DLG318 Author/Actor/Writer Robert Galinsky takes us on a journey to Riker's Island where he runs workshops for teens.

Robert Galinsky’s had a very rough couple of years with his father growing up. His father had undiagnosed depression which as we discussed, he worked through and resolved.   His childhood experiences motivated him to heal and help others has given him a more than full life as an artist: an actor, a writer, director, teacher, coach. Galinsky's suburban life drew him to find out directly how struggling people lived. Galinsky has been running youth writing workshops in Riker's Island for the past 7 years, so he helps us imagine what life is like in Riker's; the teens who are held there what they dream of, how they got there, what they hope to accomplish upon release. After this session, I felt that if there were more Galinsky's and if there was a pipeline for people to become Galinskys, the world would be a better place. When asked about this, Robert says, we're a consumer society and we don't have the will to deal with these issues. I agree, but I will think about incarcerated teens differently because of our talk. https://linktr.ee/galinskynow Sign up! Go see his play when you it's running ! https://thebenchplay.com/home Based on true stories and real people, The Bench, set in urban decay and rubble, explores the emotional heartbreak of five homeless characters and the catastrophic hysteria surrounding AIDS in the late 1980’s. It’s solo theater, where one actor plays five characters, written in dialogue form. “A slice of life carved from the lower depths. Galinsky brings a wrenching realism to his material." LA Times--  “If you enjoy the work of Anna Deavere Smith or 'Humans of New York" you're in for a treat. Galinsky transforms himself into a living ghost. His vital solo piece, is the most important kind of urban voyeurism. It puts a smile on your lips and moisture in your eyes.” Theater Is Easy “Director Jay O. Sanders has built a career on roles that are inseparable from the worlds that spawned them; that same sensibility is certain to be in evidence in the play The Bench.” DEADLINE Hollywood “Galinsky is a theatre operative, impresario, and a bundle of energy and curly black hair.” Wall Street Journal BIO: Galinsky is a contributing writer to The Fresh Toast, is Head Speaker Coach for TEDxTeen, TEDxFultonStreet, and teaches writing and performance at Rikers Island Jail, through the non-profit Literacy for Incarcerated Teens and GalinskyCoaching.com. His work as an artist activist has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, and on The VIEW, NPR, ABC Nightline News and many media outlets.