The League for Political Education was a New York City-based group devoted to providing a forum where all people could be educated on, and in dialogue about, relevant political issues. Founded as a pro-women's suffrage group, after passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, the League commissioned the building of The Town Hall in 1921 as "a meeting place, clearing house for ideas, forum, lyceum, concert hall, school, and college." In 1935 George Denny, associate director of the League and later president, created America's Town Meeting of the Air, a radio program to foster discussion of political, social and economic concerns.
In The Town Hall’s present-day Education Department, this legacy is our touchstone while our work thrives in its 21st century context. Through building relationships, we create intentional partnerships with communities of New Yorkers to offer meaningful, engaging and inspiring arts programming. We consider our programs to be an integral part of New Yorkers’ healing and recovery in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
We Work With:
Schools
Town Hall’s partnerships with NYC schools provide students with high quality arts programming in music, visual arts, dance, theater including technical theater, and storytelling. Town Hall’s teaching artist roster is a diverse cohort of professional practitioners who are deeply invested in their artistic practice as well as their connection to their students. Read More >
Older Adults
The Town Hall supports creative aging initiatives by providing educational opportunities in the arts for older adults in New York City. Town Hall teaching artists lead programs in visual art, theater, and storytelling, with each program ending in a culminating performance and community celebration. Read More >
People Impacted by Systems of Incarceration
Town Hall teaching artist Chesney Snow originated his Storyteller’s Lab curriculum on Rikers Island. During the pandemic, this program evolved into a partnership with The Fortune Society, whose mission is “to support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.” In its current iteration, Storyteller’s Lab will be partnering with students from Berklee School of Music’s NYC campus. The Town Hall is open to working with organizations supporting the currently and formerly incarcerated as an arts education partner. Read More >
Annual Black History Month Celebration
Every February, Town Hall presents a series of free performances and workshops in honor of Black History Month for over 4,500 public school children, sponsored by Con Edison. The performances aim to educate students on the rich history and roots of traditional African-American art forms, as well as their cultural significance and lasting impact on our wider society. Town Hall also provides teachers and students with study guides that prepare them for the performance, and support their overall social studies curricula. Town Hall also holds a Poster and Essay Contest as a way to encourage students to reflect on what the performances meant to them, and how they fit into the larger historical context of their classroom studies. Read More >
Repertory Company High School for the Performing Arts
Repertory Company High School for Theatre Arts is a small performing arts high school inside The Town Hall, which offers a full academic program and comprehensive theatre arts classes. We are thrilled to be in partnership with Repertory staff and students through performance opportunities on our stage, technical theater shadowing with our unions, and intergenerational arts learning programs with our other partner sites.