I went to Staten Island and all I brought you back was this diary entry! Ha Ha!
What do they say? Hindsight is 20/20. If I had hindsight my day planner last November would have looked like this:
Wednesday the 9th:
1:30 (ish) - Debark ferry. Meet up with Ellen from College of Staten Island after slight confusion. Basically very few people are picked up from the ferry by car so there was not a clear place to do this. Breaking rules already.
1:30 - 2:00- Take a beautiful ride through Staten Island to the College. Enjoy the harbor and the fall foliage.
2:00 - 4:00 - Meet incredible crew and do wicked fast and professional tech.
4:00 - 5:00 - Play in hallways. Record videos.
5:00 - 6:00 - Finish tech with incredible student volunteer who took the name Frida Kahlo.
6:00 - 7:00 - Eat. More play in hallways. Warm-ups.
7:00 - 9:00 Perform "Feminists Are Funny" and end with Q and A to warm and attentive audience who after slight hesitation about hugging a feminist will jump in and participate. Hear from audience member women do not just need to vote women also need to run for political office on all levels. Receive news during show after an incredible version of 'Lesbian, Vagina, Feminist' that the song moves up on the Netherlands pop charts to #11. Raise your voices and you can affect change.
Thursday the 10th:
1:30 - 3:30 - Do a theatre workshop. Come to conclusions. In many workshops you see people who are eager to jump in and you also see people who begin with their arms crossed, or their eyes down. They are nervous and uncertain. Then you start working and they hopefully open up to the experience. In this particular workshop everyone opened up. It was a big beautiful class full of expression. I could only come to the conclusion that in their lives these students know trust, stability, guidance, support, generosity. They know it in at least one area of their lives - home, school, friends, relationships - and probably more. I think that's why this workshop opened up so much and everyone glowed. Those who had that trust from the beginning kept it, those who didn't found it, and they all offered it to each other. If I could, I would send this workshop out as my holiday card for all to be inspired by in the New Year. Check out the video of one of the devised theatre pieces created by the awesome CSI students below.
Monkey Love,
Edith Evans
