Earlier this month, Bard on the Beach celebrated the 10-year anniversary of our Riotous Youth program with a reunion held in the Festival’s Marquee tent. Conceived as a continuation of our Bard Summer Camps programming, the Riotous Youth internship offers emerging artists ages 18–30 an opportunity to learn from working theatre professionals while also supporting Bard Education programming. It was a joy to gather with alumni from the past 10 years to see where their artistic journeys have taken them—and to hear from both alumni and mentors about what the program has meant to them.  

Bard Director of Education Mary Hartman speaks about the Riotous Youth program at the 10-year anniversary celebration.

Riotous Youth Alumni and Bard Teaching Artist Isabella Halladay speaks about her experience as a Riotous Youth.

Ming Hudson speaks about her experience as a Riotous Youth mentor.

“It is one of the greatest privileges of my career to have been able to invest my time into the three Riotous Youth mentees I’ve had over the past 6 years,” Ming Hudson, a Riotous Youth mentor and working director, tells us. “To witness their growth, the evolution of their artistry, and the strength of their voices. To exchange knowledge and to collaborate creatively. And most importantly, to learn from them, to be introduced to new ways of thinking, and for my own practice to expand because of their points of view. The relationship between a mentor and a mentee is a two-way street, and one that can last for years beyond the summer we get to spend together through Bard Education.” 

It’s been a tremendous privilege to work with so many talented and creative emerging artists through the Riotous Youth program, and we can’t wait to see what the next 10 years have in store for us! 

Says Education Coordinator Santana Berryman, “Since its first iteration, the Riotous Youth program has been guided by the needs of its participants; we’ve designed and continued to evolve the program based on community conversation. It’s amazing to see how things have grown in 10 years! We’re grateful to be in community with such fantastic people.” 

Bard’s Riotous Youth Program is generously supported by the RBC Emerging Artists Project.