Galli Theater Performs at The Bruckner Bar and Grill

Nestled not so far into the Bronx and just a short walk from the 4 or 6 train, stands a great destination if you want a bite to eat, have a few drinks or catch a performance. The Bruckner Bar and Grill is far more than its name implies. Tucked off the side of the dining area is an entertainment room equipped with a stage, lights and seating area. The Galli Theater is performing a series of plays in this quaint theater space, hoping to provide wholesome entertainment for area families and spread the theater’s popularity to the Bronx.

Galli Theater views this as a great opportunity to showcase our modern fairytales. The first performance held at the end of July, was an updated telling of Little Red Riding Hood. With a young cast of characters and hip music and dancing, the show was entertaining for all. Original songs gave this classic tale new life. There was fear when the wolf entered and began to plot his consumption of Little Red and her poor, defenseless, yet hilarious, grandmother. There was relief when the hunter cut open the wolf and Little Red and Grandma tumbled out. The interaction with the audience, which is a Galli trademark, made the show all the more fun. Children shouted at the wolf, hoping the wolf would change his mind. They were also invited on stage to dance in celebration at the conclusion. Following the performance, the kids were free to act out scenes with the actors and then enjoy a lunch straight from the delicious menu at The Bruckner.

The next show at the Bruckner featured a Galli Theater favorite, The Frog Prince. This is one of the most popular plays Galli has produced and performing it at the Bruckner Bar and Grill provided an opportunity to share it with a Bronx audience. Children were both disgusted and enthralled with the atrocious habits of the frog. They also enjoyed the joyous dancing of the king. While hilarious and touching, The Frog Prince also provides a valuable lesson that both children and adults can relate to. The idea is to face your fears and overcome the “frogs” in your life.

The Galli series of shows at the Bruckner is going to continue with Cinderella on Sunday, August 8^th. Other plays will be Snow White and The Wolf and the 7 Little Goats. Galli Theater hopes to continue its relationship with the Bruckner Bar and Grill so children in the Bronx borough can easily enjoy all the fun Galli brings. We hope to provide an attraction as well to the restaurant itself so the partnership will be successful on all sides.

Excitement Buzzing About New Projects At The Galli Theater

Here in New York, the Galli Theater staff is gearing up for an exciting next few months. In addition to the theater’s usual undertakings of fairy tales, classes, camps and workshops, the theater has projects in motion that will expand our reach and encompass a wide array of patrons.

New addition to the staff, Nicole Haley, is working diligently on establishing a Galli prevention theater program. This will allow us to reach out to area high schools and youth programs and present to them plays featuring a variety of relevant topics. These topics include teen violence, obesity, AIDs prevention, among others. The plays are designed to entertain this target audience but also deliver a strong, clear message. One such play is “The Other Side.” A young gunman must face judgement and repercussions following his senseless act of violence. “The Other Side” inspires audiences to engage in open conversation about school violence and shootings.

The Dr. Fairytale program is in full bloom and the Galli Theater is booking more performances at establishments who need them the most. The program allows the group to perform stories and fairy tales at area children hospitals, orphanages and disaster areas free of charge. The children at these places absolutely love the opportunity to experience live theater. They are also given a chance to act as their favorite characters. For just a little bit, they can forget about everyday worries and illnesses. They can become a princess who is faced with the problem of a frog that just may be a prince. They can become a hunter who must rescue Little Red Riding Hood from the big, bad wolf. Just recently, the Galli Group experienced a successful performance of Snow White at the Ronald McDonald House. For these kids, even the slightest bit of joy makes a world of difference.

On July 1oth, the Galli Theater will begin a series of performances at Bruckner’s Restaurant in the Bronx. This is a chance for the theater to reach a Bronx audience while showcasing modern updates of Galli classics. The first show will be a modern, hip retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. It features a young cast, upbeat music selections, and a lot of humor. Kids will surely enjoy having a delicious meal and then being delighted by a new version of a story they love. Performances at Bruckner’s will go through September and include “The Frog Prince,” “Cinderella,” “Snow White,” and “Wolf and the 7 Little Goats.”

