tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-254785492024-03-15T04:18:11.532-05:00Bond Street on the RoadBond Street Theatre serves refugee populations and communities affected by conflict by utilizing the arts as a pathway to peace and prosperity. We provide joy and laughter, educational enrichment, trauma relief, and cultural stimulation through our arts-based programming. The company is a non-profit NGO in association with the UN-DPI and has worked in a myriad of critical regions worldwide.Bond Street Theatrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01437401231146151086noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-1037626611602450862023-12-01T10:51:00.000-05:002023-12-01T10:51:28.989-05:00Afghanistan Then and Now: From the Field to University<p style="text-align: center;"><img height="444" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/S5oWUEsZdx5zriegurEfa73O9F0RG3AypRwsIJro2S5qXWzit7ixJWYp_4sNtUnDfjhfPS7fx0hUa4qPTtdq0hmTkyEzs3aaPrNJIfEMQnSoPxYuAXherzoNz5AJz2IN9HfIWE2R_tWtJJwJ4FP68IY" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="595" /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-cb454d3b-7fff-4318-0797-55d347559998"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For our second blog post as a part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), we had the opportunity to interview Heddy Lahmann, a Bond Street Theatre member. Heddy is a professor of International Education at New York University and wrote her dissertation about the work BST did in Afghanistan, focusing on </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the use of creative arts for youth development and peacebuilding in conflict and crisis-affected settings. She has been with the company for over 10 years! If you would like to read a more personal account of how Heddy got involved with theatre and BST in particular, the links below feature two blog posts Heddy wrote in 2012 and in 2015 when she was in Afghanistan.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://bondstreetblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/intern-spotlight-heddy-lahman.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://bondstreetblog.blogspot.com/2012/08/intern-spotlight-heddy-lahman.html</span></a></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://bondstreetblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/changing-perceptions-in-kabul.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://bondstreetblog.blogspot.com/2015/10/changing-perceptions-in-kabul.html</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Afghanistan: Then and Now</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of the projects Heddy worked on is the </span><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Creativity in Action </span><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">project</span><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">that has mobilized over 375 youth from 25 Afghan provinces to learn leadership skills and implement local community improvement projects. Groups underwent rigorous leadership training in their home provinces through workshop sessions using theatre and arts exercises to foster creative problem-solving, leadership, and improved communication skills. Each group created a Community Profile illuminating what they love about their community and the issues that need correction. </span></p><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><img height="323" src="https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/w_ULMTgLdcKWfTu87b7h7NmCq0yvnI61iqjOYwreJaEKjuwl71ng49FEDGUV33aUxLoS0Bw_wQ0TMsKpuWyfDbaRWwqW17N8nht1UgrsCLiaVXzbCpbT_821QmYBAwyod7AVqdcHCjY1wXhxCxfleyI" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="429" /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Phase two brought two groups at a time to Kabul from two different provinces – often representing different ethnicities, religions, or languages – for a week-long brainstorming and training session in community development, advocacy, and proposal-writing. During that week youth teams worked on their Action Plans while living, learning, socializing and working toward creating a unified Afghanistan. In a country divided by ethnic, linguistic, and customary differences, these exchanges built a sense of community and cohesion across regional boundaries</span><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #151e24; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Together with a female Afghan Filmmaker, Heddy produced a mini-documentary gathering videos and photos from the Afghani trainers and youth:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/219556041" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://vimeo.com/219556041</span></a></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Unfortunately, after the Taliban takeover in 2021, these kinds of projects have been banned or forced to go underground, and so much progress has been lost. Women are denied basic rights, and voices speaking up for women’s rights are targeted and silenced. However, not all hope is lost. Heddy shared that she is currently working on a project using edu-tainment (educative entertainment) through educational television programming and distance learning to support education for girls in Afghanistan – especially secondary school girls who have been barred from attending school under the Taliban.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lessons Learned from the Field - Gender-Based Violence</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">On the occasion of the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, we asked Heddy what she learned from having worked in the field. She shared two insights with us: one from when she worked in Afghanistan THEN, and one in relation to the project she is working on NOW. While in Afghanistan, she was surprised and encouraged that there were many young men who wanted to contribute to work on addressing women’s rights issues related to GBV. When she asked them about it, they said that they were motivated to want to create change to support women because these issues directly affected their communities and families.Through education and access to the internet, they understood that it could be different and wanted to be a part of making that change in their communities.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">With regard to the current edu-tainment project she’s working on in Afghanistan, she explained that providing educational opportunities for girls in Afghanistan right now is (if indirectly) attempting to address gender-based violence. She explained that denying girls and women their right to education and work is in fact gender-based violence, even if it may not be physical or visible violence in the short-term. Denial of education and the right to work is psychological and emotional violence, which has long-term effects that restrict women’s life opportunities, choices, and ability to protect themselves. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In addition to her work in Afghanistan, Heddy also highlighted her time spent addressing issues that women and girls face here in New York City. Alongside Ilanna, another BST member whose work we’ll be highlighting next week, Heddy created and performed in a BST show called </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Amelia and Her Paper Tigers</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. A fun-filled educational adventure, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Amelia and Her Paper Tigers</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is a look at the life of Amelia Earhart, who fought all odds to follow her dream of becoming an aviatrix, setting numerous flying records along the way. Her tale of passion and persistence is told through comedy, music, audience participation and circus arts, serving as an inspiration to young people of all ages to follow their dreams. Optional post-performance workshops further the exploration and provide creative tools to address fear. While not directly about GBV, this show depicts a strong female narrative of a real woman who pushed against gender norms and the roles/capabilities typically associated with women at the time—and even now.</span></p><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is a perfect example of how there is always work that can be done bringing the arts to young audiences to help them think about the world differently, whether at home or overseas. To hear more about </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Amelia and Her Paper Tigers</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, come back next week, when we’ll be featuring Heddy’s partner-in-crime, Ilanna!</span></span>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-91625215947361416112023-11-27T14:09:00.001-05:002023-11-27T14:09:36.260-05:00 Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Men in Cape Town, South Africa<p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0d3a2857-7fff-b7b6-4cb0-c5a4255250ec"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The global 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. It is incredibly important to highlight this issue and celebrate the progress that has already been made, as well as acknowledging the work that has yet to be done. GBV is not an isolated issue, but an intersectional one that manifests itself in various ways and carries a myriad of symptoms. As such, it is only by working together that we can continue to tackle and challenge GBV. Let’s use this occasion to tell the world that we are still here fighting, and that we will not go anywhere anytime soon. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bond Street Theatre has done numerous interactive theatre projects throughout the years to provide support, raise awareness, and diffuse information about GBV. In the upcoming days, we’ll be highlighting the different projects we’ve worked on in regards to GBV around the world through blog posts, newsletters and interviews. We hope to not only raise awareness, but also inform everyone about the lessons we have learned in the field. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Note: Applied theatre, or interactive theatre, is the use of theatrical practices in non-traditional theatre spaces to explore issues of interest and concerns of specific communities. As such, interactive theatre allows for a space in which people can speak up and share whatever is on their minds. The experiences Bond Street Theatre has had with interactive theatre have been empowering, especially when people feel comfortable enough to share painful experiences they have kept a secret for a long time. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Background of the Project </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our first interviewee is Zandile Mentjies, who we collaborated with alongside Rape Crisis Trust to conduct a project addressing GBV in Cape Town, South Africa. The goal was to give women and girls in crisis areas the tools and training to speak out for equal rights. The project took place over a two-year period from 2021-2022. With Zandile, BST worked intensely for 3 weeks to train a core team of 8 young GBV activists (male and female) towards the creation of a cohesive theatre group as well as training 4 staff members from Rape Crisis Trust. The result was the formation of the new Blended Voices Theatre Group, which continues to be a valuable outlet for information on GBV in Cape Town and the surrounding areas. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBpsr-25vCi47_wVqRtQ63LgWyDGpNZ1pV0QkpDYe7BRMDigtUDRrhzuawcNpRMFkjM4Iz9gQ7g0r46JQlRMSW7HTfIzRpe1W8HWNVa5Jmuv57_V4LvHtLaukG9wGMKkT13xfPNDIbE9dfsEdyKP0ZugrTmNLsvPVWyypVAptS3Mp9pjfUWsx/s1364/2022-11-19-38%20(Medium).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1364" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlBpsr-25vCi47_wVqRtQ63LgWyDGpNZ1pV0QkpDYe7BRMDigtUDRrhzuawcNpRMFkjM4Iz9gQ7g0r46JQlRMSW7HTfIzRpe1W8HWNVa5Jmuv57_V4LvHtLaukG9wGMKkT13xfPNDIbE9dfsEdyKP0ZugrTmNLsvPVWyypVAptS3Mp9pjfUWsx/w436-h247/2022-11-19-38%20(Medium).jpg" width="436" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">With Blended Voices Theatre Group, we directed two different plays addressing GBV, which were presented each year in support of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence during November and December. In 2021, we performed </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Voices of Change,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> which illustrated the generational issues faced by young women who are pressured to marry at a young age to a man chosen by their parents. The following year, 2022, we presented </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Myths and Truths</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, which deconstructed each of the following 7 myths about rape:</span><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">1. Myth: Girls that wear revealing clothing are inviting rape.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">o Fact: Sex without consent is rape; women are raped no matter what they wear.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">2. Myth: Men can’t get raped, or only gay men are raped.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">o Fact: Rape is about power and control, not sexual desire.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">3. Myth: Spousal rape is not rape.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">o Fact: A woman has to give consent, every time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">4. Myth: You can‘t be raped by a family member.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">o Fact: Most rapes occur between people who know each other, rather than a stranger.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">5. Myth: Once a man gets excited, he cannot stop himself.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">o Fact: Rapists choose not to stop.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">6. Myth: If you rape a lesbian, it will “cure” them</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">o Fact: Homosexuality is not a disease to be cured.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">7. Myth: Getting drunk or going to bars invites rape.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">o Fact: Sex without consent is rape; a drunk person is not able to give consent.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Following each performance, the audience had the opportunity to ask questions to the actors and suggest alternative solutions to the problems they faced. The feedback sessions opened up a space for dialogue and encouraged discussion in the community about these difficult topics. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bond Street Theatre hopes to return to Cape Town in 2024 and continue our collaboration with the Blended Voices Theatre Group. In the meantime, we have stayed in contact with our partners there, including Zandile Mentijes. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Talking to Zandile</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">How did you first get involved with acting and why did you decide to study it?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My first encounter with acting was with my uncle, my mother's brother. He was a play writer, and his theatre troupe would rehearse at his home, where I grew up. Sometimes I would assist them or come in as an extra. Growing up, I became the stage manager. I fell in love with the stage, with the audiences and live performances. This is why I studied drama. I also did African music and dance, so it worked well with my passion for my ethnicity and where I come from.</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">How did you begin working as an advocate against GBV, and why this issue? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The reason I focus on GBV is quite personal. I was raised in a domestic violent family, because my dad was very abusive, physically and emotionally. I grew up with a bit of anger. With the help of my grandmother, I surpassed that anger and survived. She got me going to church activities, and I got busy with school as well. So growing up for me, GBV was always something that I had in mind. When I got into university, I studied drama. After I graduated, I was acting for some time, but for some reason I felt like something was missing. I felt like I needed to work more with the community. I needed to be involved somehow, but I didn't know how. