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Know the Law! Huntington program for youth performs at Boston Police Station


Know the Law, a collaboration between the Huntington Theatre Company and Youth and Police in Partnership (YPP), is an after-school program for youth that utilizes drama to increase awareness of Massachusetts law. They will perform scenes at the Boston Police Headquarters Media Room, 1199 Tremont Street, on June 5, 2003 at 12:30pm. This Know the Law performance will be free and open to the public.

Know the Law features skits, performed by students, that depict a conflict involving the law and encourages discussion about possible ways to respond. The scenes of urban teenage life attempt to teach young people how a better understanding of Massachusetts criminal law can help them make informed choices and stay out of trouble. “There is potential for Know the Law to be a means of developing insight in young people - all young people - and I am pleased to see the Huntington using theatre as a healer for communities,” says Reverend Wesley Williams, Executive Director of United Methodist Urban Services.

There are 15 participants this year — students from all over Boston. The students who perform in Know the Law have honed their acting skills by training with local actor and theatre professional Naheem Allah at the Huntington. After the performance, they are evaluated by program leaders and encouraged to assess their own development throughout the process. Audience members are given the opportunity to complete a “Reflection Sheet” following the post-performance discussion to reveal the impact that Know the Law has had on them.

Youth and Police in Partnership is a program of Children’s Services of Roxbury, Inc. in collaboration with the Boston Police Department. The program strives to improve the relationship between inner-city youth, community members, and the Boston Police Department. Know the Law is one component of YPP. The use of drama helps youth and police officers to better understand each other. “In my capacity as Citywide Youth Programs Coordinator, I have helped to facilitate roundtable discussions on legal issues for youth, community, and police officers throughout Boston and I am amazed to see how much performing this production of Know the Law has strengthened our message for young people,” says Officer John Ridge.

Know the Law was originally founded in 1992 by the Youth Advocacy Project (YAP), a community-based initiative of the MA Public Defender Agency that provides legal and social services to at-risk youth in Boston. In 1997 the Huntington collaborated with YAP to develop Know the Law as a theatrical endeavor. The strength of the program lies in its ability to combine the process of making theatre with the goal of learning about the law; the immediacy of the performance makes the reality of the law much more tangible.

Compiled from the press release courtesy of the Huntington Theatre Company (website | profile | tag archive).

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