There is a cultural deficit in this country. When the civil liberties of historically underrepresented groups continue to face serious threat and our nation is stalled in an ever-polarizing inability to engage in productive dialogue, we artists and cultural workers must engage communities to which we might not normally find ourselves in proximity, to excavate the barriers standing between us, to address community concerns with artistic ferocity, with bold questions and daring choices, and to provoke audiences with questions (old and new) about who is given access to our nation’s promise of opportunity and who is being systematically shut out.
By collaborating with communities across the nation to tell their real stories on stage, my work (and my work with Notch Theatre Company) engages folks that brick and mortar theaters are not reaching, personalizes important social issues for people on all sides of a conversation, raises awareness in a compelling way, drives change on a national scale, and prompts meaningful, lasting engagement at a grassroots level.
I believe that theater is able to connect with an audience in a deeply personal way, and strive to push the boundaries of what that connection can achieve.
As I embark on my 9-month residency and work with RCHP I divide my process into 5 stages.
Stage 1: Community Engagement and Trust Building, which will take place during the months of October and November.
December begins Stage 2: Story Collection.
Then Stage 3: Playwriting (February - April) when we create the collaborative plays/art piece with community (and continue testimony collection).
Stage 4: Pre-Production. This will include a first reading of the plays with community for feedback around the of end April.
Stage 5: Production. Rehearsal and a final Presentation will begin mid-May and run into June with public presentations slated to happen summer 2021 when it is warm enough to gather outside.