About
Yard Dramas is the vision and practice of Jennifer Ridgway, sole proprietor and founder. As a Theatre Teaching Artist, actor, director, playwright, designer, and creative leader, Jennifer draws on her wide-ranging experience to center equity, dialogue, and genuine connection in all Yard Dramas programming. She believes every person is a creator and that the creative process is a catalyst for individual and community transformation. Jennifer’s leadership is shaped by collaboration with diverse artists and communities, and she welcomes all to participate.
Discover more about Jennifer’s unique artistic philosophy and journey on her personal artist page.
Vision
Art making and art learning bring people together and nurture the power of communities to connect, shape, imagine, and transform the world.
Mission
Yard Dramas develops creative experiences designed in collaboration with participants to bridge connections, increase learning and grow ideas, pathways, and solutions.
Core Values
- ARTISTIC EXCELLENCE Every human - from babies to revered elders - is an artist. Every household and business benefits from experiencing high-quality art learning and making programming.
- LIFE-LONG LEARNING Yard Dramas is committed to arts education and creative life-long learning for all. We believe collaborative art learning and making has a positive impact on participants' economic, health, environmental, educational, and social lives. Art learning and making occur wherever the community meets - inside, outside, and online, in schools, homes, parks, markets, cafes, streets, and elsewhere.
- OPPORTUNITY Every artist deserves the opportunity to work with a Professional Teaching Artist. Yard Dramas is accessible to everyone regardless of financial resources and circumstances, and recognizes wealth, income, and privilege differences within our community.
- NATURE AS A MODEL Nature is an artist, and there are countless benefits and opportunities to tell stories and create art in nature with the community. Built on community garden principles, Yard Dramas catalyzes collaborative art projects, inspires renewed interest in preserving and revitalizing Prince George's County's green spaces, and nurtures stewards of the Anacostia Watershed's natural environment.
- PROFESSIONALISM: Teaching Artists are established artists with specialized training to craft engaging arts-learning experiences for individuals of all ages. At Yard Dramas, we collaborate with members of the Teaching Artists of the Mid-Atlantic (TAMA), who exemplify the Principles for Professional Teaching Artists. Our founder, Jennifer, is a co-founder of TAMA and has been instrumental in advocating for the inclusion of Teaching Artists in the U.S. Department of Labor's Standardized Occupational Classification System. Our mission is to elevate the field of teaching artistry, ensuring these professionals receive the respect and recognition they rightly deserve.
HISTORY
In the early days of the pandemic, I was forced into unemployment as the world was forced to shelter in place. With 30 years as a professional Theatre Teaching Artist, I recognized how my artistry and skills to engage all ages with art learning and making experiences could serve the community. In April 2020, I began presenting drama sessions in my neighbors' yards to help young children overcome loneliness and enter into imaginary play.
TODAY
Yard Dramas creates art experiences with the community to shape and transform the world. Our work aims to:
- Create youth and teen opportunities, optimizing their potential as leaders and change-makers in their community,
- Increase social-emotional wellness and core academic learning through arts integration,
- Enrich the lives of elders, supporting them to share their stories artfully through performance,
- Imagine solutions to issues in education and the environment using the power of arts learning and arts making.
Yard Dramas received certification as a Minority Business Enterprise in December 2024.
FUTURE
Yard Dramas is charting an ambitious, four-stage vision for the future.
STAGE ONE centered on engaging individual households and families during the pandemic and its immediate aftermath. We experimented with stories and theatrical techniques tailored to each participant, always asking: What if...?
STAGE TWO brought us back to schools and parks, where we identified and explored topics and issues that resonated deeply with our community. During this phase, Yard Dramas and founder, Jennifer, earned certification as a minority-owned business, as well as the following achievements:
- Completed the Creators’ Momentum Business Accelerator Program with the Accion Opportunity Fund, gaining invaluable tools, resources, and confidence.
- Became a Maryland Master Naturalist through the Anacostia Watershed Society (now dreaming of a shadow puppet play about vernal pools!) and is working toward a Prince George's County Master Gardener certification. Learn more about these inspiring programs.
- Earned a National Association for Interpretation & Ethical Interpretation Certificate, thanks to support from the Anacostia Trails Heritage Area.
STAGE THREE—our current phase—features ongoing work in schools and parks as we cultivate partnerships and collaborators for new performances, programs, and services. In 2026, Yard Dramas launched programs with the Girl Scouts of the Nation's Capital and continues to collaborate with the Takoma Park Maryland Library, Crossroads Farmers Market, and Hyattsville Aging In Place. We are expanding our network of community partners and stakeholders as we refine our offerings.
Yard Dramas continues to explore the potential of a customized electric bicycle. Imagine the magic of a performance arriving by bike, with a wagon that transforms into a pop-up stage, inviting people of all ages to co-create. A large umbrella will offer shade for collaborators during sunny summer programs in parks and markets.
Interested in partnering with us and supporting these initiatives? Email us today.
STAGE FOUR, our final phase, will showcase innovative, collaborative professional performances in unexpected and extraordinary ways. Together with our community partners, we will write our collective story of resilience and creativity, shaping and imagining our future world and moving closer to collective freedom.
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TESTIMONIALS
MY STORY
Owner: Jennifer Ridgway
- Fourth-generation Prince George's County resident and Maryland native!
- 30+ years as a Teaching Artist with an MFA in theatre for young people. I am an experienced creative journey facilitator who can cater to your unique needs, topics, interests, goals, and themes.
- Trained and experienced performing artist with a BA in acting, plus decades of private voice coaching and dance lessons. I bring that training and experience to my Yard Dramas projects!
- Annual background checks and ongoing training in specific populations, such as people with special needs, the elderly, and LGBTQ+ populations, to create the safest and most welcoming environment for all of my participants.
- Trained in social-emotional learning and critical literacy.
- Certificate from the National Association for Interpretation & Ethical Interpretation
- Experience in simultaneous Spanish interpretation, audio description, and open captioning.
- Intern Master Gardener, Master Naturalist, Anacostia Watershed Steward and Climate Reality Leadership Corps Member and lifelong gardener.