A theater party will be held July 31st to showcase different plays and song selections. Galli Theater founder, playwright, philosopher and humanitarian, Johannes Galli, will be there to share his favorite pieces. This is an exciting, free event the theater will hold to introduce attendees to the Galli method of acting and to the wide range of talent the theater offers. Beginning with a wine and cheese reception, the party is a tool to network with Galli staff, actors, and the founder Johannes Galli.

New York has brought many opportunities for the Galli Group. Planning for even more future events are in the works. It surely is an exciting time for this theater in midtown Manhattan and we invite you to join in on it!

“Cinderella” and the Act of Bullying

With the onset of the month of July there, of course, comes a new fairytale. Galli’s Cinderella will begin on July 3rd and run through the month. Everyone knows the tale: Cinderella has evil stepsisters and a wicked stepmother who boss her around. A local prince holds a ball to find his wife. Cinderella must find a way to get to the ball and win his heart before time runs out. Underlying this story of overcoming hardships and finding love, there is the concept of bullying. Cinderella is constantly ridiculed and bullied, just as many children are today. But in the world of theater and the Galli method of acting, this may not be such a horrible thing.

Bullies claim their target and go about harassing them until their victim succumbs. The victim then, feeling ashamed and broken, awaits the next attack. It is an awful pattern in the social underbelly of schoolyard existence and neighborhood encounters. It has been around since life first began here on this planet. People trying to best other people and turn them submissive. But is there a way to counteract this bullying in a healthy, harmless way? Many victims of bullying suppress their emotions and feelings regarding their day-to-day harassment because either they feel ashamed or they are scared of what their attacker will do when they find out their victim is “telling on them.” This suppression can lead to outbursts of violent aggression or deadly consequences. School shootings occur all over the world every year as a result of a bullied, harassed individual who kept everything bottled up inside until they could take it no longer. Statistics show that suicide is the third leading cause of those among 15 – 25 years of age and the sixth leading cause of death in those 5 – 14 years of age. Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have discovered signs of a connection between suicide and bullying.

So what can be done? The Galli Theater prides itself in being able to allow actors to find the right role for themselves. This allows them to unleash emotions they may not otherwise be able to express during their normal lives. In Cinderella, the sisters and stepmother are relentlessly cruel, forcing her to do all of the housework and criticizing her on her looks constantly. The actors who play these roles must know what it takes to be mean to really make the part come alive. Right? Well, not necessarily. If a person who was bullied constantly throughout their life was given the chance to play the part of one who is doing the bullying, they will be able to unleash emotion they had always been afraid to express. They can let Cinderella have it and let out all the things they would have said to their own personal bully. This can be a very cleansing experience for such an individual. The idea they can retaliate after all the bullying they had experienced. But it is done in a safe way, on-stage. So the previous victim of bullying can share their expression with everyone. These emotions will no longer be suppressed. There is less chance of the victim of bullying lashing out in a destructive manner.

Providing a space for actors to find their own role sets the stage for raw emotion and powerful storytelling. Galli actors love what they do and the performances they are in because they have the freedom to express themselves in a way that not only fits the story but also provides healing in their lives. Bullying can be a harrowing experience for anyone. Providing a space for people to act out these actions in a safe environment gives them release of negative emotions. Emotions that would normally not be surfaced. If more children are given this chance, there may just be a decrease in all these statistics regarding bullying and its unfortunate effects.

BULLYING and the GALLI METHOD

Historically, bullying among school children and youth has not been a topic of great public concern. Many adults have viewed the experience of being bullied as a rite of passage for children and youth. In recent years, however, attention to bullying among children has increased dramatically among school personnel, the general public, and policymakers. The attention is well deserved. Recent research indicates that bullying is prevalent among American school children, directly involving approximately 30% of school children within a school semester (Nansel et al., 2001).

As of 2003, at least 15 states have passed laws addressing bullying among school children, and many others have considered legislation. Most laws have been in effect since 2001. Their passage was motivated, at least in part, by tragic shootings at several U.S. high schools in the late 1990s and later reports surfaced that many perpetrators of school shootings had felt bullied or threatened by peers.

Bullying is defined as: “Any written or verbal expression, or physical act or gesture, or a pattern thereof, that is intended to cause distress upon one or more students.”

How can theater and in particular the Galli Method help children and youth cope with bullying?