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When my mother started an organization here in Cape Town, called Khayelitsha, to support groups with regard to substance abuse, gangsterism or social issues, I would go do some theatre games with them. Everybody would just relax, and open up. I came across a lot of young women, little girls even, who had difficulties opening up. Through the games, and through roleplay, they would come and they would speak. I still didn’t know how to make sense of that, or what I wanted to do – until I came across a friend of mine, Alex. At the time, Alex was busy doing prison theatre. I spoke to her about what I was currently doing, which I didn’t have a name for, and she told me it’s called ‘applied theatre’. So I went back to university and did my honors in applied theatre! Since then I have been using this as a methodology to guide my workshops, because I facilitate group discussions and I am working with a lot of at-risk youth. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Where I am based right now is in the top 30 hotspots in South Africa for GBV. We are forced to speak up, to say something, do something, and a lot of people have been trying. A lot of people are trying to fight GBV. They are holding presentations and working together with the interim churches and community halls, but nothing is changing. I thought that maybe if I could use the work that I do (applied theatre) as a tool, to assist in the fight against GBV, something could change. The beautiful thing about our work is that the community gets to participate, they get to be involved in whatever it is that we're putting on stage. So the performers do not feel the pressure to come up with the solutions because they can be assisted by the audience. It's beautiful so far, but obviously we are still struggling here and there. We are taking baby steps and we're praying that it works out.</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">How did you come into a partnership with Bond Street Theatre? How did the project go and what was the experience like? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When I was doing my Honors degree at university, I made a good friend named Robin who was also part of the program. We worked together, but parted ways because she was traveling. Less than a year later, Casey, a BST member, called me because she got my contact from Robin. It was so unexpected, but I was grateful. I met with Bond Street Theatre and we immediately bonded. They introduced me to Rape Crisis Trust, who are a group of wonderful young people that I learned a lot from. So the journey was fruitful and it was an eye opener for me, because I could be in touch with the younger generation in the field of applied theatre. At my age, you tend to rely on a certain routine or a certain pattern of doing work, and then you come across these beautiful young minds who tell you that’s outdated and that you need to adapt. They show you their beautiful own ways of dealing with certain challenges, which allowed it to become a wonderful project. It’s something I’m really proud of!</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What are you currently working on, and how can Bond Street Theatre and our supporters continue to support the work you are doing? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Currently, I am working with an immunology team from Cape Town University. A professor approached me in July to help them with an annual conference around immunology – he wanted me to assist them with three shows on HIV and AIDS, TB, and the immune system. So I am again working with a group that doesn’t have any acting experience. It’s not easy at all, but it is a very interesting project because it's focused on education and information. That’s what I love about applied theatre, that we’re able to actually use the work in schools to inform others and bridge the information gap we have in our communities. We lack information. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In regards to how BST can support us, I’m not sure where to start! There are a lot of challenges. For example, with the group I’m currently working with, we are only meeting twice a week for 5 hours because of venue challenges. We do not have a venue, so we rehearse in a cricket field center. I’ve also been looking for proposals and grants from international sponsors, because I would like to take my work to other provinces in South Africa and around the continent. It's very important work. It’s needed, because what I’ve witnessed in a lot of communities is that they are not informed about GBV. A lot of people still believe that if somebody is abusing you, then the person is showing affection. So these kinds of projects allow for a conversation to take place and help these communities to open up. However, because of a lack of funds, we can’t do as much as we want to and we have to sit around, wait, and apply for social development funds. These funds cover everything for everyone, so it is difficult for us to move forward and grow. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What advice do you have for other people who are interested in doing work like you're doing, especially around GBV? What are some things that you do to keep your spirits up or to take care of yourself when you're doing this work? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Firstly, my advice would be that you need to get yourself educated and informed in the field that you want to be in, or work in. This kind of work can be very overwhelming, especially if you do not understand what it is you are doing. It involves a lot of community work, so you need to be prepared to deal with a lot of different people and energies. People come from different backgrounds, they have their own stories. If you are uninformed and lack understanding, it can be overwhelming. Also, volunteer, volunteer, volunteer. I still do that a lot. If you get yourself involved with whatever is happening around you in your community, then you will understand the dynamics of where you are and where you come from. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When I started off, I had a ritual that would keep me sane. Whenever I would get into character there would be a kind of ritual I used to do. What I do now is I affirm myself, I speak life into everything that I do before I leave somewhere or before I sleep, and I am always aware that at any moment anything can happen. You can call it a prayer for someone who is religious, but for me I consider it self-affirmation. Whenever I am leading a workshop and do a check in exercise, or an ice breaker, it also helps me to get into the right mindset and get to know the space and the energies in the room. That enables me to leave without any baggage or weight on my shoulders. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">End Note</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This interview with Zandile not only highlights the potential of applied/interactive theatre practices for community-based solutions in regards to GBV, but also reveals the hard work that it entails. It was incredibly inspirational to talk to Zandile, who has a lot of knowledge about applied theatre, particularly in regards to GBV, and constantly faces and overcomes challenges in her work. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Educating yourself about different issues and diffusing information is of utmost importance in the world we are living in today. As Zandile said, information gaps and access to information remain an issue within – and between – communities. These gaps can be bridged in various creative ways, such as interactive theatre, which can open a space for dialogue and effective discussions. We need more such projects that allow people to speak up, share, and discuss possible solutions in order to collectively grow towards a future without gender-based violence.</span></p><br /></span><br />Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-59032879856009038702023-10-25T10:58:00.003-05:002023-10-25T11:02:26.055-05:00Personal Reflections on The Role of Feelings in the War between Palestine and Israel <ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">These are our personal thoughts, which we have the opportunity to express.
</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 11pt;">This does not necessarily reflect the views of the Bond Street Theatre organization. </span></p></li></ul><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The past days have been marked by tragedy, injustice and unbelief. We (Ruth and Alix) both are currently doing an internship at Bond Street Theatre. The current events have touched everyone deeply and have left us feeling speechless. However, silence is complicity. In this blog we, together with a previous intern, are trying to find the words to speak about the unspeakable. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As much as the writers in this blog all come from different backgrounds, nationalities and ethnicities, the horrendous events of the past week have left us pondering on the same concept: FEELINGS. What role do feelings play in a context where politics make us feel highly emotional and disconnected from the ones that are supposed to be leaders?</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As the medium of text is sometimes insufficient to express certain things, we sought and found refuge in the arts. Kris Orzsaghova reminds us in their poem ‘Little did I know’ of the interrelatedness of human existence. One person’s fight is everyone’s fight. Let us not forget what the media or leadership's discourses want us to: We are all human. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the following paragraphs you will read our personal insights, a conversation with ourselves exploring the role of feelings. Coming from two different standpoints, both texts convey an important message to the world: NO MORE, let peace come and justice reign. </span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our thoughts are with the ones who have fallen, the ones who suffer and the ones who have lost. </span></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Little did I know</span></p><p><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When I was little
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">before going to sleep
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">my grandmother would cover the
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">lamp next to my bed to dim the light
</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">with a black and white scarf. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Little I knew we did not have much </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">my grandfather slept on the floor </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">next to my side.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Little I knew back then </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Growing up </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Palestine protected my dreams from </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">nightmares. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">So that I could sleep safe.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Little I knew back then </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">there is a child somewhere else </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">wrapped in the farmer’s scarf </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">child who will become</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">my brother in arms.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Little I knew back then </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">that the black and white scarf </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">is life. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">That there are farmers like my grandfather </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">in a far away Palestine</span></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Ruth
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When a tragedy occurs -- and this is a humanitarian tragedy of unimaginable scale -- our first instinct is to feel.
Anger, hatred, fear, hopelessness, powerlessness -- these are all understandable reactions. We </span><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">should </span><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">feel.
But what we cannot do is let our feelings, however powerful they may be, override our rationality and our
responsibility to act. Regardless of our religion, nationality, or race, we should all be united in calling for an end
to the senseless and ceaseless massacre of civilians, and for the restoration of basic necessities -- including water,
electricity, and humanitarian aid -- to Gaza.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It is our duty as human beings to recognize and fight injustice when we see it, and also to be responsible
consumers of media, particularly in an age where propaganda and misinformation run rampant. Many stay silent
because they feel they do not know enough, or are frightened of saying or doing the wrong thing. To those who
feel this way, I urge you to educate yourselves -- particularly </span><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">by listening to the voices of those who are
experiencing the atrocities firsthand. Palestinians and Israelis alike have been speaking on this topic for years,
and now is the time to amplify the voices of those who have been calling for justice and peace, as well as the end
of the inhumane occupation of Palestine.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Consider especially dynamics of global power and financial incentives, and remember the mistakes of the
past -- particularly how, in the days following the 9/11 attacks, fear and anger were manipulated into the
justification of warfare against innocents. Be aware of your sources, and recognize + call out Islamophobic
and Anti-Semitic language and behaviors. And once you have educated yourself, act: initiate difficult
conversations, share resources, and DONATE to those who are in dire need.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">As Maya Angelou says, "The truth is, no one of us can be free until everybody's free."</span></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Alix
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The last week has been a rollercoaster of emotions, despair and anger. As a master student in international
relations, I would be able to give a 'rational' political analysis of the situation. However, I feel it would be
insufficient to account for the gravity of the situation. International relations has failed me, has failed the world
and the Palestinians once again... </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">It is the very narrative of liberal security discourses and so called 'rationality' that has distanced us from our
humanity. It is time we made space for the appreciation of emotions within international relations, as to not
include feelings in decision making processes is to ignore a part of the truth. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">The truth that I see based on rationality and emotions, is that the violence inflicted by Hamas is different then the
violence inflicted by the Israeli state. Recognizing this, allows one to see that the only way towards peace is for
the Israelis to cease the occupation and oppression of Palestinians, to find a solution where Jews and Arabs can
live in peace as they have done for decades beforehand. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Our enemies are not Hamas, the Palestinians, the Israeli army or the Israeli population. The enemies are the
leaders that willingly and without repercussions tell lies to the public, the sheer hypocrisy of the international
system and all the ones that remain silent about flagrant violations of International Law, Human Rights, the
Geneva Conventions and the Law of War. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">When I say that I stand with Palestine today does not mean that I do not recognize the suffering of Israeli victims
or applaud Hamas' actions, but that I recognize that this battle gives us a chance to say 'NO MORE' and define the
course of world politics. I choose my side: 'Rule with humanity not with Hypocrisy'</span></p><p><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">A past intern
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">We often talk about people who 'stood on the right side of history', sometimes it's hard to recognize when that
same opportunity is in front of us. Too much of the current discourse has intimidated people into believing that it's
too complicated to have an open stance on. A lot of us will be looking to world leaders to guide the way, and help
form our opinion on the current conflict. The reality is, we don't live in a world where we can implicitly trust world
leaders, media outlets and our next door neighbor into helping us decide where we stand on certain issues. It's
important to do our own research, and I promise you... 2 minutes into learning the history of the Palestinian
conflict you'll realize just how uncomplicated the issue is.
