SpaceBridge is a workshop program and a live theater piece which brings refugee children from Russia together with their American counterparts to build lifelong friendships while coming to terms with their differences.

The performance tracks the struggles of children, now living in New York’s shelter system, whose families were forced to escape Russia and enter the US through Mexico because of their antiwar views.

Americans are painfully familiar with the suffering and displacement of Ukrainian families and children. The plight of Russian children, however, whose families have also been forced to leave their homes to seek refuge from persecution, is seldom discussed. It’s been my observation that at the moment Russians in America, children or adults, refugees or otherwise, are often regarded with suspicion. Many of the young people I’ve worked with are struggling to integrate into American society. They face a lack of empathy due to their origins and have experienced bullying and aggression because they come from what is perceived as the “aggressor” country.

As a theater maker and educator, I wondered if I could use some of the theater making tools to disrupt social bias, hate, and violence. I began to imagine a theater-based program in which Russian refugee children could safely process and share their experiences and stories with American-born peers. And the SpaceBridge initiative was born!

SpaceBridge brought together 11 young Russian refugees between nine and 14 years old with eight American-born peers in a series of creative workshops to share stories, foster connections, and envision an alternative future where intercultural friendships were embraced and supported. A ten-session workshop syllabus which I designed for this program became a base for the live performance at LaMaMa ETC.

SpaceBridge draws its inspiration from two significant historical events: the 1983 peace mission to the USSR led by 12-year-old American activist Samantha Smith, who bridged the gap between American and Russian children during the Cold War; and the satellite-mediated “citizens’ debates”, known as “spacebridges” between the US and the USSR, which prompted unfiltered and uncensored conversations between ordinary people from both cultures

During the SpaceBridge development, I grappled with whether the challenges faced by displaced Russian youth deserve attention while the terrible war is still going on and Ukrainian children are being kidnapped or orphaned. However, working with the 11 refugees and their new American friends gave me hope that we can also foster empathy for Russian children, whose families sought refuge due to persecution for their pro-democracy stance in Russia.

If Samantha Smith, who once suggested Andropov and Reagan exchange granddaughters to bridge nations, were alive today, I imagine she would advocate for listening to these creative and empathetic young individuals.

We are in discussions of remounting the production for a longer run in the winter of 2025. We believe that if SpaceBridge is experienced by a wider audience, it might help us to approach these issues differently and focus on what binds us together.

Additionally, we are expanding the SpaceBridge workshop curriculum to a national level. The curriculum can be adapted to serve any refugee community. Once published, we will share it with educational centers and theaters, and offer training for teaching artists.

The SpaceBridge initiative is supported by La MaMa ETC, En Garde Arts and Visual Echo and commissioned by the Joan D. Firestone Commissioning Fund at En Garde Arts.

Major support for SpaceBridge is provided by: David Richenthal Foundation, Leon Lowenstein Foundation, a generous donation of Anne Gottlieb in honor of beloved Chekhov teacher Joanna Merlin, Creative Engagement, a regrant program supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC, and The John Erskine Faculty Prize, The Juilliard School, Adam Meyer, Provost.

The project is developed in collaboration with the Stella Adler Center for the Arts, which generously provided educational support to help participants acquire valuable performance skills and build their confidence and self-esteem. SpaceBridge is supported by the New School of Drama, with assistance from its students and faculty in the project’s development.