Matinee + Workshop
Student Matinees with a Creative Workshop
A theater matinee followed by an interactive session with the creative team.
Our Mission
“The Kind MIND fosters curated school experiences with special programming, panels, workshops, and events, that expand our students' theatrical talents and understanding of self. Through exposure to theater programming, coupled with mental health curriculum, students are encouraged to discuss, connect, and create. They have limitless room to hone both their creativity and compassion.”— Stacie Weisbrot, Founder, The Kind MIND
Why BOTH Arts AND Mental Health Education Matter.
We bring theater experiences to students because theater supports student growth beyond mere entertainment. Our theater programming helps to develop strong confidence, communication skills and critical thinking. Our practices enhance students' creativity, empathy and tolerance, and foster a love for collaborative, hands-on learning. Overall, with the implementation of mental health curriculum by qualified educators and industry experts, we provide a multi-pronged approach to performing arts education — student wellbeing is a crucial part of our process.
01
Building Confidence
When students perform in front of others, they can overcome anxiety, develop self-esteem and become more comfortable expressing themselves.
02
Developing Communication Skills
Theater strengthens speaking, listening and storytelling, which are valuable in every walk of life and future career.
03
Encouraging Creativity
Students learn to problem-solve and think creatively, as they create their own ideas, characters, scenes, choreography and songs.
04
Promoting Collaboration
Theater is inherently collaborative. Students learn teamwork, leadership, responsibility, and how to work together to execute a common goal.
05
Fostering Empathy
Students gain a deeper understanding of different cultures, perspectives, and experiences.
06
Supporting Emotional Development
Theater provides a safe space for students to explore emotions, tap into their own life experience, and build resilience. Through careful discussion and sharing of the themes and ideas within each show after seeing it, students have the opportunity to connect with one another, garner coping skills, and provide each other with support.
Our Inaugural Event
Dear Social Media
August 14, 20265–7 PM · Bay Street Theater · Sag Harbor, NY
Join The Kind MIND's first public event, which is a community gathering of local parents and residents, to watch an engaging panel about the impact of social media, with cocktail hour and community mingling to follow.
“Building strong communities and working together as parents, educators, clinicians, and community members is one solution to many problems that affect mental health.”
In the Press
“I am a champion of arts education because I believe that by immersing ourselves in other people's stories and experiences, we can form meaningful connections to one another.”
— Playbill · Stacie Karp Weisbrot on why the arts belong in the conversation
Read the feature →Curated theater experiences for students
Hands-on, student-centered, arts education programs
Designed in collaboration with youth programming professionals, mental health professionals, and theater creatives — built around discussion, reflection, peer-to-peer connection, and the genuine craft of performance.
How we work
Theater builds confident communicators, creative thinkers, and resilient leaders, ready for life. The Kind MIND curates thorough wraparound programming that encompasses all of these crucial skills.
Teaching Compassion
The Kind MIND believes that compassion is not simply taught — it is experienced, practiced, and embodied. Theater provides one of the most effective environments for kindness because it asks children to imagine, collaborate, and see the world through someone else's eyes.
We teach our students kindness by placing them inside stories that create emotional understanding, rather than abstract lessons. Children experience joy, conflict, injustice, courage, friendship, and belonging. The outcome is that emotional connection becomes the foundation for compassionate thinking.
Experiencing Reflection
After each artistic experience, students share ideas and reflect. Reflection helps children transfer what they've seen, and their artistic experience helps shape their personal values.
Learning Kindness
Each theater experience strengthens students' listening skills and encourages cooperation, courage, respect, inclusion, communication, and emotional regulation. Kinder thinking influences kind actions.
The Kind MIND is grounded in the belief that arts education develops the whole child. Our theater programming encourages real life discussions, and in effect, the students leave The Kind MIND learning about more than theater — they're learning life skills and gain a better understanding of one another.
Who we are
A team built around the work.
Stacie Weisbrot
Founder
Stacie Weisbrot is an educator, theater producer, and creative learning leader dedicated to helping children thrive through the power of connection, creativity, and emotional well-being. Drawing on years of experience in theater, special events, and education, she brings a dynamic approach to social-emotional learning, blending educational programming and mental health-centered initiatives, where students feels seen, safe, and inspired to lead with kindness. At The Kind MIND, Stacie's mission is to bridge the performing arts, mindfulness, and evidence-based educational practices to support collaboration, resilience, and compassion for one another.
Paloma Garcia
Programming Associate
Paloma is a New York–based triple-threat. A graduate of New York University's BFA Drama program, she has performed in productions including Twelfth Night, Three Sisters, The Office Plays, and Fefu and Her Friends, and has appeared in several independent short films, including Over My Dead Body, Blowing Up Your Life, and Nothing Sweet. Her training includes the William Esper Studio's Two-Year Meisner Program, RADA, Atlantic Acting School, The Lee Strasberg Institute, and the International Theatre Workshop in Amsterdam. In addition to her work as an actor, Paloma serves as the Producing Associate for Stacie and Steven Weisbrot's theater production company, Second Set, and has been working behind the curtain to share research, assist in marketing initiatives, and launch theater programs and special events.
Advisory
Guided by advisors from Broadway and arts education.
The Kind MIND's work is shaped by advisors across Broadway, experiential events and production, nonprofit, and education.
Meet our advisory boardSupport our work
Help us bring The Kind MINDto more classrooms.
Every session we run is made possible by educators, parents, and donors who believe in this work. Every gift is tax-deductible.
Get involvedThe Kind MIND operates as Kind Minds, LLC. Tax-deductible donations are made through Every.org, a 501(c)(3) public charity, and granted to the Kind Mind Theatre Project fund hosted at the Edward Charles Foundation.