Youth Theatre Workshop

Theatre workshops designed with the challenges of at risk youth in mind. Changing one life for the better; one life at a time.

Photographed by Cynthia Smalley Brenda Woolley is also known as BW Gonzalez. She is a graduate of The University of San Francisco (MPA) and Boston University’s College of Fine Arts (BFA). Early in her career she became a company member for The Living Stage Theatre Company in Washington, DC helping to create political pieces and conducting workshops in theatre arts for men and women in prison, at-risk youth and physically and mentally challenged children and adults. From there she moved to the Bay Area and began working for such notable theatres as Berkeley Repertory Theatre, The San Francisco Mime Troupe, The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, The Oakland Ensemble Theatre and San Diego Repertory Theatre. She became a company member at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival where she played such roles as Ariel in the Tempest, Masha in The Three Sisters, ShenTe/ShuiTa in The Good Person of Sezchuan, Titania in a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cassandra in The Trojan Women, Lady Macbeth in The Tragedy of Macbeth, Mattie Campbell in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. It was at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival that she created the role of Phoebe in Darker Face of the Earth written by the former Poet Laureate Rita Dove and performed this piece at Crossroads Theatre in New Jersey as well as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She has also worked for The Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, MA playing Benetha in A Raisin in the Sun as well as Hermione in The Winter’s Tale for Denver Theatre Center. Most recent television credits include: three seasons as Lupe on Arrested Development for FOX Television. She has taught master classes in Shakespeare, Improvisation, Voice and Speech, Dance as well as Movement for the stage to all ages and backgrounds for over thirty years. She has directed children and young adults in theatre productions around the Bay Area as well as directing Chicano Theatre in Los Angeles. She is the recipient of a Citation for Excellence in Theatre from The Massachusetts House of Representatives. She specializes in workshops for at risk youth and first time offenders.		I believe that we are all born with gifts; talents that when cultivated, shape our identity as well as our destiny. I also believe that circumstances shape our future success as citizens in society. If circumstances are less than favorable, no matter how talented one is or how many gifts one possesses the struggle to claim one’s own destiny can, at times, bankrupt the human spirit and threaten our very existence. Talent, without resources and support is like a seed without air, water and earth. Nurturing is an essential part of the fruition of any dream and the success of every human being that has one. We all desire a place in this world where we feel a part of something larger than ourselves. A child born to a loving and balanced family has the potential to make the world a better place for everyone. A child born to a family in crisis has the potential to turn the world upside down and hold an entire community hostage with fear. I have had the great honor to have been able to work most of my adult life in the arts. What I am most passionate about is the kind of impact the arts can have on an individual. Through the art of theatre we transform. By transforming perception not only of ourselves but also how we perceive the society we live in, theatre arts has a powerful impact that saves lives. I am one of those people who believes in the transformative power art has over the lives of individuals teetering on the brink of self-ruin. I am one of those people shaped and transformed not only by my circumstances but also my gifts. Sometimes what separates the individual who teeters and spirals down from the one that rises above can be the brief, yet, positive influence of another person. That is what happened to me. One person changed the trajectory of my life through the transformative art of theatre. My mission, my vision is to create a grassroots artistic movement to benefit and empower communities devastated by crime and poverty in order to renew the spirit of cooperation in community building and create a tipping point towards decreasing the violent elements that create this devastation. Our children are losing the ability to communicate effectively in society. In essence, they are losing their voice! The AT RISK YOUTH THEATRE WORKSHOP was designed specifically for at risk youth, first time juvenile offenders, and young men and women between the ages of 9-19. It can be designed with community needs in mind and the workshop itself can culminate in a fundraiser for community centers and non-profit organizations as well as institutions of learning and arts organizations. Workshops are designed around the community needs and challenges. They can also be adapted and modified for budget considerations.

At Risk Youth Theatre Workshop