Thursday, February 21
6:30-7:30pm

Texas School for the Blind
and Visually Impaired
1100 W. 45th St.
Austin, TX 78756

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Thursday, February 28
6:00-9:00pm

Sharing with Voices Against Violence
University of Texas at Austin
Room, TBD

After a full year of working with Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble, I often find myself faced with mixed feelings come May. Part of me (I think it must be my brain) tallies up the successes we have experienced together:

• Writing an original play, learning performance skills, touring shows for audiences of 600+
• Having peer leaders make appearances in the news and on panels advocating against bullying and unhealthy relationships and
• Taking CLYTE students on our first performance at a national conference

I consider the challenges we have faced as a team:

• Wrangling 20 energetic teens, maintaining our focus, getting them to be loud when we needed them to be (and getting them to be quiet when we needed them to be)
• Dealing with the unexpected actor illnesses on performance days
• Working through the frustrating moments when we wished the play could write itself

Another part of me (you might say it’s my heart) is simply awestruck at the growth and beauty I have witnessed while working alongside these students.

It’s remarkable how much growth a person can experience in a year. In September, I had a motley group of shy kids and self-professed weirdos who “didn’t fit in anywhere else.” Some were silly. Some were silent. Now I see a unit of authentic individuals who have grown by listening, laughing and working together. They recognize the ensemble as a family whose relationships will continue to grow far beyond this school year. Where I saw fear in September, in May I see young adults rising to any occasion with confidence. I am proud of them, not just because they have become better actors or because they have learned to work as a team, or even because they have achieved so much but because they have allowed this experience to change their own lives- and mine.

reposted from Theatre Action Project’s Blog

After the stage was clear, we had a few moments to rehearse our play.

Here, Romeo (Lina) asks if Juliet (Leslie) if she will go on a date with him.

There’s a first time for everything. This weekend’s adventures marked a lot of “firsts” for us: first time to present our youth ensemble on a national scale, first flight on an airplane, first ride on a cable car, first chance to meet a famous solo performer and last but not least, first experience with jellyfish as a side dish and not just something to avoid on the beach.

This weekend, five ensemble members from the Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble presented at theNational Conference on Health & Domestic Violence sponsored by Futures Without Violence. We shared an excerpt of our original play, Outside the Box during a plenary session entitled: Transformers: Risk, Resilience and the Promise of our Teens on the conference’s closing day. After the performance, one of our youth represented the ensemble on a panel to discuss teen relationship health.

As the Artistic Director for the Ensemble (and first time chaperone on a trip of this scale), finding the words to express the experience of this adventure is trickier than rounding up five teenagers in the biggest H&M clothing store they have ever seen. I hope sharing some of our photos with you can give you a taste of our experience. This trip is one I will hold onto for years to come. I know these kids will too. I am honored to work alongside such a fantastic group of youth who are creative, talented and committed to creating change among their peers. Thank you to Theatre Action Project& SafePlace for sending us on such a remarkable journey.

Before we knew it, our performance was over and we were faced with a standing ovation from healthcare professionals, social workers, community organizers, and activists.

Here Lina represents teen voices on a panel with Dr. Liz Miller and author Belva Davis

For several of us, the biggest thrill of the trip was getting the opportunity to meet Anna Deveare Smith, whose documentary theatre approach to solo performance involves “walking in the experience” of real people. We were able to see her perform excerpts from her new play just moments before we performed on the very same stage.

Leslie was just as excited as I was to see this legend in action.

We are smiling and sporting our presenter badges at a conference reception.

Leslie had never been on an airplane before. Aside from some minor squealing upon takeoff, she dealt with it like a champ!

Arrival at the San Francisco Airport.
Rumpled but ready for an adventure.

After the reception, we headed down to Chinatown for some adventurous cuisine.

Leslie and Nicole jam to the beats of a local Brazilian performance group.

What better way to celebrate a performance in San Francisco than by hopping onto a cable car and heading to Fisherman’s Wharf for some seafood?

Above: Gary bravely points out the jellyfish dish.
And tries it without fear! The verdict?
Yummy, with sesame flavor and very, very chewy.

repost from Theatre Action Project’s Blog

Changing Lives Youth Ensemble has the exciting opportunity to take five of our students to the National Conference on Health and Domestic Violence, put on byFutures Without Violence, in San Francisco, CA. Our students will be performing a 15 minute selection of their play, Outside the Box, to over 650 audience members from all over the US. This is an awesome opportunity for Changing Lives to be showcased on a national level and also for us to experience traveling together.
There is a lot that goes into traveling—but we know our students are ready for the challenge! From first time plane flights, to navigating the hills of San Francisco, to performing in new and exciting spaces, to exploring Chinatown– I am sure this will be a trip that we, and our students, will remember for a long time.

Stay tuned to find out how it all went! (The photo above of San Fran bound students was taken by Changing Lives-er Summor Elliott.)

repost from Theatre Action Project’s Blog

Touring a performance with theChanging Lives Youth Theatre Ensembleis a unique experience. Each new stage means a new set of blocking adjustments for the cast. Every new space requires a different amount of vocal energy from each actor as we strive to be heard. The biggest variable is always the audience. Some school day performances have a frenetic energy, an excitement that lingers in the air and says, “It’s awesome that we don’t have to go to sixth period!” At the Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired, there is always one certainty – that our students will have one of the most engaged, energized audiences that we meet all year.

The Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired (TSBVI) is a public school that serves students ages 6-21 who are blind, visually impaired or have additional disabilities. Some students are from the Austin area, while others live in dorms on campus and visit family across the state on weekends and holidays. The school culture there is inclusive, empowering and welcoming to guest performers like our ensemble.

Theatre is a highly visual medium and every year people ask me if we make adaptations to our show for the TSBVI audience. While we may make tiny modifications to dialogue for clarity, adding subtle clues about the stage action, we find that TSBVI audiences are super-attentive and need very few modifications to stay invested in the story. From the stage we catch an occasional whisper from a blind student as they ask their sighted companion to describe a piece of action but without skipping a beat they jump right back into the story, ‘ohh-ing and aah-ing’ as the drama unfolds.

The attention these student audiences give to detail and the overall themes of the show becomes apparent as we engage in the post show talkback. This year, we are assisted by TSBVI student and Changing Lives Alum, Jory Freeman who helps us by calling on students by name as they raise their hands to respond to our play, Outside the Box.We ask, “Are stereotypes harmful?” Many students raise their hands to answer, “It can be hard to hear the judgments people make about you because over time, you can start to believe them.” Another student comments, “But they are just words – they only have power over you if you let them.” A third student raises his hand and asks, “Can I come up and meet y’all?”

After the talkback, TSBVI students rush the stage to meet our ensemble members. They ask questions about the characters, ask where the students go to school, ask if they like the same bands and TV shows, ask if they can become Facebook friends, some kids even ask for autographs. Our students leave this performance with renewed confidence and commitment to their work. Changing Lives’ visits to TSBVI always remind us that our work together resonates with the community and has an impact that can only be measured by our experiences together. Thank you, Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired for being such gracious hosts and exemplary audience.

reposted from Theatre Action Project’s Blog