ABOUT
DOWN TO EARTH brings world-class international performance, theater, contemporary circus, an opera installation, and participatory events—absolutely free—directly to New York City’s vibrant, diverse communities.
An initiative that embraces global exchange and democratizes cultural expression, the inaugural festival runs from August 29 – September 7, 2025. Conceived by The Martin E. Segal Theatre Center at The CUNY Graduate Center, which serves as the festival's producer, organizational home, and fiscal agent.
Here in NYC, partnering with parks in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens and collaborating with more than 10 dynamic cultural and community organizations, we’re staging performances and workshops across multiple urban spaces. Citizen expression beats at the heart of our artistic vision; Down to Earth affirms art’s critical role in the economic, social, and mental well-being of all New Yorkers.
Outdoor creations, international contemporary circus, and in-situ participatory performances are ideal means of reaching new audiences: they are powerful expressions of communal space, championing public assembly, and democratizing access to the urban commons. DOWN TO EARTH is a crucible of ideas in action, forging connections between community organizations and CUNY Stages, affirming art’s critical role in the economic, political, social, and mental well-being of all New Yorkers.
The festival also proposes a novel reading of the spaces, demonstrating how they can be used and understood. This mirrors the ways social and political action can produce unexpected effects, insights, and actions. We're focusing on how artistic presence transforms the experience of place, and the powerful role of outdoor creation in transforming communities and spaces.
DOWN TO EARTH seeks to expand access to cultural expression, privilege public assembly, and combat the injustices inherent in socio-economic exclusion. Central to the festival's mission is our commitment to dismantling cultural barriers by offering free programs for students, youth, immigrant communities, and families. By attracting a diverse public to free street arts and in-situ performances that are accessible and inviting, the festival will redress the shortcomings of an expensive system of cultural dissemination.
The MESTC DOWN TO EARTH Festival is committed to serving a diverse cross-section of New York City’s population, with a focus on students, youth, immigrant communities, and families—especially those who are underserved by traditional cultural institutions. These are our primary organizational and project-specific audiences. By offering free programming, we aim to dismantle barriers to cultural access and bring world-class contemporary circus and outdoor arts directly to where communities live, learn, and gather.
Our programming is designed to be inclusive, accessible, and welcoming. By staging performances in public spaces—such as NYC parks and community-centered venues—we foster an environment that invites participation from audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. The festival emphasizes engagement over exclusivity, offering dynamic, unconventional presentations that resonate with today’s culturally curious audiences.
In opposition to NYC's current performing arts landscape, where high costs have reduced many venues to rental facilities or limited seasons, Down to Earth articulates a different approach. With the majority of work presented in public spaces, our strategy focuses on sharing resources and building coalitions with CUNY Stages, NYC parks, and The Coalition of Theaters of Color, Bushwick Starr, among other organizations. We plan to unite these spaces through joint presentations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, fostering visibility and cooperation, while focusing on access for students, families, and a variety of theater audiences. By leveraging the networks of institutions like LaGuardia Community College, Green-Wood Cemetery, and the South Street Seaport Museum, we connect with built-in audiences and educational outreach programs that extend our reach organically.
For this festival, we focus on communities in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens through strategic partnerships with CUNY Stages, NYC parks in underfunded areas, and community organizations with established audiences.
Frank Hentschker (MESTC)
Founder and Co-Director, fhentschker@gc.cuny.edu
Elena V. Siyanko
Founder and Co-Director, esiyanko@gc.cuny.edu
Ruth Wikler
Advisor to the Festival and Conference Co-Director, ruth@wiklerarts.com