Our Corporate Sponsors
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The Full Story
"Thank You for Listening '25" is a the result of a lengthy process of workshops that are offered for free in one of NYC's most complicated, culturally and economically diverse neighbors, Chinatown/Lower East Side. Our work focused on three distinct communities surrounding Sara Roosevelt Park, Chinese Seniors, new migrant families housed around the park and the unhoused.
RTP started working with these groups in 2023. Our first production, "Thank You for Listening" was performed in the SDR Park in June, 2024. The second iteration was performed in June, 2025.
Open Door Senior Center
Teaching artist, Andy Law , who is fluent in Manadarin and Cantonese, conducted writing workshops. In these sessions, Andy was mentored by RTP Artistic Director, Alex Aron, and playwright Carmen Rivera.
In 2025, RTP provided 10 on-site workshops. After building trust and community, personal and often traumatic stories of leaving China were shared.
Some of these stories were integrated into the script.
Hanbee Hotel
The Hanbee Hotel is a migrant hotel managed by the Neighborhood Association for Inter-Cultural Affairs INC (NAICA). Working with playwright Carmen Rivera and teaching artist Darlenis Duran, RTP offered family workshops. During the on-site workshop, Darlenis worked with the children while Carmen worked with the adults. Using prompts in Spanish and English, residents shared their stories and drawings, and reflected on the themes like, "a place I love" and "a person who had an important impact on my life".
Says Jordi Jorge, Director of Social Services; "Our residents really enjoy and look forward to the workshops you guys have been able to provide onsite. Being able to have our residents clear their minds for a moment and look forward to participating in events like these really eases the stress many of them are currently undergoing, therefore, everything you guys have done is very much appreciated by the clients as well as the staff."
CITY RELIEF
City Relief is a mobile unit that visits SDR Park on Thursdays to distribute food and clothing. They partner with local groups to support unhoused people with medical, legal and psychological resources. They serve like a triage unit and are staffed by volunteers and social workers.
RTP has a been a community partner of City
Relief since 2023. Here are Darlenis Duran and Carmen Rivera conferring with Ryon Paul at City Relief's station outside SDR Park. Ryon is an unhoused artists, whose drawing and stories contributed a zany, ninja-storyline to both Thank You for Listening scripts.