriculum, LEAP empowers students to become informed. Through collaborative projects and discussions, students explore complex issues, develop their communication skills, and discover their potential to make a difference. This approach to learning ensures that students not only have fun and express themselves creatively but also gain valuable life skills that will benefit them long after the school bells ring.
What inspired the creation of the School’s Out Theater Program?
LEAP partners with school communities to provide creative arts programs that empower New York City youth to pursue their passions, develop their strengths, and amplify their voices.
The School’s Out Theater Program was created to address a critical need: safe, enriching student spaces during school breaks when families may lack childcare options. More than just an arts program, LEAP is a vital resource that offers mentorship and creative expression. It is a place where young people can thrive while giving families peace of mind. Students find their voice in a supportive, inspiring environment through theater, storytelling, and self-expression.
The School’s Out Theater Series, led by LEAP Artists LIVE!, our professional performing ensemble, provides students access to professionally staged performances that reflect diverse cultures, histories, and voices. Our award-winning ensemble, led by our Signature Programs Director, Kathy D. Harrison, researched, staged, and performed each production.
At its core, this program is about opportunity—the opportunity to be inspired, dream bigger, and belong. We are proud to partner with NYC communities to ensure that, during school breaks, every child has a place where they can be safe, seen, and supported through the power of theater.
How does LEAP plan to expand the program throughout 2025 and beyond?
LEAP is committed to breaking down barriers to arts education and expanding access to high-quality creative programming for NYC’s most underserved and underrepresented youth. We aim to grow the School’s Out Theater Program so that more students, regardless of their school’s budget or other priorities, have consistent access to the arts. To achieve this, LEAP plans to partner with new foundations, corporate sponsors, and individual donors to ensure we can continue to provide programs like this free of cost to youth and parents.
We will continue to partner with principals at new schools, community organizations, and cultural institutions to bring our programs to more NYC neighborhoods. By partnering with leaders who prioritize arts education, we can extend our reach and make these programs available to more students who might otherwise have no access to the arts.
How can parents, educators, and community members participate in LEAP’s initiatives?
At LEAP, the arts catalyze connection, inspiration, and empowerment for students and entire communities. That’s why our School’s Out Theater Series, featuring performances from LEAP Artists LIVE!, is designed to be an inclusive, intergenerational experience where parents, educators, and community members can actively participate, ensuring that every child has access to the transformative power of the arts.
We invite families to attend performances together, creating shared moments of joy, cultural exploration, and learning. The LEAP School’s Out Theater Series aims to create opportunities to strengthen community bonds and introduce our students to powerful, often untold stories that promote empathy and understanding. Through these initiatives, families and community members can become part of a movement that ensures every child has access to the arts, amplifies student voices, and creates safe spaces to dream, build, and grow.
For educators, this program serves as a valuable extension of classroom learning. Educators can bring their students and guide them through critical discussions about the arts, history, and self-expression referenced in the School’s Out Theater Series performances.
Finally, every member of any community who is inspired by our performances or is motivated to provide access to the arts for children and communities can reach out to LEAP to offer their support in the form of service, volunteerism, or a donation to make these programs possible for even more children next year. Those interested in supporting programs like these can visit www.leapnyc.org to learn more about our programs.
What role do partnerships (such as All Stars Project, INC. and The National Endowment for the Arts, LEAP, and LEAP Artists LIVE!) play in making this program successful?
The School’s Out Theater Program is made possible through meaningful partnerships with organizations that share LEAP’s commitment to arts accessibility, youth development, and social impact. These partnerships are essential to the success of LEAP programs.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) plays a critical role by funding, promoting, and strengthening our communities’ creative capacity. Their support ensures that high-quality, professional arts programming remains free and accessible to students regardless of socioeconomic background.
“The NEA is proud to continue our nearly 60 years of supporting the efforts of organizations and artists that help to shape our country’s vibrant arts sector and communities of all types across our nation. It is inspiring to see the wide range of creative projects, including LEAP’s School’s Out Theater Series” – said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD.
All Stars Project, INC., a youth and community development leader, provided a vital performance space at its West 42nd Street Center, reinforcing its mission of transformation through performance. Their partnership allows our young people to experience history, social justice themes, and self-expression through the arts in a dedicated, welcoming environment.
“Hosting LEAP’s School’s Out Theater Program aligns beautifully with our mission of transformation through performance. Dr. King’s dream of unity and equality continues to inspire our work, and seeing young people engage with this history through the arts reminds us that his message resonates just as powerful today. As we reimagine our West 42nd Street center as a shared destination for youth and community development, we’re excited to partner with LEAP in creating spaces where young people can dream and discover new possibilities for their futures.” – Diane Stiles, VP and Director of All Stars Project of NY.
LEAP Artists LIVE! Is only one of the many components of LEAP that helps our educators share their expertise in arts education and immersive theater to create impactful programming. Through original musicals, students learn about pivotal historical moments engagingly and educationally.
How does this initiative help students stay engaged and safe during school closures?
At LEAP, we believe children exposed to the arts become creative, confident, and productive adults. Through live performances and interactive discussions, students explore social justice themes, history, and self-expression in fun and thought-provoking ways. Students engage with peers from different schools and learn to foster a sense of belonging and shared learning. Their knowledge inspired them, and they began seeing a new vision for their societal role. Students start questioning what they haven’t learned and are sparked to seek more information in and outside school. By transforming days off into days of growth, LEAP’s School’s Out Theater Program gives students a safe, inspiring place to discover their voices and connect with their community.
As LEAP expands its School’s Out Theater Program throughout 2025, support and funding remain essential to sustaining its mission. LEAP keeps students engaged while nurturing the next generation of leaders by providing them with a transformative space for creativity and learning. With additional programs planned, educators, donors, and community members can get involved and help ensure the arts remain accessible, inclusive, and empowering for all youth. This month, LEAP Artists LIVE! will participate in more of the School’s Out Theater Programs, with the next one being held during the mid-winter recess in February. To learn more about upcoming programs and how to support LEAP’s mission, visit the LEAP website.
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