Remembering the Artistry of Dance Director, Bri Van Schuyver - She left this world stage July 9, 2024 - May she be honored for our lifetimes here at Happy Stages. We were blessed to know and love Bri and we will continue to champion her dreams for encouraging dance for all people of all abilities! Onward with your heavenly steps, Bri!
Current Cast of DBT In The Neighborhood - 2024
Ashley, Sabrina, Devin, Nikael, Gabe, Katherine, Abe, Toni F., Rosie (above), Kat (Below), Brandon, Tony S., and Dagmar!
The World Needs (and recognizes) Therapeutic Theatrical Endeavors… These festivals agree…
Happy Stages is a Therapeutic Theater Arts and Film Production collaborative, centered on Mental Health and Social Justice as the core of our collective works.
Happy Stages provides therapeutic artistic opportunities for collaborating artists who live with mental health, neurological, and psycho-social challenges - as well as collaborating artists who are also therapists, advocates, and family members of people with various mental health ‘differences’. In this work to provide therapeutic opportunities for collaborating artists, Happy Stages creates original plays, musicals, spoken-word/monologue, dance, performance art, improvisational performance, and filmed works, that are therapeutic for participating artists, their crew of actors/artists/technicians, and the community at large.
Happy Stages works with local theaters, schools, mental health organizations, and nonprofit groups to provide the community with mental health advocacy and healing through live and filmed performances. We have been honored to be welcomed into the artistic advocacy of Harwood Arts Center for live performances and ongoing rehearsal space and we enjoy utilizing multiple artistic venue performance and rehearsal spaces, with particular affinity and respect for the International District Library of Albuquerque so we may offer Therapeutic Theatrical Arts to the public at large at no cost. We have further enjoyed our collaborative work with Albuquerque Academy, UNM, CNM, and New Mexico Academy for The Media Arts (for which we currently provide internship positions) and we are enjoying our collaborative championship of youth and individuals with mental health challenges via New Day Family Services, Casa Q, and UNM COPE Clinic DBT facilitators and trainees.
Happy Stages is further proud of its artistic accolades thus far in both domestic and international film festivals - some of which are shown above this text. We are excited about current short film, webisode, and feature length film work we are currently preparing for release this and next year. Our writers, performers, and filmmakers have been working hard to see these projects move forward to public release. Live performances are a staple of our work and we look forward to seeing you all at one or more of our regular shows and plays. Keep an eye on our ‘Performances’ page for upcoming and past shows.
Our new YouTube channel will be increasingly featuring clips from rehearsals, meetings, performances, and some of our favored resources. Below are but a few of our Happy Stages family of artists of the past and present (some photos out of order of listing of names): Briana Van Schuyver, Dagmar Garza, Nikaela Sainz, Ryan Smith, Sasha Menendez, Wendy Schumann, Abe Assaad, Ashley Polaco, Brandon Via, Devin Brower, Gabe Velasquez, Kat Madden, Rosie Leaks, and Ryan Ruiz, Jenelle Baptiste, Andrew Torn, Archer McIntyre, Nino Stark, Persephone Reid, Tony Travis, Somer Martinez, Benjamin S., Tony Stark, Suzy Sanchez-Beg, Noah The Philosopher!, Jordan Kropka, Julie Mason (CDI - ASL), and the late and great Ian Thomas Parks . Many other artists lend their seasonal talents - too many to mention - keep an eye out for our performance announcements on our website!