</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="Arial,sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">There is so much one person can do to help- as privileged individuals it's our responsibility, to speak out, protest,
donate, raise awareness, support those close to you and continue to fight for the liberation of the Palestinian people.
Also keep in mind that political activism is often a marathon not a sprint, don't be discouraged if immediate results
don't follow. When people look back at this time, they will see that there was resistance against war crimes,
genocide and ethnic cleansing. That not everyone in the world believed what's happening is just and that there
was resistance. We are all part of something bigger and have a moral responsibility to fight injustice within our
capacity. In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians.</span></p><p><br /></p>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-14813392334594715272023-10-09T10:10:00.000-05:002023-10-09T10:10:28.947-05:00Kazakhstan - Creativity in Action: Promoting Gender Equality through Theatre <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrs442-0Iu207mNY_X8QdUauU3SapEo8GI__KsUkHksuhkjSGaXfu5iLqoKlLON5nejubABQ6VKnskL_eWQD7tWH12zgknX1bxV5keNB0Q7WosaP3CYT0cpzkxQ7ZnT7pBWXgeV2rgmHH8_TBmTjLDWZ4KBIPfNlTkROUKmfSsk6Dz3vbWTdKu/s4000/Kazaghstan%202022-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2252" data-original-width="4000" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrs442-0Iu207mNY_X8QdUauU3SapEo8GI__KsUkHksuhkjSGaXfu5iLqoKlLON5nejubABQ6VKnskL_eWQD7tWH12zgknX1bxV5keNB0Q7WosaP3CYT0cpzkxQ7ZnT7pBWXgeV2rgmHH8_TBmTjLDWZ4KBIPfNlTkROUKmfSsk6Dz3vbWTdKu/w601-h338/Kazaghstan%202022-25.jpg" width="601" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A peek into the experiences of Bond Street Theatre Member: from the ‘academic’ to the ‘real’ world</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9151ff46-7fff-a6f3-d2e7-9307483ee1eb"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nina, a graduate in international relations at Central European University, completed a virtual internship at Bond Street Theatre in 2021 during the height of the COVID pandemic, and later, brought the company to Kazakhstan for a project around gender-based and domestic violence in collaboration with the Union of Crisis Centers. The Union of Crisis Centers (UCC) is an umbrella organization of 19 women’s shelters and regional projects fighting for gender equality and against gender-based violence (GBV) across Kazakhstan. Together, the two organizations conducted a month-long training program and created a play together which they performed in five different cities around the country: Almaty, Ust-Kamenogorsk, Nur-Sultan, Kostanay, and Kokshetau. The goal was to create a safe space for dialogue, interact with the audiences and communicate practical information about how to deal with domestic violence in various scenarios. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We had the chance to talk to Nina about her experience and how she managed to put together a whole project without having any professional theatre experience…</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Participate in projects without theatre experience? Not impossible! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the interview, Nina shared the intricacies of project management with us. As expected, it is indeed very different then the academic world. It is way more practical than theoretical – you need to create budgets, write grant proposals, make the plan and coordinate its implementation. However, there is no need to fear, as Nina suggested some aspects of her studies were also relevant in the ‘real’ world. Nina’s academic skills were very welcomed when it came to problem analysis around issues of social justice, which in the case of Kazakhstan, was gender-based and domestic violence. Before writing a project you need to have an intricate awareness of the issue you wish to address and understand the ways in which you can help. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Writing the project and actually getting the grant to DO IT are two very different things. Nina did them both! She does not have a formal education in theatre, but it has always had a special place in her life. Once she arrived in Kazakhstan, she met the founders of Bond Street Theatre for the first time in real life, and got started right away. The Kazakh team did not have any previous theatre experience, so the first thing was to teach them some basics to make everyone understand that everyone CAN enjoy theatre and that you do not necessarily have to go to acting school to be able to perform on stage. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As the team got to know each other better and the training days were over, they started working on the play itself. However, it turned out that the members of the Union Crisis Centre did not think they would be acting in the play as well !? Let's read how that turned out!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Q: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">How did the execution of the project go?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What do you think were the pros and cons of doing the project in such a concentrated amount of time, especially with people who haven't done theatre before? I'm sure you saw so much growth as the show was happening.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I think we always want to have more time for the show to be perfect. But it worked! And it worked with people that are not experienced at all. It was intense, the rehearsals and the tour – we spent all day rehearsing together, 6 days a week. Thankfully, we had preparatory online sessions before that, so we could talk about our vision for the play beforehand. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And of course, the tour was also intense if you're traveling so much. We started in a city in the north, and because the country is so big, you have to fly everywhere. It was a very tight schedule: you arrive, and maybe two hours later, you already have to be in the theatre to prepare. And then the next day you travel to the next city. So the touring phase is very intense. But it was a young team, and people knew what they were signing up for. The excitement also helps with the stress!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Q:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Do you have one experience from the project that really stands out?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Women that were affected by domestic violence themselves came to watch the show. And then they spoke out about it, for the first time, during the post-performance discussion. So they said, “this is the first time that I'm talking about it.” We tried to highlight how it's not an issue behind closed doors, and it's not the victims fault. It's something that comes from society, from a patriarchal society. It was so great to see these women speak about it, and feel </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">safe</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> to speak about it. And for them to say “this happened to me, but I managed to get out of this abusive relationship.” That's what I do the work for, to reach these people. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Q:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> What has it been like since you completed the project in Kazakhstan? Have you stayed in touch with the people you worked with there? Have you seen any projects or work that they've been doing?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> We only completed 8 out of the 10 planned post-show workshops while we were there, so they conducted one or two more after the BST team left. And they also did one or two more shows without us, because the idea is that we helped UCC to create the play, but then they are able to sustain it as an organization. We completed the project in July, and then in November, we found out that they did another show. So that's a really nice result to see that they continued even 4 months later… We try to stay in touch, and if I see another grant in this region, I will definitely try to apply for it. And maybe we could do a new collaboration across the borders with Kyrgyzstan, for example.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Q:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> What about this project warms your heart when you look back on it?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A:</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Alia, the Project Coordinator from the Kazakh side, was amazing. I think much of the success of the project is because of her. We clicked immediately, and we were very close from the beginning. She was just so great in managing the project and so passionate.. And the funny thing was that in the beginning, she didn't understand that they would be part of the show – she thought that she would just coordinate logistics, and maybe do the social media. And then, after a few days, she learnt that she would be one of the actors! She said, “Ah, so I can act too!” and we said, “Yeah, that's really the idea – that you will become the actor.” And she didn't have any experience with theater before that, but she was so, so, so, amazing. She's just a great role model.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Q: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally, what kinds of projects do you want to see Bond Street doing in the future?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A: </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I would love to work on the borders of Europe. There are so many refugee camps, on the Greek islands, for example. And the situation is really, really bad, and how people are treated is really, really messed up. So I think a dream project for me would be to do something there, maybe with women, because they are the most affected by the circumstances there. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-11520339795203050312023-09-27T10:52:00.000-05:002023-09-27T10:52:58.414-05:00Palestine 2023 - Youth Engagement: Providing Mental Health Support through the Arts <p><br /></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-076423a5-7fff-85be-0005-828ba79e9ee6"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This year, Bond Street Theatre collaborated with Fragments Theatre, a Palestinian cultural NGO, on a project in the occupied Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank. Together they completed an </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Arts for Psychosocial support </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">training program engaging 10 youth from </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fragments Theatre, the Youth Development Resources Centre in Jenin, the Youth Center in Aljalmeh Village, and Step Association in Arrabah</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. In Jenin, and the West Bank, life is marked by oppression of the Israeli regime and fear for their own lives or safety of their families. Youth in the city have no access to cultural spaces other than Fragments Theatre and have limited other ways of using their time as a positive outlet under the constant threat of violence. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The program used theatre, arts and digital storytelling to give youth an outlet for self expression and support their mental health, foster social inclusion and address psychosocial issues identified by the youth themselves. Through a series of 14 short videos the youth reflected upon topical issues and their own life experiences in Jenin and reached a much wider audience by sharing them on social media: ‘Fragments Theatre Speaks Out’. Afterward, they facilitated a series of 7 theatre workshops in Jenin to share what they had learned with other members of the community, bringing joy and creativity to the elderly, schoolchildren, and women's groups.</span></p><br /><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Why Theatre?