While mentorships are important in any field, they are fundamental for aspiring artists. I’ve recently taken on some mentees and learned from the experiences.
Since I visited this incredible program in 2013, they were forced to shut down and seek safety when the Taliban again grew powerful and violent in the Autumn of 2022. Now, once again (as of January 2023), they have 27 teams in 11 provinces, serving children of all ages and genders, with a social circus program that also provides food and other instruction. You can learn more about them on their Facebook page (they post most often on Facebook). Support by sharing or donating if you can. — I am walking down the dirt road, my headscarf up over my
As I write this, I pause to quickly grab a pencil and jot down one more thing on my “Bring” list, so I don’t forget when I leave for a foreign country at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning. I have more anxiety than I typically do — normally I am happiest and most content moving through space (or preparing to), and love my collaborative-creative projects best of all. So what, I asked myself, was I worried about this time? I had done quite a bit of social, cultural, and language preparation, spent time with friends and colleagues from this country to
September 1, 2014, marked the 100th anniversary of the death of Martha, the sole surviving Passenger Pigeon. Quite a few interesting, powerful, relevant articles have come out, including ones about “de-extinction” in a Smithsonian article by William Souder, “100 Years After Her Death, Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon, Still Resonates.” However, for me it wasn’t until I saw the paper “pull-out” from my edition of the Smithsonian Magazine, that I felt a real connection. It was printed with the pattern to fold the paper into an origami Passenger Pigeon. Like the origami cranes, gracefully and soulfully keeping us aware of and
My wonderful and amazing students from “A Class Act” with The Magic Paintbrush Project performed on April 27th (a play they wrote!) and hit the ball out of the park. They were amazing, they were incredible, they brought the house down. And every single one of them has a disability. I wrote about them last fall, when we were just beginning our process (see “Life is Washable”), but as a result of the show, folks have been asking about children, challenges, and performance, especially children who are on the Asperger-Autism spectrum. I last posted some specific observations and activities about working
These past weeks have held plentiful reminders of the horrendous things we do to each other as people and societies. In the face of large darknesses, we often forget that ignorance and intolerance are bred and cultivated in much smaller arenas long before they grow into mass malignancy. I myself have found it difficult to find anything to write about of late, and I am one of the most pragmatically action-oriented people I know. With this in mind, I have decided to devote this blog and the next to arts-based projects that are creating opportunities for connection and knowledge. The
I write this on my last day in Kabul, where for the past 10 days I have had the honor and joy of working with the Afghan Mobile Mini Children’s Circus and being a supporting team member for Eva Vander Giessen in Afghan Friends Network meetings. I have been able to wear bright clothes, walk by myself to the circus in the morning, and eat at restaurants where men and women are allowed to dine together (although they are uncommon, and are generally referred to as “restaurants for foreigners,” even if mostly Afghans are there). Girls go to school in
Many people have asked me about my own history as a teaching artist, when I began, who shaped my initial thinking, and my first forays into this dynamic field. Without question, my practice continues to change and grow as I strive to learn from colleagues, mentors, writings by teaching artists, and workshops. However, my core frame, my nutrient-rich context into which the seeds of all things are sown, is a gift from my mother, Barbara Lucia Adams. Let me quote her. “I had a passion for theatre, but more importantly, I saw what it could do. I could see theatre
You must pay the rent! I can’t pay the rent! I’ll pay the rent. My hero! I admit I LOVE melodrama — the true stuff, the new stuff, and the mustachioed tongue-in-cheek stuff. That being said, I weep copious tears, gnash my teeth, and rend my garments when folks use “melodrama” in solely disparaging ways. In truth, melodrama grew from the dance hall, cheap entertainment (thrills, chills, and crazy love stories!), into a means to forward a progressive social agenda and large-scale cultural and system reform. WHHHHAAAAAT?!?!?! NO!!! Yes, my friends, yes. The history of melodrama In Victorian England, if
I am just finishing up being directed by the great Marie Sirakos in a performance of the internationally acclaimed children’s book, “My Father’s Dragon,” in celebration of the author’s 90th birthday. Marie is a playwright and community events organizer whose work includes a piece called Empty Chairs, an art-installation, community driven work about loss and suicide. Marie is a personal hero of mine, and it is an honor to interview her for this week’s blog. Q. Hi, Marie! It’s a pleasure to have you here! A subject dear to my heart is the interrelationship between Performance and Community. You have been
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