New play development:
Housing insecurity
in Tompkins County
Civic Ensemble is creating a new community-based play exploring housing & housing insecurity in Tompkins County. Here's a snapshot of our process led by Sarah Plotkin with Civic Ensemble artists:
2024-2026 - research in the community about housing and housing insecurity, including talking with community partners, theatre workshops open to the public (spring 2025), and interviews with community members and story sharing opportunities.
2026 - we are building the play based on this research, using playwriting, improvisation and devising practices. We plan to create a full draft of the play by the end of 2026.
2027 - we will revise the script, make our plans for production, and then produce the play in the spring.
Stay tuned for updates on these steps!
Join us!
Want to get involved in the project? Here are some ideas of how you can get involved:
1. Share your story. Have you experienced housing insecurity? Or do you work around or otherwise connect to these themes? Let's talk! Contact Sarah Plotkin at 607-241-0195 or splotkin@civicensemble.org
2. Host a story sharing gathering. Know a group of individuals who might like to share their stories? Gather folks together and let's share stories.
3. Make a donation. Civic Ensemble produces new plays with support from grants, donations, and sponsorships. We could use your support to develop this new work. Please contact Julia Taylor at 607-241-0195 or julia@civicensemble.org to connect, or click the blue DONATE button in the top right hand corner of this page.
If you have other ideas about how to connect, please reach out! We look forward to partnering with you as we build and produce this play!
