About the Palefsky Collision Project

For three weeks each summer, the Alliance Theatre assembles a diverse group of teenagers to “collide” with a source text and devise a wholly original piece of theater for and about themselves.

Under the guidance of a professional creative team, the ensemble spends the first two weeks unpacking the source material, engaging in workshops with guest artists, meeting with subject matter experts and notable public figures, and experiencing site visits. Each day concludes with a creative writing exercise, and those written reflections are ultimately woven together into a script. The third and final week of the program includes a rigorous rehearsal process that culminates with two public performances at the Alliance Theatre.

This year (2026), the Alliance Theatre is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Palefsky Collision Project – a milestone that notably overlaps with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In this time, nearly 500 teens have engaged in the project, emerging as more collaborative, creative, and confident young artists — but more importantly, as more empathetic and hopeful young adults who are committed and equipped to changing the world.