Empowering Voices in Challenging Times​

In complex and rapidly changing times, how can administrators and teachers guide students to inspire change and spark meaningful conversations while still honoring school district boundaries? Through theatre, discussion, and the arts, school leaders and educators can build stronger, more resilient communities. In this session, Joy Ferrara and Ruthie Pincus will lead a conversation on how we can support students in using their voices to become leaders who foster compassionate, inclusive school environments.

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Joy Ferrara has been an educator for more than 28 years.  She taught in the Commack School District for 10 years and became an Assistant Principal at Hauppauge Middle School in 2003.  Since 2010, Joy has been the Hauppauge High School Assistant Principal and has been an advocate for the Hauppauge Theatre program.  Working directly with Ruthie Pincus, Hauppauge’s former Theatre Director, Joy has brought real-time school issues to the theatre students and charged them with creating relevant monologues and short vignettes to inform and engage the faculty and student body. ​
Ruthie Pincus is the Executive Director of Stage the Change: Theatre as a Social Voice and an award-winning high school theatre educator who has recently retired. Before teaching, she was a professional actress and director, earning degrees from Michigan State University and Stony Brook University. For over 25 years, she has empowered students to address critical issues—human rights, diversity, equality, and mental health—through original theatre. More than a decade ago, she founded Stage the Change to expand her impact beyond her own school, helping fellow educators equip students with “theatre voices” for social change. Ruthie’s work has been featured in EDTA’s Teaching Theatre and Harvard Usable Knowledge. She has received the Rod Marriott Award from the New York State Theatre Educator Association and an Honorable Mention for Excellence in Theatre Education from the 2024 TONY Awards.
Stage the Change is co-sponsored by Stage the Change, Inc.
The Tilles Center for the Performing Arts and Hauppauge Public Schools.
Stage the Change programs are made possible with funds from the
Arts Reach Fund at The New York Community Trust, Long Island; The New York Community Trust 
and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the
​Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
This work is supported by Long Island Grants for the Arts through funds provided by the office of the Governor and the
New York State Legislature, and administered by The Huntington Arts Council. 
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