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="border: none; clear: right; display: inline-block; float: right; height: 190px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 336px;"><img height="190" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/K-_rgoOnJyyA78IdtXuX2E6J7z4Lx_GUBSnYg9XsuKbgOa7lCrCSBTpATzSCLBtotoPPcLgpJHJRAbnvWBoAZLtNDyEEhdDbOYou_1wgsrmsDkkNDHzTmakI-rH0zkE2qVonQz7MgzxfMremR34ESc8" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="336" /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“The beauty of this video series is that it was created organically and flowed with the process of our collaboration. Fragments Theatre Speaks Out (series) took inspiration from the immediate happenings in Jenin, Palestine. The series tackles the major theme of light and dark as it becomes manifest in the city.” – Rahma Ahmad, Program Participant, 26 years old</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZ_R_c6-Rg5lCR05N564hlO_0kjgSSMn0XETgziCMh3_VYBB3xcKztHZAOkivuHRJ2oe1Kl5psxvNfmSzRrO_5IhkVMwAqWl7VWlyYG8lkBxv7XDAX6GKlOijUcDw7Qs3y6f5AnvRNahADBOGC4X9z5m5-iCCgFnwaM9ZMMlyGyEU0LVBUoRy/s716/Palestine%202023-34%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="576" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZ_R_c6-Rg5lCR05N564hlO_0kjgSSMn0XETgziCMh3_VYBB3xcKztHZAOkivuHRJ2oe1Kl5psxvNfmSzRrO_5IhkVMwAqWl7VWlyYG8lkBxv7XDAX6GKlOijUcDw7Qs3y6f5AnvRNahADBOGC4X9z5m5-iCCgFnwaM9ZMMlyGyEU0LVBUoRy/w198-h247/Palestine%202023-34%20(1).jpg" width="198" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">‘One of the powerful things about theatre is that it is so personal,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">you put your whole body into it. You tell stories, you act out stories, </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">even in theatrical games you're telling a story in a sense. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">You're not just saying it, but you're acting it’ - Tim, Program Teaching Artist </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Recounting the Healing Power of Theatre with Tim </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">‘Theatre allows people to speak up even when they don't know what else to do.’ - Tim </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There was one day that I found was so powerful. Right in the middle of our stay in Jenin, a Palestinian activist and prisoner, Khadar Adnan, died in a hunger strike. He had spent 3 months not eating, because he was under administrative detention and out in jail without a trial. When he died, everything shut down. Nobody was out, and it was a weekday, it was as if Jenin was a ghost town. You could feel the tension in the air, almost as something you could grasp. We were continuing our workshop in the theatre, so people were coming in. Everybody’s body posture was just crunched in, it was as if everybody just felt small. One participant admitted that they were only here because they had to. What was the point even? What is going on? </span></p><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLS8acfFNs3IMv6XNERMvqrcYBVaEAdR3KKBO2RjZ4llJYmtBHzud-aQcsiCELHxSePIUsQqD-b06vhFsqHM2eWXxtA0ztNDWCg9x0Atom0gW8P5WwGPwzDdFBLEejpHwaVuPhTB3ZuhpRc9tCSzfs_PEDCdjvX7cSMvtzDuZklKdDaTc9s5sV/s452/Palestine%202023-7%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="452" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLS8acfFNs3IMv6XNERMvqrcYBVaEAdR3KKBO2RjZ4llJYmtBHzud-aQcsiCELHxSePIUsQqD-b06vhFsqHM2eWXxtA0ztNDWCg9x0Atom0gW8P5WwGPwzDdFBLEejpHwaVuPhTB3ZuhpRc9tCSzfs_PEDCdjvX7cSMvtzDuZklKdDaTc9s5sV/w255-h245/Palestine%202023-7%20(1).jpg" width="255" /></a></div></div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-c4c5fe52-7fff-92ab-c5bb-56dab93eb35d"><p style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b0b54cfd-7fff-5a15-519d-4a1c5f68798f"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">We started to think about ways we could respond. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">What could we do to think about things in a new way? How</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">do we talk about the violence and tragedy that occurs every </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">day in Palestine in a symbolic way? How do we talk about </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">the hardship itself without directly talking about it? The idea </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">that came up was making a video to share on social media</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">about the hunger strike in the prison, but by using hands. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">One hand would represent the prison guard and throw out a </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">piece of bread to the prisoners. The hands representing the </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">prisoners would grab the pieces of bread, but one hand </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">would refuse. This happened again and again, day after day.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The hand that refused to accept the bread would get slower </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">and weaker as time passed by until one day it just died. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">guard went to the prisoner, picked up the hand and slammed it on the table and dragged it away. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">other prisoners started banging their hands on the table. </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></span></div></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_7xcchSFB_-7VlNwQrvLqsfUCd4dMXzgUnz_cg787PtBBTBdSTe623jFBuZQnFQJfkRxZAo_HbRW4SWurBVUHWi4Y-T8xlQ0Y_ktT9twEzSAZhfPSfkMyZe2a1JSwaWQIiW_5R6yWWa-L5QL2OArSytLTHuWEZLHH0LOMucELtRbrajNSHkR/s768/Palestine%202023-44%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="465" data-original-width="768" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_7xcchSFB_-7VlNwQrvLqsfUCd4dMXzgUnz_cg787PtBBTBdSTe623jFBuZQnFQJfkRxZAo_HbRW4SWurBVUHWi4Y-T8xlQ0Y_ktT9twEzSAZhfPSfkMyZe2a1JSwaWQIiW_5R6yWWa-L5QL2OArSytLTHuWEZLHH0LOMucELtRbrajNSHkR/s320/Palestine%202023-44%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span><div style="text-align: right;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-ea4af361-7fff-b22f-d6bc-9d0fed6f194a"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was a powerful moment. It was such a beautiful way to talk about our feelings in a very simple way that people are able to hear without repeating the same information over and over again. Once we made the video, the mood changed drastically. People were themselves again and were energetic. It was not because they had suddenly solved whatever issue was around them, but they were able to express and talk about it. They realized that they CAN say something and CAN post on social media even if it is a small thing. If they had not come to the theatre, they said, they would just be in their homes feeling powerless, like they cannot do anything about it. At least this was a way for them to push back a little bit and say ‘no’. </span></p><div><br /></div></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Link: <a href="https://vimeo.com/823156333" target="_blank">https://vimeo.com/823156333</a></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Facing Bitter Reality: Leaving </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="border: none; clear: left; display: inline-block; float: left; height: 160px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; text-align: right; width: 284px;"><img height="160" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OFz0gHOI7XOhjXpufgkhVuX9RyvEXI2brBbwzXVOii6gmg5pNJSWnlrcQJmqHGKpdjG8n6Nw8e3vKeIqDKSkXVFXzWaHG7Ob6VdbwtU0vzShFrWqgLF7_wvFK6FGIRKoajydLnpKAE0GrEMqF3avQYg" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="284" /></span>It is heavy. It was bittersweet, because Palestine has been resisting the occupation since 1948. It's been over 70 years. As an American, you can leave and just be like ‘that was so tough’, but you get to go home and kind of look at that from afar. However, these people are continuing to live this very intense experience that was even a lot for three weeks for a foreigner coming in. For the project itself, you could tell that there was energy going forward. They want to keep working with other youth, children, elders, and women in their community, they want to keep posting social media videos, and they have! There was a lot of energy towards the end.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Endnotes </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After the program completed, participants overwhelmingly felt that they had created a “safe space” where they could support each other both artistically and psychosocially, despite many of them having never met before. They expressed their desire to continue using theatre in their personal lives, as it helped improve confidence and mental health outcomes, as well as in their professional lives and work with vulnerable communities. Many were eager to continue collaborating with BST in the future, and to start their own new projects including a recycling education program using live theatrical performances.</span></p><br /></span>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-39789067289376123672023-09-15T11:00:00.000-05:002023-09-15T11:00:38.726-05:00Palestine: Telling Stories That Matter<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally getting to posting some highlights from 2023 so far… first up, Palestine 🇵🇸 </span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KBvTOFRpMvLPudtV6sUKGr6Ibm3xEZ-7ZUQBFS9gmaFYJtJB0DRbbG6k9zambYv9C8xed-Ea5Rhe4uif7T0Ssqezj79eIi1NHcWTS3MuKOmg_nr3qPn8mFsAiLGN6saOpF0TXh6nda4pks1Mt8H4Gn6W_Zplxz57R9DRDm7qHfAQypwPJfdt/s1024/PHOTO-2023-04-26-21-54-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-KBvTOFRpMvLPudtV6sUKGr6Ibm3xEZ-7ZUQBFS9gmaFYJtJB0DRbbG6k9zambYv9C8xed-Ea5Rhe4uif7T0Ssqezj79eIi1NHcWTS3MuKOmg_nr3qPn8mFsAiLGN6saOpF0TXh6nda4pks1Mt8H4Gn6W_Zplxz57R9DRDm7qHfAQypwPJfdt/w447-h336/PHOTO-2023-04-26-21-54-16.jpg" width="447" /></a></div><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b7c60c8f-7fff-c7b4-5d5d-14b532d0beb7"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This spring I had the amazing opportunity to work in the city of Jenin in collaboration with </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/fragments_theatre/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@fragments_theatre</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bondstreettheatre/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@bondstreettheatre</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, focusing on mental health, social media, and education. Fragments uses recycled materials from Jenin’s massive trash overflow as part of their architecture and scenes, using these and more figurative narrative “fragments” in commitment to Palestinian storytelling. You can find some of the amazing work done by Fragments Theatre participants on their Instagram page, but here are some behind-the-scenes shots of our work in the West Bank and additional travels, including seeing some old friends! </span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_pS6h4Tfk1YDA15bXOShDMYtdWOFvSvPAloJEdurnlRdRVMTaG1djHF75OXiS6XWQ8zUNhzUnfwz6Xm4dGCa5KOkLPFOI-xQhjSbJQIyYtlXAJkYYuVsgnrM0oOLEWWugJLDjZOw0A1JqXrUy7tLUvPlP7jw4l8CqF-JxlgDkMzdaOQM3yn7/s1024/PHOTO-2023-05-03-18-58-47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ_pS6h4Tfk1YDA15bXOShDMYtdWOFvSvPAloJEdurnlRdRVMTaG1djHF75OXiS6XWQ8zUNhzUnfwz6Xm4dGCa5KOkLPFOI-xQhjSbJQIyYtlXAJkYYuVsgnrM0oOLEWWugJLDjZOw0A1JqXrUy7tLUvPlP7jw4l8CqF-JxlgDkMzdaOQM3yn7/w449-h337/PHOTO-2023-05-03-18-58-47.jpg" width="449" /></a></div><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> </span>There are many more wonderful people that I met than are posted here, but here’s a snapshot of some of what was a very full month. Palestine and its resistance to military occupation influenced me and my commitment to socially impactful art both abroad and at home in the US. Brutalities committed to innocent Palestinians every day, and their fight to preserve their identity, parallel struggles in the US closely and help me better understand my identity and role on occupied land here. Working with the incredible actors, educators, and psychologists taught me how to show up under the worst of circumstances and still tell the stories that matter.