PlayRight: A Space for Youth at the Cathedral

The teenage years can be an incredibly stressful time in one’s life: learning what and who one likes, expressing that while still being parented, and dealing with the pressure to be just like everyone else. Having a healthy outlet to release the stress of those formative years is essential. For some, it may be a sport or a creative outlet like a choir or theatre group.

PlayRight, a dramatic arts training program launched by the Cathedral in February 2023 provides that creative outlet. Thanks to a grant from the Anglican Foundation the PlayRight program is offered free of charge. The impact of those sessions on the lives of young people is priceless.

Lauren Odile Pinkney, the Cathedral’s Children, Youth & Families minister who developed the program, was inspired by a similar program she was involved with in the UK. “It gave young people permission to explore their personality and identity fully. When they didn’t know how to integrate this with what their peers and society expected of them, creative arts programs are safe haven for them. I’ve seen young lives changed because young people had a safe place to be fully themselves. That’s what I want to provide youth in Vancouver.”

Each week PlayRight focuses on a different aspect of dramatic arts: musical performance, makeup for stage, costuming, improvisation, and many other related topics. The topics explored are driven by what the youth are interested in learning about. 

Being fully oneself can turn a difficult life season into a fruitful one. Allegra Calabrigo, one of the staff who helps run the PlayRight program, recalls how important theatre class was in her life.

“I like to be loud. I was always the silliest kid in the room. My teen years were a struggle. Drama class brought together all of us loud, silly kids who felt like we were on the outside. No one was asking us to ‘tone it down’ and we could fully be ourselves.,” she said. That shared space where Allegra and her friends could be themselves led to forging important lifelong friendships. That is an experience she wants other youth to be able to have. 

Lauren is heartened that PlayRight is already providing a safe space for exploration for youth and drawing young people out of their shells. She says one week the group focused on lipsynching musical performances. One young person seemed particularly disengaged and withdrawn during the technical part of the session. The leaders were doubtful this young person would actually take part in the activity. “And then it came time to prepare their own performances. This young person lit up from the inside out and gave this fantastic, captivating performance full of energy. That’s what we’re here for.”

For Allegra, there isn’t one specific event that signalled to her that PlayRight is on the right track. “Whenever we’re doing improv, and I look around the room and there are two or more youth involved in a scene and they’re rolling around on the ground laughing, doing the most hilarious things as we throw ridiculous scene prompts at them, I think ‘this is great! We’ve got teens fully immersed in the experience”. The uninhibited laughter signals to Allegra that she’s done her job well and removed the fear of looking or being silly and given the youth the opportunity to dive in fully. “This is perfect, this is what we want,” she says. 

Seeing youth come out of their shell is just one part of what makes PlayRight so necessary. Lauren explains drama training is just the beginning. 

“Most drama programs in the city are offered at community centres, or specialized drama schools and their mandate is very narrow: offer drama training, for profit, full stop,” says Lauren. The difference with PlayRight is “as a church youth program, we have the resources and training to have the deep conversation with youth that they bring up with us once they know and trust us. Fundamentally those conversations are about truth, love and purpose. We can offer resources, and when they’re ready we can offer the doorway to an experience of the living, loving Christ.”

At various centres in the lower mainland performing arts classes for youth cost upwards of $400 per term. A term is usually about 12 weeks. Youth whose families can’t afford the put aside that kind of money would otherwise miss out on the chance to have this type of outlet. Thanks to a generous grant from the Anglican Foundation, all youth can access drama training, free, and have their chance to find their own community. 

You can support PlayRight and ensure youth are offered this creative outlet at the Cathedral by making your gift here. 

The Cathedral has partnered with the Anglican Foundation to ensure continued support of the PlayRight. Through the Anglican Foundation your gift will not only support PlayRight, but will also help support other programs for youth across the country.