The Galli Method, unlike other theater methods, always encourages a person to draw the characters that are to be acted from one’s own reality. It builds a bridge from the stage to our daily life. Every person has a wealth of roles that he/she can act. When we observe ourselves throughout the day we can see that we respond to various people in a different way, thus we play different roles. When we talk to a child we have a different tone of voice than when we talk to an employee, the boss, our mother or husband. This is done more or less unconsciously, but we recognize we do play different roles.

The idea of the Galli Method is to be able to act as many roles as possible on stage. To explore the wealth of roles that we have inside and to even expand them. The more roles we can play the more flexible we are. If we are then able to decide which role we choose in which moment, we are then self-confident, powerful and can respond to any situation in an appropriate way.
With this being said it is clear that Galli Method workshops encourage permanent role-change and exploring more and more roles. We might discover roles we would have never thought of having. It is a fascinating journey and brings joy and playfulness all along. Very often, our true talents are yet to be discovered and this is a way of bringing them to the surface.

Acting in the Galli Method is also a cathartic process. What we can play on stage we don’t have to play in real life any more. We can fight, bully, love… as long as it is related to a role we are acting and stays in the sacred zone of the stage, it is all right. This concept sets an end to bullying without suppressing the person’s creativity!

Once, a girl came to coaching. She was very often bullied at school and wanted to learn how to respond to it. I asked her what her favorite fairy tale was and she responded Cinderella. She wanted to act the mean stepsister. All right! She got to act the mean stepsister and was great at it! She had fun putting Cinderella down (who was played by a doll), and enjoyed that role. When I talked with her afterwards she said that it felt good to release the tension and to also be mean. She said she feels now stronger and that she thinks she could step up to the girls who bully her.
Don’t get me wrong: We don’t teach the girl to just bully back and be mean. The concept is to live the role fully on stage, with joy and passion, and then incorporate it. It makes one feel stronger, the image of the victim vanishes from the girl’s aura and the girls who are usually doing the bullying can feel that strength in the victim and will stop.
Another example is how a 9-year old girl participated in Galli’s mainstage production of Cinderella. She got to play the sister of the mean stepsister, who was also quite mean. After a 4-week run of the show the parents commented that she was much nicer at home and did not bully her brother any more, which she had used to do a lot.

When it comes to events like school shootings, we very often see that the aggressor is a withdrawn person who does not bully himself a lot and who in fact has been bullied a lot by his peers. Any anger or bad feeling that is suppressed for a long time eventually needs its outlet and this can be devastating when that time comes. In fact, the children in the yard bullying around and teasing the girls are most likely not going to perform a huge act of violence. But the ones who are the target of bullying, who swallow all their anger and frustration, they are in danger of acting out.

Galli Workshops encourage to act out seven archetypes, the seven Kellerkinder (children of the basement). These are archetypal characters that every person has inside. If they are healthy, they are the source of our energy and creativity. But if they get suppressed they are counter-productive and get us in a lot of trouble.

Galli Workshops are all playful. It’s a journey of discovery into the depth of our being, but at the same time having a lot of fun. It is a freeing process, because participants are encouraged to be who they are versus trying to impress their peers and trying to be someone else.

-Dr. Tatjana Maya, Galli Theater New York Executive Director

Galli Theater: Celebrating Childhood

The Galli Theater uses a unique concept not realized by many theaters in modern New York City acting troupes. Our teachers and performers are responsive to the individual personalities and actions of children. They are given the freedom to act in any way they wish and to become whoever, or whatever, they wish. In this sense, they learn the art of acting and we learn from the children. Why did they act as this animal? What is their reason for expressing this emotion? This gives us insight into their personalities and also allows them to think creatively and freely.

The Galli acting classes and summer camps are designed for children to express their creativity in a fun, learning environment. Through games, acting scenarios and various theater exercises, the participants are given basic instruction and then put their creativity to use. Our teachers adapt and react to the actions and emotions of the children, rather than giving them specific orders and assigning roles. The children learn how to express themselves in a creative way and through the tales and fables being acted, at the same time learn valuable life lessons.

Theater is an adaptive process. The Galli Theater realizes this and we have based our teaching process on it. This creates a learning atmosphere that produces the greatest amount of creativity and freedom of expression. A child should not be limited to certain ways of acting and roles. By giving freedom, it allows them to become freer thinkers with boundless imagination.