</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWNk6oAS9I90jTblj5YfaxtIGrBi9MEUtKbEG7br9fLC1ZQV7ItO7_YAU0XwZGFom3J1031l96n5cbq8fCFv49EqYp_VAbmLPpovCCQBGcilAq4wmpnLvOJ5CzMVHSIWDmVddP5LvpKJLaRe0boY1MGRqHHh05GljoCCwOR525AshkBVr93uP/s1600/PHOTO-2023-05-09-11-24-34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeWNk6oAS9I90jTblj5YfaxtIGrBi9MEUtKbEG7br9fLC1ZQV7ItO7_YAU0XwZGFom3J1031l96n5cbq8fCFv49EqYp_VAbmLPpovCCQBGcilAq4wmpnLvOJ5CzMVHSIWDmVddP5LvpKJLaRe0boY1MGRqHHh05GljoCCwOR525AshkBVr93uP/w433-h324/PHOTO-2023-05-09-11-24-34.jpg" width="433" /></a></div><span><br /></span></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span> </span>Since I left, Jenin Refugee Camp, close to Fragments, has been a focal point of attack by the current right wing Israeli government, including a recent Apache (read, US supplied) helicopter attack and destruction of much of the UN-run camp, and raids are still frequent that affect virtually all Palestinian families. I encourage people to read news sources like </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@aljazeeraenglish</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that show alternate stories to the region than is often seen in US media, and to follow organizations like </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/eye.on.palestine/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@eye.on.palestine</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jewishvoiceforpeace/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@jewishvoiceforpeace</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that advocate for change in US policy toward Israel and Palestine. </span></span><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you to all the amazing people I met for such an incredible journey! -- </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tim Steckler</span></div><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORWtFDlrU12UBWDrnv9VNr0caOPEZ8W8KKxffhCwxbF6FWkKfBt2Hi2FPTKftQNNJJFvu4BaDtdQT1tdD5jFD7kwosKWYw72KAVKcWY7J9MBodf_gRVCWhuQyvv8-K-_FI4I-Wd0jJ5h_FDZBuXVeH_3DlyNdNncQI50vSfIbEjSx5zXfxPxY/s1024/PHOTO-2023-05-13-20-12-46.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORWtFDlrU12UBWDrnv9VNr0caOPEZ8W8KKxffhCwxbF6FWkKfBt2Hi2FPTKftQNNJJFvu4BaDtdQT1tdD5jFD7kwosKWYw72KAVKcWY7J9MBodf_gRVCWhuQyvv8-K-_FI4I-Wd0jJ5h_FDZBuXVeH_3DlyNdNncQI50vSfIbEjSx5zXfxPxY/w330-h440/PHOTO-2023-05-13-20-12-46.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><br /></span></div>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-87465503433409093232023-08-30T02:32:00.002-05:002023-08-30T02:32:36.970-05:00Artful Impact: Bridging Communities through Movement and Theatre<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz11xzWje4w3QQ7u-bB8Rpxh79QsMRG4g4a_0nX9OktHoe_saDLMrX3aa1Mr-THDZkJVW5KYEUgQMq4k-IaX6ExrPZcf-ehHRvF1K-g-sPrmTtK38Eb18EukFGbcnzt1pTZ0HwsiHrVBJyN_eudMOCKyjqUCvl8fPUAr1U70LiFtgYMvwKuc9s/s5760/IMG_5998.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="5760" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz11xzWje4w3QQ7u-bB8Rpxh79QsMRG4g4a_0nX9OktHoe_saDLMrX3aa1Mr-THDZkJVW5KYEUgQMq4k-IaX6ExrPZcf-ehHRvF1K-g-sPrmTtK38Eb18EukFGbcnzt1pTZ0HwsiHrVBJyN_eudMOCKyjqUCvl8fPUAr1U70LiFtgYMvwKuc9s/w400-h266/IMG_5998.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q: Please tell me little bit more about yourself, where you're from, what you studied, anything you want people to know:</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5b5cfc3b-7fff-072e-e769-b85e280cf4f5"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A: I’m Libby Wellington, a current Bond Street Intern and Program Facilitator. I am a 24 year old graduate student studying Public Policy at NYU and lifelong dancer. Although I am currently based in Brooklyn, I grew up in South Salem, NY, as one of three daughters to my Mother and Father. My parents were never artists or makers themselves but loving patrons of the arts who instilled that love in me and my sisters early on in our lives. The tots ballet class my parents put me quickly bloomed in dance classes everyday, theatre on weekends, and countless performances with my sisters. Growing up, arts spaces are where I found community and they were an integral way my family connected. However, it was not until I arrived at college did I start to understand dance, theatre, or performance in general as a means to a larger good. At Bates college I studied both dance and politics and was not only able to but encouraged to explore the ways these two areas served as lenses to better understand the other. It was during this time that I solidified that fact that I didn’t want to be a performer but wanted the arts - performance specifically- to be the method through which I leave an impact on the world - public, social, or political. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After graduating and several random jobs later, I found myself at NYU Wagner as a public policy and nonprofit administration student focusing on social advocacy and political organizing. I went into this degree with the goal of developing methods through which the arts can act as policy development and implementation tools. In my quest to find opportunities to gain experience and learn from those who are doing this work I found Bond Street - an organization that has been relying on theatre and performance to discuss social issues, resolve conflict, and spark conversations since the 80’s. Since starting my internship at BST in late May of this year, I have been welcomed into the BST family and had the opportunity to try my hand at so many different tasks. From witnessing the grant writing process, helping with the creation of projects final reports, fundraising brainstorms, issue research, and writing problem statements, to the development of a program I helped see get off the ground. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My summer with BST has solidified my desire to continue this line of work both in my studies and post graduation this coming spring. I am looking forward to staying connected with BST this fall as I work with Women for Afghan Women and help facilitate their seniors program!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q: How did this collaboration come to be? What led to you working with Women for Afghan Women in NYC? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A: It was evident from the moment I started working with BST that Afghanistan and specifically Afghan women were pivotal to the organization's makeup and fed the soul of its founders Joanna and Michael. Early on in my internship, I learned of how BST had to end their 20 year long work in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 as the Taliban took over and how the company worked that summer to support their in-country artists and partners. Although this work was necessary, I could tell that the organization missed creating with this community. In meeting former interns Maihan and Rukshar and hearing about their ideas for programing that could reach women and girls in Afghanistan virtually that never quite got going, I started to work on figuring out a way for BST to still engage with the Afghan community. Due much to Maihan and Rushar’s brainstorming and guidance, I was able to connect with Women for Afghan Women, an organization that supports Afghan Women both in Afghanistan and here in the states. I hoped they would want to collaborate on a NY based program as a way for BST to continue our connection and support of the Afghan community. Thankfully, they were interested and excited about the incorporation of physical theater and the arts into their seniors program. Throughout the summer I have been working on developing program sessions in which dance and theatre are used to help build community and spark joy among the senior community of Women for Afghan Women. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Q: Why movement therapy? Why theatre? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A: Dance and theatre have always served important but very different roles in my life. I grew up dancing everyday and loved the physicality of it. Growing up it was the best way to express myself, work through my own emotions, and develop a very deep sense of self. Once in college, I realized how being a dancer had fundamentally altered my perception and understanding of the world and how I function in it. I believe I owe dance, in part, my sense of empathy, my desire for community and connectedness, and my continued curiosity in how the body plays a role in our social, political, and cultural lives. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doing theatre never gave me this same feeling. I was alway shy when it came to singing on stage, and awkward when interacting in a scene with others. Performing this type of storytelling did not click for me in the same way. However, watching theatre, witnessing people in real time tell a story this way, always packed an emotional punch. As much as I loved the act of dancing I’ve loved watching theatre. Seeing stories be told in real time in the codified space of a theatre has made me a more hopeful, emotional, and compassionate human. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I have been lucky enough to experience both this doing and witnessing and understand how powerful a force both have been in my life. Performing as a way of communicating, understanding, and being in relationship with others has purpose and importance outside of the theatre and I hope workshops and training like the ones held by BST can help bring that purpose to manifest and it excites me to be a part of that process. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-52188420367289858782023-08-21T05:30:00.006-05:002023-08-21T05:31:01.322-05:00Creativity in Action: Promoting Gender Equality In Cairo<p> <span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In October 2021, 6 BST members had the opportunity to conduct a theatre project in Cairo with a group of experts. Together with Noon Creative Enterprise, we conducted a</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> three-week cultural exchange program</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> promoting gender equality through the arts.</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bcb93027-7fff-e1ae-b217-5b9a0d766c31"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The artists we worked with were true artists – </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lukasalam92/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luka, </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">an incredibly talented musician and songwriter, </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/carolackad/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carol Ackad, </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a theatremaker and director, </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and Hany Taher, a social theatre artist and keen comedic deviser. We clicked in a heartbeat, and got talking very deeply at our first dinner together.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70_1_pTa-9-DR2XMqaq3SOxN5ckC1SaxDRib1uCYiofWcrZ5EWZ2YJ0poSxLzLci3mytGKmMjOXKvHfUJNQnc4al3TgWM5u6a7LnkN_7MIWntVPhHpVO1HtnC4N9B7764OrBswnWPX4A-7FF6q-30i1zXaE8FFjj0G__tK4j5IP3e3va4AsBE/s4032/IMG_5653.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh70_1_pTa-9-DR2XMqaq3SOxN5ckC1SaxDRib1uCYiofWcrZ5EWZ2YJ0poSxLzLci3mytGKmMjOXKvHfUJNQnc4al3TgWM5u6a7LnkN_7MIWntVPhHpVO1HtnC4N9B7764OrBswnWPX4A-7FF6q-30i1zXaE8FFjj0G__tK4j5IP3e3va4AsBE/w400-h300/IMG_5653.heic" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.dawararts.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dawar Arts</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, an arts and wellbeing organization</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, was our daily meeting spot - a beautiful rehearsal space in downtown Cairo. Post-COVID, working together in such energized space with other artists was a novelty. The rooms were large with ceiling to floor windows, essentially doing some of the lighting work for us! The team really appreciated the opportunity to work in-person so soon after lockdown, and because of this, you could sense the excitement and motivation from everyone to use our hearts, bodies, and mind to create.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of the most memorable parts of the entire project was spending time at </span><a href="https://www.dawararts.com/dawar-foods.php" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dawar Kitchen</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, an extension of Dawar Arts, run by Syrian women refugees. The food was magnificent, some of our favourite dishes were the baba ganoush with walnuts, spinach sambusak, stuffed vine leaves (we LOVED these!), fried kibbeh and other glorious treats.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pe5922Ym3Sh0-Nw5QlZyHb67xZobHZ607jOdMwFR2M2jcJB_sill5J77lluQOmdpskRRG_XjhmOLmmFYTdXPbCGsOtThqTOkmXfB9XRxwtNqv2UqNkiZ6mlZTz7ss_pPMaFnUphd7RTbyjCsQR1xy6IvuBd7FxTLoz5yWkhIJJViATSppGym/s4032/IMG_5898.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_pe5922Ym3Sh0-Nw5QlZyHb67xZobHZ607jOdMwFR2M2jcJB_sill5J77lluQOmdpskRRG_XjhmOLmmFYTdXPbCGsOtThqTOkmXfB9XRxwtNqv2UqNkiZ6mlZTz7ss_pPMaFnUphd7RTbyjCsQR1xy6IvuBd7FxTLoz5yWkhIJJViATSppGym/w400-h300/IMG_5898.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eating together definitely helped us </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">overcome language and cultural barriers</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, it was a way for both teams to get to know each other better and stimulate important discussions that we brought back to the workshops. We learned a great deal about their experiences living in Cairo and some of the social issues faced by women in that area and our final performance was informed 100% by these discussions. