With expertise in strategic planning and human resources, Steven M. Darien serves as the chairman and CEO of Cabot Advisory Group in New Jersey. Steven M. Darien also contributes to his community as chairman of the George Street Playhouse (GSP).
On top of its mainstage performances, GSP maintains an Educational Touring Theatre program that addresses important themes for student audiences through various productions, including New Kid by Dennis Foon. The hour-long presentation is set in an American community, where a family has settled after emigrating from a fictitious location named "Homeland." During the production, the family encounters cultural differences and prejudice against Homelanders. The play helps the student audience appreciate the overwhelming nature of a new culture and language by having the Americans speak a made-up language while the Homelanders speak English.
Considered to be the Educational Touring Theatre’s most effective production, New Kid explores what it’s like to move to a new place, develop friendships, and feel like an outsider. The program covers a wide range of relevant themes for students, including conflict resolution and peer pressure. Suitable for students between kindergarten and sixth grade, New Kid is frequently requested for schools’ new student orientations, tolerance events, and multicultural celebrations.
