Pink Fang x LPAC Nursing Workshop 2025 - A Space That Nurtures New Caregivers and Their Narratives

Over two summer sessions, the main stage theater at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC) became a space for reflection, listening, and shared experience. Nursing students from LaGuardia Community College gathered not to practice clinical skills, but to tell stories — about who they are, how they care for others, and what it means to step into the nursing profession. 

This summer, Pink Fang partnered with LaGuardia Community College’s Nursing Program and LPAC to lead a two-part storytelling workshop for students enrolled in their capstone course. Titled Centering Voice and Care, the pilot program invited students to slow down and reflect on identity, leadership, and transition during an otherwise fast-paced and demanding program. 

The sessions were facilitated by Sara Zatz, Pink Fang’s Artistic Director of Engagement, and C. Meranda Flachs-Surmanek, a Teaching Artist with extensive experience in arts-in-health work. Drawing from Pink Fang’s documentary and interview-based theater practices, students explored storytelling as a tool for self-reflection, communication, and connection as these are skills that resonate deeply within healthcare spaces. 

For many participants, this was their first time engaging in a theater-based workshop. Stepping outside the academic and clinical rigor of their coursework, students were able to connect with one another in new ways, sharing both the joys and uncertainties shaping their journeys. 

Reflecting on the experience, LPAC Artistic Director Handan Ozbilgin shared: 

“This collaboration reflects LPAC’s intention to use the arts as a space for care and connection. Creating a space for nursing students to share their stories reminds us that storytelling is not separate from healing but it’s a huge part of it.” 

Students echoed this sentiment in their reflections, describing the workshop as a space where they felt supported, grounded, and more connected to their classmates. 

The response to Centering Voice and Care has opened conversations about how storytelling can continue to support those on the front lines of care. As LPAC explores future interdisciplinary partnerships, this pilot offers a glimpse into how the arts can nurture empathy, community, and reflection within professional training spaces

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