Create. Connect. Celebrate!

Since 2017, Theatre Connect has provided over 150 LGBTIQIA+ youth and adults with a safe space to experience the power of collective creativity. Based in Gainesville, FL, we are dedicated to fostering connection, unity, and mental well-being within the LGBTQIA+ community of North Central Florida through transformative performing arts experiences.

After 6 years of partnership with UF, Theatre Connect is now an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. We have solidified our unwavering commitment to providing a safe space for self-expression and learning. Our professional facilitators lead engaging skill-building sessions in improvisation, stagecraft, and storytelling, catering to all skill levels.

Our work is built on diversity and community, as we continuously strive to offer inclusive and accessible programs for LGBTQIA+ individuals of all backgrounds. In collaboration with licensed mental health professionals, we ensure that Theatre Connect remains a safe and supportive environment, promoting socio-emotional wellness.

We extend a warm invitation to join us on this incredible journey – whether as a participant, volunteer, donor, or supporter. Together, let's use the transformative power of theatre to create a more inclusive and compassionate world.

With gratitude,

The Theatre Connect Team

Our History

  • Theatre Connect presented its theatre-first interdisciplinary model for collaboration between mental health professionals and theatre practitioners. We were invited to speak at the Global South Arts & Health Week Festival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

  • In the Spring of 2025, Theatre Connect partnered with the Lynx Bookstore and Pride Community Center of North Central Florida to provide our first community improv workshop.

  • Theatre Connect receives the Spirit of Pride Award for Community Impact by an Organization.

  • Theatre Connect became an independent non-profit and was awarded its 501c3 status.

  • The National Organization for Arts in Health awarded Theatre Connect First Place in the Arts for Innovation category of their annual Cam Busch Award. Check out our video and other winners here: 2023 Cam Busch Award Winners

  • Published an article on Theatre Connect Online, showcasing our adaptation to virtual platforms, March 2022.

    Pufahl, J., Simerly, S., Bayne, H., Reina-Munoz, C. (2022) Virtually Commedia: An Interactive Online Theatre Program for LGBTQ+ Youth. Journal of Applied Arts and Health.13(1) https://doi.org/10.1386/jaah_00091_1

  • Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, we successfully conducted our first online season, allowing participants to engage remotely.

  • Published an article on the Theatre Connect Model, highlighting our innovative approach, May 2021.

    Pufahl, J., Reina-Munoz, C., Bayne, H. (2021) Theatre Connect: Strategies for facilitating LGBTQQ youth theatre programs. Journal of Health Promotion Practice. 22(1) https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839921996290

  • The Brad & Marta Pollit Foundation was established to provide continuous funding support to Theatre Connect for the next few years. UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine become fiscal sponsors.

  • Theatre Connect hires its facilitators and begins to offer free registration to teen participants. All thanks to grants from Satchel’s Pizza and the Florida Department of Arts & Culture.

  • The UF Center for Arts in Medicine becomes the academic research partner and fiscal sponsor of an ongoing Theatre Connect program with directors and investigators Jeffrey Pufahl & Camilo Reina Munoz.

  • In partnership with the UF Health Youth Gender Clinic, Jeffrey Pufahl worked with Dr. Cindi Gayle and Dr. Anyaliese Hancock-Smith to put on a novel theatre for health program for LGBTQIA+ youth at the Hippodrome and the Pride Community Center of North Central Florida.

  • Theatre Connect founder, Jeffrey Pufahl, invited Chicago's Second City to facilitate a two-day training on using improvisation to address mental health in the summer of 2017. Led by a licensed therapist trained in improvisation, the course engaged mental health clinicians, educators, and theatre facilitators in exercises that highlighted improvisation skills for a supportive, creative approach to therapy. This is where the founding board members first met…