Northeast Independent Living Program

In 2005, Epic's Board Treasurer William J. Martin first brokered the annual partnership between Epic and the teen summer program of the Northeast Independent Living Program in Lawrence, MA to bring socially-minded theatre to young clients who use wheelchairs or are deaf.

NILP's primary goal for their teens is to empower them towards self-actualization and physical and emotional independence, which meshes well with Epic's belief that youth self-expression models and catalyzes better civic participation; the partnership uses theatrical creation and performance of stories centered on themes of overcoming challenges to help these young people define their own strengths, present them to their community, and become excited by their ability to promote social change through drama. As the program has matured, two additional elements have been added: a group of youth who are at-risk for academic failure from the local Lawrence community, and 4 students from the High School Epic co-founded in the Bronx, both of whom are paid to act as Peer Leaders of the project.

Altogether, the two-week immersion program averages 35-40 ensemble members working to build communication bridges between their vastly diverse communities - an average workday includes a short vocabulary lesson in American Sign Language alongside the creation of silent tableaux to communicate emotions and improvisations on the challengesd of having Cerebral Palsy in the teenage work world. The ensemble builds their new play about their lived and their society together, based on classical models ranging from the Greek play Philoctetes to fairy tales, and then performs the piece for up to to several hundred audience members drawn from these many constituencies.