Spotlight | Girl Be Heard

/

Welcome to Broadway Stages’ Spotlight, where we feature local shops, restaurants, organizations, individuals, and venues. We encourage our readers to join us in supporting these establishments and advancing local economic growth. For Women’s History Month, we are shining the spotlight on a few of the women-owned or oriented businesses and organizations in the neighborhoods where we work. This week, we share Girl Be Heard, a Brooklyn-based nonprofit theater company and educational program.

Melinda Gates once said, “A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.” She very well could have been talking about Girl Be Heard (GBH). Their program is part-acting and part-activism. And while it is based in Brooklyn, they bring their mission and voice to communities via a traveling company and weekend and after-school programs.

GBH began with a spark. With only 300 dollars in the bank, Founding Artistic Director Ashley Marinaccio brought 12 young women to the stage at the EstroGenius Theater Festival in NYC in 2008. But that spark was fanned, and today, GBH is a renowned theatre company of 170 girls and a global movement. They regularly perform in underserved communities locally and globally but also engage audiences at the White House, United Nations, State Department, and TED conferences.

GBH’s nonprofit theatre company takes on global concepts women face, such as sex trafficking, forced child marriage, and gender-based violence. But it also gives voice to issues that girls care about most (such as bullying, body image, and self-harm).

The organization’s “Girl Power” puts its mission to work through workshops, after-school programming, global performances, and youth-led social justice movements. These platforms empower young women to become brave, socially conscious leaders. Their free year-round programming encompasses the following:

  • The Artistic Company brings together 15-21-year-old performers who have honed their performing and leadership abilities and are ready to share their ARTIVIST voice.

  • The Education Programs offer a creative, learning and community-building space for young women of color and gender-expansive youth. Together, they explore and define their personal and collective leadership, activist, and performance voice.

  • GBH’s Special Projects use storytelling to raise critical consciousness, gain technical skills, and build community.

If you know a young woman ready to find their voice, you can share this referral link with them to get started. Likewise, if you want to volunteer, you can learn more here. And as a registered 501 c3 charity, your financial support is 100% tax deductible. You can make a gift here. Follow them on Facebook and Instagram to see what is happening next, or check out their YouTube channel to see them at work!

It is inspiring to hear international superstar Alicia Keys say, “I’m so proud to support Girl Be Heard because it builds future leaders through arts and storytelling. Art inspires people and reminds them how to get in touch with themselves.” But one participant may have said it better when she declared, “It feels so empowering to be there. I think the little exercises have a bigger lesson to it. If you really break it down, you can understand it.” She added, “We have such powerful voices.” It warms Broadway Stages’ heart to hear that. Their work at GirlsBeHeard can change the world, one girl at a time.