“To Protect And Serve” At Irondale Seeks To Use Improv To Build Police-Community Relations

Improving police-community relationships has been a difficult task in neighborhoods and cities across the country. Now, a project between the Irondale Center (85 South Oxford Street) and NYPD Collaborative Policing unit seeks to try something new: improv.

Called “To Protect And Serve,” the project consists of a series of workshops attended by 14 volunteer residents and police officers — seven each — over a few weeks, plus public performances over two days in February, wherein they tell their own stories and “step into each other’s shoes” — thus building mutual communication and empathy.

All [participants are] non-actors [and will] engage in professionally facilitated theatrical play centered around themes of problem-solving and communication. The participants will explore controversial subjects through dialogue-building, mutual understanding and empathy exercises. These theater workshops, while very structured and carefully designed, can feel like a game with specific rules, a common focus, and a way of evaluating success without judgment.

“They will be able to improvise, to tell their own stories, and ‘step into each other’s shoes’ to create original vignettes that demonstrate what can come from greater trust and understanding,” explains Terry Greiss, Irondale’s executive director. “These vignettes and portraits will be shaped into a 90-minute performance, dissolving the barriers that often exist between police and the community they serve.”

“These workshops will provide wonderful opportunities for police officers and community residents to explore new ways to communicate with each other,” said Susan Herman, Deputy Commissioner of Collaborative Policing. “Improv requires you to listen well and think on your feet – two skills we all want, and skills police officers rely on every day.”

There are two workshop series: one already began on November 24 and runs through December 15; the other runs between January 5-February 2. Both are held on Tuesdays from 6:30-9:30pm.

If you would like to participate, sign up for an interview by emailing education@irondale.org or by calling 718-488-9233.

Public performances will take place February 5-6 at 7:00 p.m. All performances are FREE to the public.