25th Anniversary

Palefsky Collision Project

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 under the guidance of a professional creative team.

For the first two weeks of this dynamic project, ensemble members unpack the source text, engage in an intensive series of theater workshops with guest artists, converse with subject matter experts, and express their unique reflections upon these experiences through daily creative writing exercises. These reflections are then woven together to create a new piece of theater inspired by the source text, but perceived through the ensemble’s utterly unique and contemporary prism. The third and final week of the program includes a rigorous rehearsal process that culminates with final performances at the Alliance Theatre.

Now in its 25th year, the Palefsky Collision Project has empowered nearly 500 teens to create theater, for and about themselves, as collaborative, creative, and confident young artists.

Three people stand facing forward against a blue background in the Palefsky Collision Project; the person in the center wears a red hoodie, while the others wear darker clothing.

Palefsky Collision Project: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (2026)

Each MLK Day, young artists from the Palefsky Collision Project reconvene to reimagine their summer performance through the lens of Dr. King’s legacy. Directed by Sam Provenzano in collaboration with Maya Lawrence (Playwright), Rodney L. Williams (Director of Artistic Mentorship), and David Koté (Music Director), this performance will re-explore Blaze, an original work inspired by Octavia E. Butler’s Parable of the Sower.

Performance Schedule

National Center for Civil and Human Rights // 11 AM
The Glenn
Free with museum admission

Alliance Theatre // 3 PM
Woodruff Arts Center, Azadi Galleria
Free with advanced registration required

RSVP

A group of young women standing in a row in the Palefsky Collision Project, looking in various directions under bright lighting against a dark background.

Palefsky Collision Project: 25th Anniversary (Summer 2026)

The 25th Anniversary Palefsky Collision Project will convene at the Alliance Theatre in July 2026. Rising 11th grade, 12th grade, and post-secondary students are encouraged to learn more about the program by attending the Martin Luther King Day event. The application process for summer 2026 will open in January 2026.