Filmmaking Workshops in Juvenile Detention Facilities for Justice-Impacted Youth, with Dan J. Gordon

From growing up with a traveling anthropologist father and a mother devoted to performing arts and special education, Dan J. Gordon has naturally developed a passion for performing arts education. In 2014, he created Gordon Education Initiatives for the Performing Arts to produce educational media for kids with a focus on varying cultural expressions. This nonprofit now has numerous film programs which include, Take the Stage, a bilingual (English/Spanish) educational series on PBS LearningMedia for elementary grades, with its first episode airing on PBS in Houston in 2015. This interactive digital series is free and used widely by educators across the country to teach curriculum through the arts. It was stewarded by Carol-Lynn Parente, a highly-accomplished producer, winning 15 Emmy awards for her work as Executive Producer of Sesame Street and Hero Elementary. Dan's nonprofit also provides 10-week workshops, run by professional creators, bringing the magic of filmmaking to schools and camps where students take part in filming and acting in their original screenplays. On this episode of Good Standing, we dive into Gordon's filmmaking workshops for teenagers in the juvenile justice system, which serve as an intervention strategy, and operate both in Houston, TX and New York City, where Dan splits his time. The initiative found that teenagers who participate discover a positive creative outlet to express themselves and find their voice. At 18 years old, Dan founded The Back Porch Players Theatre Company with a group of friends from the performing arts high school. The company got its start performing on the back porch of Dan's family’s home but after a few summers, the company grew to perform in Houston’s premier theatre venues including Stages Repertory, Main Street Theater and Houston Ballet’s Center for Dance. The Back Porch company produced a number of productions which included Brighton Beach Memoirs, Waiting for Lefty, Moonchildren, Balm In Gilead, Jewtopia, God & Death, In the Blood, Election Day, and Tea and Sympathy. They worked with outstanding directors such as David Rainey, Ann C. James, Robert Ellerman and Jo Alessandro Marks, and received Houston Press Theatre Awards and acclaim from local and regional newspaper publications. Dan’s film, Kaavya, has been selected for numerous international film festivals in 2022. It aired on PBS stations in Texas 2023, and was distributed across the United States to PBS stations in 2024. He is currently working on a documentary featuring Palestinian and Israeli youth.