(Registered Drama Therapist, Licensed Creative Arts Therapist)

ALLYN SITJAR, M.A., RDT, LCAT

_________________________________________________________________________ DRAMA THERAPIST, DIRECTOR, PRODUCER & THEATRE TEACHING ARTIST

Director of Moving Stories Studio (Creative arts therapies healing and play center)-NYC & NJ Movingstoriesstudio.com

23 Tomahawk Trail, Sparta, New Jersey 07871 (973) 729-6026 (201)415-5329 (Cell phone) Allyn.sitjar@gmail.com

Founder and Artistic Director of: Youth Theatre of New Jersey & Summer Theatre Institute New York City www.youththeatreinstitutes.org

EDUCATION

New York University, Masters Degree - Drama Therapy RDT certification received in 2006, LCAT received in 2006 Certified facilitator for Girls Circles & Boys Council (2008-09)
New York University Arts Administration Certification Program University of Minnesota Bachelor of Arts, Theatre Arts Los Angeles City College Associate of Arts, Theatre Arts

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE- CREATIVE ARTS THERAPY DRAMA THERAPY

Moving Stories Studio-Individual and Group work, NYC (by appointment) Safe-In-Hunterdon-PALS program 2006-Present
Currently, I am working as a drama therapist at Safe-In-Hunterdon, (Flemington, NJ) an agency that serves victims of domestic violence. I work with children, adolescents and mothers in the PALS (Peace-A-Learned-solution) program. This program serves clients who have been victims and witnesses of domestic violence. Individual and groups sessions are conducted with children, adolescents, and mothers. Certified to run Girls Circle and Boys Council groups (go to www.Girlscircle.com for more information) Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn, NY November, 2009 End of December, 2010 Group and individual drama therapy with girls and boys in the Therapeutic Rehabilitation Adolescent and Latency In-Patient Unit Responsibilities included patient intakes and assessments, design group protocols and implement group and individual sessions with a adolescents, children, and adults. The Beacon Afterschool Program Grades 1- 8 2004-2006 Individual and group work with children, pre-teens, teens under the auspices of a Red Cross Grant and Project Liberty Grant Internships: Interfaith Medical Center - IPRT Program (Population Chronic Mentally Ill), P.S. 137 (Elementary School) Afterschool Program, Lower East Side, New York F.E.G.S. Hudson Street, New York Assistant to first year students for course field work F.E.G.S. Bronx, New York Continuing Day Treatment (Population Chronic Mentally Ill)

THEATRE DIRECTING, PRODUCING, AND TEACHING

Present: Youth Theatre of New Jersey, Summer Theatre Institute New York City Founder and Artistic Director Creator and Artistic Director of Teen Musical Theatre Institute College Now Program at the City University of New York Hunter College Summer 2006 Creative Arts Team New York University Graduate Assistant and Actor/Teacher swing-Parent Program 2001-2004

YOUTH THEATRE OF NEW JERSEY Founded in 1985, Youth Theatre of New Jersey is a non-profit arts organization, that specializes in teaching children and teens a broad range of theatre skills under the guidance of professional theatre teaching artists. Along with the rigorous and comprehensive theatre training curriculum, Youth Theatre of New Jersey sustains an acting company of talented school-age young artists that have created and performed over 300 original works that reflect the ideas aspirations, dreams and images of young people. SUMMER THEATRE INSTITUTE - NEW YORK CITY Summer Theatre Institute, New York City (1995 to present) is a residential teen summer theatre training. Held on a campus in New York City is housed at The Meredith Willson Residence Hall on the campus of the Juilliard School, Summer Theatre Institute is open to high school teens. Young theatre artists come from Europe, Asia, and across the United States to participate in this rigorous and intensive theatre training program. Students immerse themselves in such skills as acting, playwriting, musical theatre, voice, mime, stage combat, directing, dance, theatre movement, improvisation, and much more. Nurtured by enthusiastic professional theatre artists, students enjoy the experience of living together as a community of artists, partake of the wonderful cultural opportunities of New York, and participate in a program that has sustained the highest caliber of training for its students. Along with multidiscipline theatre training, students also participate in a supportive, interactive, collaborative theatre ensemble that nurtures a sense of positive group discipline and personal growth. As the work stimulates ideas and stories, students are able to tolerate a wider horizon of imagination, expand their role repertoire, support each other, and own and celebrate their stories. The students of Youth Theatre of New Jersey and Summer Theatre Institute have gone on to professional careers and graduates have attended prestigious theatre programs such as New York Universitys Tisch School of the Performing Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, Syracuse University, The Juilliard School, North Carolina School of the Arts, Northwestern University, De Paul University, Mason Gross School of the Arts (at Rutgers University), Boston University, and others.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS/QUALIFCATIONS

Conference Presentations: Expressive Arts Therapy Summit-NYC Will be presenting in November, 2011 The Center for Child Advocacy at Montclair State University, April 15, 2011 Finding A Voice: Drama and Music Therapy for Child Survivors of Domestic Violence Regional Music Therapy Conference, Saratoga Springs, April 1, 2011 The use of Creative Arts Therapies for Child Survivors of Domesic Violence American Society of Group Psychotherapy & Psychodrama (ASGPP) 68th Annual Conference, April 18, 2010, The use of Creative Arts Therapies for Child Survivors of Domesic Violence Instructional specialties: Drama Therapy groups and individual work, theatre games, improvisation, scene study, creative movement, audition technique, storytelling, Collaborative and Devised Theatre Projects Certified facilitator for Girls Circle, Boys Council Participant, Artist Teacher Institute, Stockton, NJ 1988 Theatre Instructor, Guggenheim Learning Through Art Program, New York, 1992 Lecturer and workshop leader American Alliance for Theatre & Education, Boston, MA 1993 Lecturer, workshop leader Childrens Services of Morris County, 1994 Performer, Paul Sills Improvisation Workshop, Baileys Harbor, WI 1994 Black Belt Tang Soo Do Karate Member: Actors Equity Association, American Alliance for Theatre & Education, National Association of Drama Therapists

References and list of original shows available upon request.