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The project began by co-creating a play around gender roles in Cairo - it was an hour-long performance that promoted gender equality and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ideas from scenes came straight from conversations about the realities women face</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the performance creation flowed quite seamlessly. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We played theatre games as an ensemble and focused on improvisation, comedy, non-verbal storytelling, and image theatre. </span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLotAlRi_QR0hl3ZXHrTHWsbfs2Y_p4bKu8Zyb1wHBH1q5IpNqaUdUoXMTAUpSXpnEDPa5v5zXcXztaOwq25pC7UlI3rUUhEh_OQmI2dxanYG9MXtVeIUW60QE4fIG-hLThSUUuX1AVfy06KC216IM0fGx4YTJFSPATni7hRtlSdUWn49xKVtP/s4032/IMG_3752.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLotAlRi_QR0hl3ZXHrTHWsbfs2Y_p4bKu8Zyb1wHBH1q5IpNqaUdUoXMTAUpSXpnEDPa5v5zXcXztaOwq25pC7UlI3rUUhEh_OQmI2dxanYG9MXtVeIUW60QE4fIG-hLThSUUuX1AVfy06KC216IM0fGx4YTJFSPATni7hRtlSdUWn49xKVtP/w400-h300/IMG_3752.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A short description of the final play:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“We meet a heroic married couple, Superman and Superwoman, who save the world together, but are unfortunately held to different standards in their home life, as the woman is ALSO expected to cook and clean. We come to know a husband who angers his wife, forcing her to leave him to do the housework for himself, which turns out to be a massive disaster. We learn more from a father who wants the best for his daughter and supports her decision not to marry an aggressive and arrogant man. Our scenes are interdisciplinary in approach as the diverse team uses physical theatre, music, and dance to look into gender issues faced by women in Egypt today.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Having Hany and Carol a</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s the narrators allowed the audience to engage with the performance easily! They were a huge help in facilitating the post-performance discussions, especially with the challenging questions like: <b><i>“Who decides what counts as news? What do we learn from witnessing these stories? And What role do women play in these stories?”</i></b></span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcn3_vNu7fVYD3MaRx2Yfc5MokY5-m8_Q_nau1si9UcXm1wLQaFW6vdPk9F8v8iWvpSEXTrCwX4bTcl5XffG8OsUziAjhGD3hKmZ5wDgLDePEG4QtsmceEiftpKiCtox4UYOdA-MsxGwwIlPMwB_pfZexlq6WknRYlGgOx7z8eyrP_qmPCO-n/s4032/IMG_6101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfcn3_vNu7fVYD3MaRx2Yfc5MokY5-m8_Q_nau1si9UcXm1wLQaFW6vdPk9F8v8iWvpSEXTrCwX4bTcl5XffG8OsUziAjhGD3hKmZ5wDgLDePEG4QtsmceEiftpKiCtox4UYOdA-MsxGwwIlPMwB_pfZexlq6WknRYlGgOx7z8eyrP_qmPCO-n/w400-h300/IMG_6101.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After each performance, the team hosted theatre training workshops that were focused on advocacy techniques. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We worked mainly with refugee women from Syria living in Ezbet Khairallah</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, one of the largest and most densely populated informal communities in Egypt. We</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ran sessions for women and their daughters. Half of the team ran the children's sessions downstairs, and the other half ran the sessions for the women upstairs. We also invited the women who worked in Dawar Kitchen to join our workshops, and for the final session, we incorporated objects that they were familiar with into our activities. For example, “What are 100 things that you can do with a cooking spoon?” We were impressed with how imaginative everyone was!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This project was a</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> true collaboration of artists</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and showcased the strength that is found in community spaces. We hope all of the wonderful people at Dawar Arts and Kitchen are well and thriving. Have a look at the artists we worked with and the work they are doing currently, I’m sure it will not disappoint. </span></p><br /></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZomz_VFBEir-6xbjfPwpFW2OEacz47pngaUtXaFIpOxo_o5WgylMCA5iX9AYCVcK10wfdRrse5B912KBjrxepPwh0kLxpXntAZEW1qExIdpUQLkDdfpvpn25XiMlTOuEhV3gPqjP1rD--WRw_tX-BktdzDCjni133VFv7gcmx1a7tAs6S8buD/s4032/IMG_6065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZomz_VFBEir-6xbjfPwpFW2OEacz47pngaUtXaFIpOxo_o5WgylMCA5iX9AYCVcK10wfdRrse5B912KBjrxepPwh0kLxpXntAZEW1qExIdpUQLkDdfpvpn25XiMlTOuEhV3gPqjP1rD--WRw_tX-BktdzDCjni133VFv7gcmx1a7tAs6S8buD/w400-h300/IMG_6065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span></div>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-5992229472787020612022-08-24T12:48:00.000-05:002022-08-24T12:48:18.692-05:00Intern spotlight: Rukhsar BalkhiOne of the best experiences of my life!
This Summer of 2022, joining Bond Street Theater was one of the best opportunities and decisions I have ever made. The year of 2021 was a tough one for most of us and it somehow pressured us mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. But, spending two months with the Bond Street Theatre team was so healing for me.
Maihan (my friend and fellow student) and I had an amazing time with the BST leadership team, and extremely understanding and supportive colleagues in the BST Youth Council.
I am a senior student majoring in Human Rights in Bard College, I have been working in many NGOs, INGOs and at the US Embassy back in my home country, Afghanistan. I founded my own organization named Women Empowerment and Growth Organization. While applying for an internship at BST I was really excited to start my work because I had a deep relationship with NGOs and their work, especially NGOs working for women, children and youth.
I believe that combining the arts and human rights will be a great idea for my senior project. I learned how useful theatre can be for conflict resolution, empathy, understanding, awareness, tolerance, trust building and mental health. I had the opportunity to do research on social justice issues related to my major Human Rights, in many countries like Kenya, Kazakhstan, Africa. I have got to know so many things about new countries I barely knew. It helped me to have a better understanding of different countries and how art can be a solution for many pains and issues.
During my internship I saw many programs, pictures, videos which were taken in my home country Afghanistan and I can truly feel the connection and understood how much positive effect it had on those youths, women and children of a war and conflicted country. I believe BST implemented programs which feed the soul.
I had an amazing time with Joanna and Micheal in the office. I met Tim and Sidonie from the BST Youth Council in person, and luckily in the first meeting we felt like we have known each other for years - that is what makes BST and our team different and unique because it makes you feel at home. I met the rest of the members online and am looking forward to meeting them in person soon. This will be a lifetime experience and a great network with who I want to and will be in contact forever.
I hope to be a part of BST always and I feel a deep connection with the organization and its members. Working at BST as an intern was more than an internship for me, I learned a lot more than my expectations. I will try my best to be part of future projects which changes people’s lives for the better.
I wish I had all of this knowledge and experience, gained in the past two months at BST, beforehand. That way, I would have been more successful in 2019 when I founded Women’s EGO… even with choosing the name of my organization! But, certainly it will help me in the future as I feel that the dream of working for Women and Youth in Afghanistan was put on hold - but it surely will come true here in the US through BST. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbTjt6_B2hCY4CODwlv3Souy6rEl2Kzn41r6fsPlMhSv6IJ26fBtNIoyZLEBcecrPaYhAdgen9qBxkhaZM_s-CEiW9svz2Sgs9KQbrqSVTu9so_Dk5lIPVoCWRQviQLlCq-4NpFYQ7gxEF6HYwGOkP4g9xIdJGdi4uNtwnEhe7-HcFQtmAQ/s3324/IMG-9177.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbTjt6_B2hCY4CODwlv3Souy6rEl2Kzn41r6fsPlMhSv6IJ26fBtNIoyZLEBcecrPaYhAdgen9qBxkhaZM_s-CEiW9svz2Sgs9KQbrqSVTu9so_Dk5lIPVoCWRQviQLlCq-4NpFYQ7gxEF6HYwGOkP4g9xIdJGdi4uNtwnEhe7-HcFQtmAQ/s320/IMG-9177.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAF-P_87frNK6Szf6PxG4Oku99Ziz3LoJoR5GyoPV-aUMx6Mw2qSwxGLb6qKyYh1C_TYipYopPZOTQMqvbw7ys1xBA5-hrRpLJpvnJFXXVxjNUIWq_f1Mt4rKhptErfouRJCrfCnbn8ubJiPDfoh9_STbHKalSgAzDZNhJ8jXmqq8IwPf4g/s3999/IMG-8710.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="3999" data-original-width="2764" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrAF-P_87frNK6Szf6PxG4Oku99Ziz3LoJoR5GyoPV-aUMx6Mw2qSwxGLb6qKyYh1C_TYipYopPZOTQMqvbw7ys1xBA5-hrRpLJpvnJFXXVxjNUIWq_f1Mt4rKhptErfouRJCrfCnbn8ubJiPDfoh9_STbHKalSgAzDZNhJ8jXmqq8IwPf4g/s320/IMG-8710.jpg"/></a></div>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-56879852832396125632022-08-17T18:33:00.167-05:002022-08-29T12:08:01.956-05:00Intern Spotlight: Maihan Naimi<p class="MsoNormal"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvNihIV6o6syJBHIcEHN3jBFcnyz4GkxJvVxbzDV01XgQ4CdThBEN8C03lhthfylC5mf63KRRW5KXNt47yPc1n8GSOWuk1KyxrVtT-xskafdkaHg_vBmbtcE2mtsrfJa-KkHOdwdJf8LcAEuy4E_xJIz3asnuwdUSRKnPs5J7O5D3GwfloAw" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="510" data-original-width="525" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvNihIV6o6syJBHIcEHN3jBFcnyz4GkxJvVxbzDV01XgQ4CdThBEN8C03lhthfylC5mf63KRRW5KXNt47yPc1n8GSOWuk1KyxrVtT-xskafdkaHg_vBmbtcE2mtsrfJa-KkHOdwdJf8LcAEuy4E_xJIz3asnuwdUSRKnPs5J7O5D3GwfloAw" width="247" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />Hi there, my name is Maihan. I am in my third year at
Bard College in New York, where I study Computer Science. I am an intern
at the Bond Street Theater in Manhattan. In the meantime, I participated in
Bard's globalization and international affairs program. I had been a
student for three years at the American University in Afghanistan. After the
government collapsed, I transferred to Bard College. At the Science
Olympiad, I took home two silver medals in chemistry, and at the Amity
International Olympiad, I got a bronze medal in biology. </span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: arial;">If I'm not at my desk, typing away on my aging Dell laptop, you
can find me browsing the racks at the local mall or strolling the streets of
the trendy district of Midtown. During my internship at Bond Street Theatre this
summer of 2022, I learned how theater can shed light on issues of international
relations, peacebuilding, and women's empowerment.</span></span><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #181818;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #181818;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #181818;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--></span><span style="border: none; clear: left; display: inline-block; float: left; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 263px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img height="303" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/MpVNO6H2kGVq5lhz4Y6mGM0d33vy_7Gjb5ptHbptBhWTfz4SJNMB5fGMFxvi3rNlR215pLvMyulW-t2pZ7f15qzsED0OQc5S2hiYtBoob7zQN_8mpdJnrVQY3iaNP0cZ6236ykONEDQEFMfz-7-hE5zPs6jLNvirZsdQTybGOyIlYeGg7n-xqmsKCg=w263-h303" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="263" /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-b242d8af-7fff-2124-c593-49215632fad9"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #181818; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #181818;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #181818;">Over the course of my internship, Michael and Joanna
have among other administrative work showed me how to stand and walk on stilts!
At first, I thought that it would be challenging to walk on them; but, after
trying it for myself, I discovered that it was not only easy but also
incredibly fun. In addition to that, they shared with me their own experiences
of juggling multiple responsibilities while standing on stilts, such as giving
performances or playing musical instruments, which is truly fascinating. Also,
they shared with me stories of Afghan women who walked on stilts, including how
much they enjoyed doing it and how quickly they mastered the skill.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: arial;">My
sister and I always watched orphan girls on TV doing juggling and walking on
stilts that NGOs like Bond Street Theatre in Afghanistan were working with.
