One of the richest aspects of Fran’s life is being in a classroom. Working with kids she forgets the walls, losing track of noises streaming in from outside. What she is aware of is the faces: faces filled with eagerness, curiosity, even the uncomprehending expressions; and she thinks, okay girl – start your engines – guide these young minds to the next level of understanding and success. In return young men and women consistently brighten, enlighten, and challenge her view of the world and herself. This phenomenon has occurred from Chicago’s South Side to Denver to all five boroughs of NYC, but how did she discover teen voices across the world?
In 2005 her perceptions got a huge shake-up. She was moved by the life experiences of Harun, a Yugoslavian immigrant she met while working at Queens Academy High School. Harun’s open, direct honesty about the struggles he and his friends endured for safety, education, and a voice in Yugoslavian society before Slobodan Milosovic lost power was riveting. As his Queens classmates listened to Harun’s original monologue they were awed and inspired by the resilience he illustrated and its resonance in their own lives. All this triggered a curiosity in Fran – to uncover how teens still living in troubled spots cope.
She began leading playwriting workshops in Palestine, Israel, and Liberia. These amazing experiences brought her to the realization that even with 52% of the world’s population under the age of 21, teens remain misunderstood, underrepresented, and “voice poor”.
In 2008 Fran created fran tarr productions llc dedicated to “Giving voice to teens surviving chaos and conflict.” Breaking Walls was inspired when Fran’s documentaries showcased young Blacks in Brooklyn and Muslims in Bethlehem struggling against social unrest and intolerance. “The world sees us as losers and outcasts,” the young cast reported. “We showed that we are extraordinary. Not just because we wrote powerfully or created a beautiful performance. We became friends when no one believed we could. We want to continue building this bridge with every kid, everywhere, no matter their race, religion or attitude.” Under Fran’s direction, Breaking Walls is dedicated to bringing their idea to its rightful place on the world stage.
Launched in 2011 Breaking Walls is a U.S.-based international youth empowerment movement that fosters global dialogue among the leaders of tomorrow by creating artistic, educational, and community-building opportunities for youth to become empathetic, system-changing leaders. Breaking Walls’ activist approach allows participants to create an alternative community, modeling an inclusive and peaceful cohabitation and social interaction built on the arts, empathy, and acceptance. Breaking Walls empowers young people to discover their voice, offer them a platform on which to use it by promoting a continually-expanding inclusive, respectful, and trusting world cultivated by our artists, ambassadors, and associates. Breaking Walls engages and supports young people as they become creative artists and empathetic leaders of tomorrow who will actively advance personal transformation and social change within their home communities and on the global stage.
Breaking Walls believes that the imagination, ideals, considerable energies, and vision of youth are essential for the continuing development of their communities and our global family. During our signature program – the 16-days of a Breaking Walls International Summit, young people from across the globe engage in Ensemble-Building, creative writing, rehearsal, and a culminating theatrical-style performance of their original writing for a live audience. They also experience our Creative Activist Lab, one full-day of community service, and interaction with our Health & Wellness team.
Breaking Walls also offers five-day Community-Based Initiatives uniting diverse local groups to collaborate as one, united creative community, Arts Education In-School collaborations with students and educators, and response to the global COVID-19 crisis – virtual Artist Cooperatives to explore artistic disciplines showcasing the transformation of the original writing into a multi-media presentation.
Fran has been recognized for her contributions to the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace Global Walk. as Outstanding NGO Award from the James Jay Dudley Luce Foundation, and the 2019 Community Service Grant Award by the SXSW Festival.
