A Message from our founder Meade Palidofsky
Dear Storycatchers friends and colleagues –
I hope this message finds you well.
Since 1984, when I founded Storycatchers Theatre, we have developed a powerful practice of working with young people in the juvenile justice system to create and perform musicals inspired by their stories. Even in this most difficult of years, we have continued to engage these youth in our healing-centered programs, which guide them to embrace new possibilities.
Storycatchers will soon begin a new chapter. At the end of August, I will leave my role as Artistic Director of Storycatchers to pursue other projects.
Over the past year, I have worked with our artistic leadership staff to document the Storycatchers methodology in a new handbook that reflects our 37-year evolution in trauma-informed creative youth development. I have prepared our talented and dedicated senior staff to write the next chapter of our story wisely and boldly. Our mission – and our methodology – remain the same as we continue to address the impact of decades of mass incarceration on predominantly black and brown communities.
Storycatchers is fortunate that Priya Shah will continue to lead the organization as its Executive Director. I am also pleased that three members of our program management team, Cheri Coons, Tamara Drew, and Thomas Murray, have agreed to serve as the interim artistic leadership team while the board and staff prepare to launch a search for the next Artistic Director in the fall of 2021.
My journey with Storycatchers has been profoundly creative and deeply rewarding. I am honored to have worked alongside our youth participants and their families, our staff, our program partners, and our supporters. This past year has demonstrated our staying power and potential. Throughout the pandemic, Storycatchers has remained open and in service to our young people – both virtually and in person. I am proud of our commitment.
Thank you for helping the company that I founded all those years ago grow into a strong, flourishing organization that will continue this important work into the future.
With gratitude,
Meade Palidofsky,
Founder and Artistic Director
A Message from Our Board of Directors and Executive Director
Meade’s artistic leadership of Storycatchers has been a treasure to us all, as she has guided the organization’s evolution and growth over the past nearly 40 years. Our company is strong, reflective, dynamic, and nimble because of her creative vision, and the future is bright for Storycatchers as a result.
We will certainly miss Meade’s day-to-day artistic leadership, but we know that she will continue to elevate the stories of young people in the justice system through her next project. Meade’s imprint on Storycatchers will forever remain, and the methodology she has refined over the years will inspire and inform our work with young people. As Meade’s colleagues and friends, we are grateful and humbled for her service and commitment to our shared mission.
Storycatchers has a strong transition plan in place. We are confident that our mission – and our story – will continue to guide young people to tell their stories, heal from trauma, and face the future with hope, optimism, and skills to succeed. It is why we do this work.
Thank you for your continued support of Storycatchers.
Sincerely,
Marty Behn, Board of Directors, Chair
Kendra Freeman, Board of Directors, Vice-Chair
Priya Shah, Executive Director