Shopping for Change: Age Beliefs in Advertising
How do advertisements shape our attitudes about aging? In this session, participants will explore how cultural age beliefs influence buying practices. Through reflection and dialogue, they will develop skills to identify ageism in advertising and learn strategies to cultivate intentional, confident age beliefs that promote inclusion.
Monday, May 5, 2025
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Online, via Zoom
Marlee Koenigsberg (she, her, hers)
Marlee Koenigsberg is a theatre director, teaching artist, and disability justice advocate based in New York City. She received her M.A. in Applied Theatre from CUNY School of Professional Studies and is currently pursuing an Advanced Certificate in Disability Studies. Marlee has collaborated with various organizations in the NYC area, including DOROT, New York Deaf Theatre, Underground Skills Exchange (U.S.E.), Roundabout Theatre Company, and The Shadow Box Theatre. Currently, Marlee works part-time at Baruch College as a Disability Accommodations Specialist in the Student Disability Services office. She is passionate about access and inclusion in the arts, and it is part of her mission to help create accessible spaces and theatrical experiences that center disability and aim to dismantle ableism. Marlee is a proud member of CUNY’s Disability and Access Coalition (DAC) and served as Vice Chair of Accessibility from fall 2022 to spring 2024. She earned her B.F.A. in Acting/Theatre Arts from Adelphi University.
Róisín Goebelbecker (she, her, hers)
Róisín Goebelbecker is an applied theatre practitioner, facilitator, and performer focused on community organizing, ritual, anti-ageism, and anti-racism. She has collaborated with organizations like the NYC Civic Engagement Commission, Creative Arts Team (CAT), and Lennox Hill Neighborhood House, using participatory theatre to spark dialogue and social change. Her work in social services with older adults in Camden, NJ inspired her passion for fostering intergenerational inclusion.
Róisín holds an M.A. in Applied Theatre from CUNY School of Professional Studies, a B.A. in Film, Television, and Theatre and American Studies from the University of Notre Dame, and a Certificate in Social Impact Storytelling from Georgetown University.
Act Your Age!: Ageism and the Media
“Act Your Age!: Ageism and the Media” is an engaging two-part DEI workshop series facilitated by Róisín Goebelbecker and Marlee Koenigsberg. This interactive experience invites participants to critically examine how cultural age beliefs shape our perceptions and influence our lives. Through dialogue, creative expression, and reflection, participants will uncover biases and envision inclusive narratives about aging.
