A Skate Play, presented by Eyes Up Here Productions
A Skate Play, helmed by Noelle Ghoussaini (Creator/Director), Nilou Safinya (Producer) and Esther Chang (Associate Producer), brings storytelling and skateboarding together in an unprecedented theatrical experience that socially engages youth in public skateparks worldwide. Presented by Eyes Up Here Productions, the project showcases an original skate-theatre production and provides a playful, innovative platform for community-based creative exploration. First performed in McCarren Skatepark in 2013, A Skate Play was translated into Arabic for Skateqilya Skatepark in Jayyous, Palestine in 2018. In the multidisciplinary production, skaters represent the flight of birds performing in tandem with actors, integrating skate choreography with theatrical dialogue and storytelling. In addition to the live production in Golconda Skate Park, the team provides community outreach programs for youth in the form of theatre workshops to explore storytelling and creative engagement in public space, and by offering the opportunity to freestyle with and learn from the team’s skate pros.
This iteration is made possible with the support of Downtown Brooklyn + DUMBO Art Fund and a partnership with The Theatre Development Fund, who will be creating an accompanying curriculum for five local public high schools.
Read more about A Skate Play in this Skateism Magazine feature.
The Downtown Brooklyn + Dumbo Art Fund is a perfect match for A Skate Play as a core part of our work is to activate skateparks as sites of social, artistic and educational engagement. With this grant, we will highlight the area as a cultural hub, create educational opportunities for local youth and will provide free, accessible artistic programming for the local community. A Skate Play will connect diverse communities across the boundaries of location, language, age, sport, and theatre in a public space – serving the DRI vision of activating “vibrant neighborhoods where the next generation of New Yorkers will want to live, work, and raise a family.
Noelle Ghoussaini (Creator/Director), Nilou Safinya (Producer), and Esther Chang (Associate Producer)