When I was younger, I always wanted to experience these two things, which,
thanks to my internship, I did!</span></div><div style="margin: 12pt 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">In addition, I’ve been under
Casey's watchful eye throughout my time at Bond Street Theatre. </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Casey has not only </span></span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">been an excellent manager, but also a remarkable mentor for those under her </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">guidance.</span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> She walked us through the process of applying for </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">grants, writing proposals, showed us exactly where to seek funds, and provided </span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">us with extremely helpful writing advice for project development going forward. </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">She has taught me </span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">a lot, which I am very grateful for. Since she’s in the South Africa office, </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I wish to meet her </span></span><span style="color: #181818; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">one day in person :)</span></div>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"> </span></span></p><div style="background: white; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that I am a member of the BST Youth Advisory Council, I have the opportunity to get to know all of the other young artists and educators who have worked here in the past. It is very thoughtful of the leadership of this company to maintain regular communication with the interns they’ve employed in the past. </span></div>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="color: #181818;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHBdltMojtGBohVT2yJ0t6pvq12op507P56VAweAtaH5Ib0t9BSgpgXxVnWnh5wc_U-NUUWGw-P2Drv4zyk1Z0kB9z-kh4fkXyNu_OoJcLDw7yOlobBGznZFRKxtjESY8Xwv04vb45wqPZTVEGRjv71oEFgNbmcgt9yvvfa-frKTvMKE4D1g" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="398" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHBdltMojtGBohVT2yJ0t6pvq12op507P56VAweAtaH5Ib0t9BSgpgXxVnWnh5wc_U-NUUWGw-P2Drv4zyk1Z0kB9z-kh4fkXyNu_OoJcLDw7yOlobBGznZFRKxtjESY8Xwv04vb45wqPZTVEGRjv71oEFgNbmcgt9yvvfa-frKTvMKE4D1g" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Summer 2022</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-family: arial; line-height: 107%;">A delectable treat from
Bond Street. </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818; font-family: arial;">On the last day of our internship, Joanna and Michael took us out to dinner. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal, the company, and the
opportunity to hear Joanna and Michael's beautiful stories of my homeland. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #181818;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">I'd want to thank BST, the company that gave me
my first taste of the American working environment. as well as packing my
summer with exciting and memorable experiences. </span></div>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-39524114478388566302021-04-19T09:04:00.000-05:002021-04-19T09:04:09.063-05:00Intern Spotlight: Molly Stone<p style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finding Community in Social Distance</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 296px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 469px;"><img height="296" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/rq_48QYOM6E977j8PWvYmtxgA9LTiVmBxzQ2xEkY0NUlSoBMOu72RD8jKrkUspmhJJUE0NnNw4WpinD-Ar5-uokI6muX6tTf5quGVX-HF2sIa0Lps4-CnO2sq3LDIDDzqVQy7uw" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="469" /></span></div><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-b90eb987-7fff-d5af-e275-5e5394cf8509"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-95e11afd-7fff-2c33-9858-4b6cc5c73da8"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">From the beginning, Bond Street Theatre excited me with their commitment to using theatre as a tool for change. I learned of the organization through a passion for empathy, conflict resolution and the power of theatre. During my final year at Grinnell College, I conducted a research project with my advisor, Dr. John Garrison, about the power of performance as a tool for peace. While researching </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All My Sons, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace and “Give Peace a Chance,” I delved into non-profit organizations that utilize performance to explore social justice themes. I discovered Bond Street Theatre and, as I learned more about their incredible work, I decided to reach out to get involved. I am very thankful that I did. </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although I initially expected to be in New York City with the team, the pandemic shaped my experience into a virtual summer internship. This, however, did not take away from the incredible relationships and essential skills I developed over the course of three months. I stepped into a community that welcomed me and my ideas, encouraging me to learn and grow. I researched countries for grant proposals, developed a new Twitter strategy, and conducted grant research. My biggest project grew out of my desire to build connection and accountability despite physical distance. Bond Street has an incredible network of past interns who share strong beliefs in the power of theatre and its place in changing the world. I wanted to bring together the youth members on a monthly basis to discuss current social issues, brainstorm ideas, and explore ways that the organization’s work could evolve. Our first meeting took place at the end of July, when we all came together to share anti-racism resources and explore our role as individuals and members of Bond Street in the fight for racial justice.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="253" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/15dfxX12AnWWYcD6Y58PAYOkbRW48aN82d9B9GmkPtaaT636Fo7g5TSsp68-64MU3Gz-FaaHh1lxHppFzpTsO8Oyj7va6u-fF0RVkLvE60MzNlUumZ4qG4swclNcfy4JVzICYrg=w450-h253" style="font-size: 11pt; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="450" /> </span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My internship may have ended in August, but my involvement with Bond Street is far from over. The Youth Group continues to meet monthly as new interns lead discussions on issues close to their heart. The Bond Street community is not a stranger to distance and the conducting of important projects across borders, so this group easily maintains an honest and open space for Bond Street-related brainstorming, personal project development, and essential conversations with like-minded artists. Tim Steckler, a fellow Bond Street Youth member, came to the group with a desire to create a space where theatre can be used as a tool to explore anti-racist allyship. Now, Theatre for Anti-Racist Allyship (TARA) meets weekly where we discuss important texts, learn together about our roles in working towards a more compassionate, just world, and develop theatre techniques that can be used to explore anti-racist allyship. Personally, I hope for more domestic Bond Street programming in the future and I continue to develop ideas that may one day be implemented into a project stateside. I am beyond grateful for the community I found in Bond Street, the amazing friendships that have developed out of the Youth Group, and the commitment we all have to develop projects that combine performance and social change. I look forward to seeing how Bond Street Theatre and all those who support it will continue to create projects that prove performance </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a strong, essential tool for the peace-making we all wish to see in the world. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-41771310471645219042021-02-26T15:07:00.004-05:002021-03-01T09:20:35.415-05:00Intern Sportlight: Nina Rosstalnyj<p><i style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">This month Nina Rosstalnyj, our new intern from the Central European University and participant of Bard College's BGIA program, writes about her connection to theatre and what brought her to Bond Street Theatre.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZ-5JRD9JFrq-dBag74HPafyneDy2yifBPnCXsfT7Y1J4JMZzUV3lk6jDeviYYJasd5w3GcpnogaxFb19uLglyP5BtKe5wdDQIi52k1srK7kGfmVcq-ARmFoTOytfiqPanR7/s1080/Blog+teaser+4+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAmZ-5JRD9JFrq-dBag74HPafyneDy2yifBPnCXsfT7Y1J4JMZzUV3lk6jDeviYYJasd5w3GcpnogaxFb19uLglyP5BtKe5wdDQIi52k1srK7kGfmVcq-ARmFoTOytfiqPanR7/w320-h320/Blog+teaser+4+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;">All my life I wanted to become an actress – not like many teenage girls who dream about Hollywood and life as a movie star. Rather, I wished to be a <i>true artist</i> who devotes her body and soul to expressing feelings and words that are not her own. I wanted to relay a message to the audience and make them feel something they didn’t expect, make them speak about something they didn’t even think of before, and change people’s view on the world for a slight moment when they are in the theatre.</div></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41KR2gWdiJL7zqyhNpsSKuQ5fYgX8CfBqNYEOlOIzRHgFxUPH3ZLklf-IPbfzqbwRp1bq6JeTtU6DvNHDyU0wdaMqZCEK4Z7fTvAL3C2dOyHz0FA_nIG90oJ19az-UOeW_Qdg/s2048/IMG_9834.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi41KR2gWdiJL7zqyhNpsSKuQ5fYgX8CfBqNYEOlOIzRHgFxUPH3ZLklf-IPbfzqbwRp1bq6JeTtU6DvNHDyU0wdaMqZCEK4Z7fTvAL3C2dOyHz0FA_nIG90oJ19az-UOeW_Qdg/w133-h200/IMG_9834.JPG" width="133" /></a></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was part of theatre groups in high school, had the chance to accompany my dad who is an actor, and even played small roles in two movies myself. Two short internships with movie productions and countless theatre visits supposedly "prepared me for my mission to get into an acting school". After high school I started with the hearings at national academies which took me to eleven different schools in eight different cities in Austria and Germany within four months. Looking back this was an exciting time because I traveled alone so much - I could explore new cities, meet interesting new people that shared a dream with me and I felt so grown up after managing the whole process on my own. Luckily, I had great support from my family, and working together on the monologues brought me closer to my dad.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">On the other hand, the pressure was immense. You only have a few moments to convince the jury, and the performance has to be perfect no matter how exhausted you are from hours of waiting until your name is called, and no matter how nervous you are after spending half of the day with other nervous people. After the performance, sometimes you see the jury sometimes you don’t, sometimes you choose which role to start with, sometimes they do, and the waiting begins anew. And then you get a simple ‘no’ without any further feedback; is it a ‘MY GOSH NOOOOO!’ or more a ‘no, but maybe next year’?</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrFSWVynGcv84KTfq4gv90Dywwf7w7jWB_W8HD-5n0FsjS3E5r4bFAtajbtGs2N5hBfXrLlyXIXLAVpys6UPHN1B1MRI1mcFP8y8OELyOpdWxBXusqaBDRHI2l9c0nVpbKati/s2048/Erasmus+065.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBrFSWVynGcv84KTfq4gv90Dywwf7w7jWB_W8HD-5n0FsjS3E5r4bFAtajbtGs2N5hBfXrLlyXIXLAVpys6UPHN1B1MRI1mcFP8y8OELyOpdWxBXusqaBDRHI2l9c0nVpbKati/w287-h169/Erasmus+065.jpg" width="287" /></a></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After too many ungraspable ‘no's’ I was so frustrated that I decided to do something totally different in my life, and to never even think about theatre again. It took me three years of studying political science in a new city, one internship at the German embassy in Ukraine and five months student's exchange in Romania to overcome my anger and unwillingness towards performing theatre myself. In my last undergraduate year, I participated in the University's theatre group and learned to appreciate it as a hobby, without all the pressure I put on myself before and,</span> <span style="font-family: arial;">in the meantime, political activism and the theory </span><span style="font-family: arial;">behind it had become my new passion.</span></div></div></blockquote><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIvxbO1AUmBAw4iMd3BYJq8LiLkJDMa1SDx2TETmbB3yRVWDDHnCMs11MvXXimtGTFQEtFF6w_f41yYBSuaflxKj013H0vusNHjwotTvHcgLTtoLM1I6coGYgKIjroMKj8JG1/s1280/photo5325898952328983022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIvxbO1AUmBAw4iMd3BYJq8LiLkJDMa1SDx2TETmbB3yRVWDDHnCMs11MvXXimtGTFQEtFF6w_f41yYBSuaflxKj013H0vusNHjwotTvHcgLTtoLM1I6coGYgKIjroMKj8JG1/w228-h170/photo5325898952328983022.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When planning my future and applying for a graduate degree, I didn't think of the possibility of combining the two worlds of theatre and the political, my two passions. You already guessed it: this is where Bond Street Theatre is showing me the perfect alliance between the arts and peacebuilding, acting and healing. Now, the naïve dreams of 'younger me' and the present 'political me' have come together.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope to be a valuable member of Bond Street Theatre as a communications associate focusing on Ukraine in that I will develop my own project in the country that I call my second home. I grew up in Germany with all the privileges that go with it. But in 2014 when the conflict in Ukraine broke out, and in 2015 many people fled war and sought refuge in Europe, I understood that these privileges only exist for a tiny fraction of people. Hopefully, I will have the chance to form part of a project that changes the situation of some individuals for the better, even if it is only small moments of joy, or confidence-building. After all, this is a wish I always had.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRUA8y0DbWH_a3hmegEDK9lEuvwwRDstA9-qSCzbm6woLhNrXuXiRmT6j1inyMJS2ToriNfLMNlsLpXGFbs09z0j_dlKMbhOdfavYN8qZwZW9MAajMh7pJHlqqhEDQDo-L8JX/s1280/photo5325898952328983027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRUA8y0DbWH_a3hmegEDK9lEuvwwRDstA9-qSCzbm6woLhNrXuXiRmT6j1inyMJS2ToriNfLMNlsLpXGFbs09z0j_dlKMbhOdfavYN8qZwZW9MAajMh7pJHlqqhEDQDo-L8JX/w206-h275/photo5325898952328983027.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p></p><br /></div>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-472003456220548762020-03-30T17:35:00.002-05:002020-04-02T12:36:57.544-05:00Intern Spotlight: Erin Eubanks<span id="docs-internal-guid-0fab48f2-ee76-b763-3f40-73ee9a5314ce" style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>This week Erin Eubanks, our social media and documentary intern from the University of Texas, writes about her experience from the New York office. </i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "arial" , "tahoma" , "helvetica" , "freesans" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
