Partner Spotlight: Creative Stage Collective

The Creative Stage Collective is a catalyst for empowering community members and amplifying unheard voices through the transformative power of art.   

Based in Harlem and led by Madeline Bender, the organization brings together kids and professional adult artists to create and perform original works based on the imaginative ideas of children. Through these innovative pieces, they re-connect audiences to the joy and depth of the imagination of children, challenging them to look at the world from new vantage points. 

Through their multi-generational approach, they have created a community for artists of all ages: where long-lasting mentoring relationship are forged over years and decades; where youth gain vital skills that go well beyond the performing arts, where emerging artists find support, and where people of all ages and backgrounds see themselves and their ideas represented on stage.   

They are grounded in the core belief that creating together brings people together, and CitizensNYC has helped support this vision by providing funding for inclusive performances and events at local theaters, community gardens, and libraries.

Creative Stage Collective Founder Madeline Bender at a CitizensNYC Network Convening.