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Greetings, all. The above picture is a series of mirror selfies I took in the Bond Street office throughout my internship. As the social media intern, it only seemed fitting that I documented my experience as such. Apart from photographing myself on various days of the week, I found time to do some pretty cool work. I'll tell you about the work I did, but first, an introduction!</div>
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Hi. Howdy. Yeehaw. I'm Erin, and I'm from Texas. (Though I should note, Joanna did remark at my lack of a Texan accent. I know — a bummer.) I'm a Journalism and Philosophy student at the University of Texas, and found myself up in the chilly northern city of New York for what would have been a 5-month program if our good ol' pal Corona hadn't decided to pay us a visit and send me back down south. Alas! </div>
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During my time in the office, I had the privilege of scrounging through Bond Street's myriad of photos and videos they've collected throughout the decades of work to find good ones post on social media. (Roughly 160,000 photos, just to throw a number out there. I don't even have an estimate on the videos.) Nearly every photo sparked a story for Joanna and Michael, and through their stories and photos, I got to take a mental trip around the world without having to pay for a single airline ticket. I learned SO much about massive issues that currently affect women and children around the world that I hadn't even heard about before. I learned about the lack of education for girls in Afghanistan, domestic violence following the earthquake in Haiti, children in poverty in India, and so much more. </div>
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Bond Street's theatre projects have addressed each of these issues, in addition to so so many more, and I had the opportunity to create one-minute documentary videos sharing their projects and the context of each issue addressed by the project in hopes of helping others understand the Bond Street team have done.</div>
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You know, I've always had an appreciation for theatre as a form of entertainment, as I myself act in a sketch comedy show at my university, but I've never known theatre to be a tool for education and social justice. From listening to Joanna and Michael's stories, I've gained such a profound appreciation for theatre as a method of improving the world. You may not know this, but not everyone speaks the same language across the globe. I know, I know — crazy right?!? The physical theatre that Bond Street has mastered breaks those linguistic barriers right down and creates this amazing mutual understanding between people of different backgrounds; an understanding that couldn't exist with a mere conversation. They're such truly incredible individuals, and what a astounding company they've created. Okay, okay, I'm done being all cheesy and what not. For the time being.</div>
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In addition to become much more globally aware, I also got to learn a bit of accordion, a few plate tricks, and being inspired by photos and videos of the Bond Street ensemble performing, I taught myself how to juggle upon returning to Texas. </div>
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Although I only got to spend two months in New York working alongside Joanna, Michael, Tim, (the other intern and my now good friend) and through Skype with the oh-so-amazing communication director Casey, I feel so appreciative to have gained so much knowledge (and I mean so much... my brain is just permanently swollen with information now) and to have been able to create social media posts and mini docs for Bond Street. </div>
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Welp, folks, that's all of my story. Thanks for reading! And as we say down here in Texas... </div>
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Don't let the boot hit ya on the way out!</div>
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(okay, yes, that's the first time I've ever said that)</div>
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Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-37900827615961487842019-05-31T14:45:00.000-05:002019-05-31T14:47:16.855-05:00Border Stories: a US-India-Bangladesh collaborative adventure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "arialmt"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> Performance in the No-Man's-Land between the India and
Bangladesh borders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #006e6d; font-family: Georgia-BoldItalic; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia-BoldItalic;">"The harshest borders are created in the mind. If they
didn't exist in the mind first, they wouldn't manifest on the ground."</span></i></b><b><i><span style="color: #006e6d; font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia-BoldItalic;"> </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">– a participant from
India</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arialmt"; mso-ascii-font-family: ArialMT; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia-Italic;">Bond
Street Theatre has a long history of working in areas in conflict, most of
which are caused by perceived differences in ethnicity, religion or lifestyle</span><span style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; mso-ascii-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT;">…</span><span style="font-family: "arialmt"; mso-ascii-font-family: ArialMT; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia-Italic;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; mso-ascii-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT;">“</span><span style="font-family: "arialmt"; mso-ascii-font-family: ArialMT; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia-Italic;">otherness</span><span style="font-family: Georgia-Italic; mso-ascii-font-family: ArialMT; mso-bidi-font-family: ArialMT;">”</span><span style="font-family: "arialmt"; mso-ascii-font-family: ArialMT; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia-Italic;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through theatre
performance, we seek to break through the borders of the mind to create harmony
on our beleaguered planet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This belief
in the power of theatre has brought us to work with Rohingya refugees dispelled
from Myanmar, migrant workers in Russia and Malaysia, and with youth striving for
peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Now we have returned from India
where our dramatic performances created with Bangladeshi and Indian
actors, musicians and dancers illuminated the tragedy of borders. Tears
streamed down the faces of those in our audiences old enough to remember the
1947 partitioning of India and Bangladesh, which tore apart families and
friends. As Arts Envoys through the US Embassy, and with our longtime friends
and collaborators, Banglanatak, we learned so much more than the history books reveal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Bangladesh and India share the
fifth longest border in the world, dividing towns, farms, rivers, and even
homes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But where is the “otherness”
here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The people are the same on both
sides, having lived side by side for years, eaten the same food, enjoyed the
same livelihoods. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our play illuminates
such a situation: two families, one Hindu and one Muslim, close friends for
years with youngsters growing up together, suddenly split apart and cast to
different misfortunes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end of the
play, the women are the heroines, finding ways to keep their families intact
despite the disruptions, although only able to visit each other through layers
of barbed wire barriers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">In our post-show discussions, I
recall stating how ironic I felt it is that religion was the basis for tearing
people apart when virtually every religion preaches love, compassion and
generosity toward one’s neighbor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">We brought our show to border towns,
including Petrapole, a major border checkpoint. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the play, we reminded audiences
that people suffer on both sides of the divide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #006e6d; font-family: Georgia-BoldItalic; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia-BoldItalic;">"A border is not just a physical fence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These shared communities, shared experiences,
shared families, shared food... the border is in our heads." </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">– participant
from Bangladesh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The process of creating the production was a
joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We began with a series of exercises
to bring the group together into a cohesive team, and explore the full range of
issues attached to the partitioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
was truly inspiring to us was the diversity of skills in the group: filmmakers,
journalists, actors, dancers, athletes, visual artists, and media experts. With
such a talented team, I knew we would create a dynamic play with a message of
value. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">Over the first three days, we created a selection of
short stories or vignettes that covered, not only the major issue of
separation, but the nuances of family life, occupations, economics, religious
rituals, local foods, politics, and the like. On day four, we put our stories
together and created the outline of our play, and day five was our first
run-through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now the exciting part: the
musicians, singers, dancers, puppeteers, mask-makers and set designers
embellished every moment of the play with the flavor and dynamics of the
Bengali people, all borders aside.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif";">The final play was rich with dance and music, visual
excitement, and the tragedy and drama that brought the audiences to tears in
some parts and to laughter in others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When presenting a tragic theme, a comedic balance is essential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most important, our presentations brought
home the idea that, </span><span style="font-family: "arialmt"; mso-ascii-font-family: ArialMT; mso-hansi-font-family: Georgia-Italic;">although hate and fear makes
mending borders so difficult, theatre breaks down the borders of the mind and
reminds us that we are all the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: #006e6d; font-family: Georgia-BoldItalic; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia-BoldItalic;">"This theatre work has helped me really understand the
feeling of a refugee... now I know the pain of refugees and I will count them
as humans, not just refugees. Refugee is just a name."<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">- participant from
Bangladesh<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arialmt"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> "Border Stories" performance at the Kolkata College
of Music<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Bond Street Theatrehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01437401231146151086noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-65932769167796253042018-02-06T16:56:00.002-05:002018-02-06T18:04:37.736-05:00Intern Spotlight: Rania<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #151e24; font-size: 12pt;">Sitting in my Drama of
Social Change class my senior year of college, my professor told us that the
organization we select for the community service portion of the class must be important
and personal to us. What is personal to me? I pondered this. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #151e24; font-size: 12pt;">After 4 years in New York
City I had found a new voice of the modern American woman, though the voice of
my childhood and teenage years felt unresolved. I am a Saudi-American and I spent
most of my life living in Bahrain. I considered the issues that had hindered me
most in my life…perhaps the civil unrest that defined my final years in
Bahrain? The inner conflict of embodying two opposing cultures? Or was it
simply being a Saudi woman with a loud voice and a lot to say? I meditated on
these questions and the next week I approached my professor asking for
suggestions. As if premeditated, she shouted ‘Bond Street Theatre!’ </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #151e24; font-size: 12pt;">Immediately captivated by
their purpose, I contacted them right after class to find that they were
working in Afghanistan. The very fact that they were working on peace building
in a world so close to my own, physically there and committed to resolving
conflict, enraptured me. I subscribed to Bond Street Theatre’s newsletters,
followed their blog and stayed updated on the important work that they do.
Following my graduation in May 2017, with a degree in Directing for Theatre,
the Bond Street Theatre team was back in New York City and I applied for an
internship. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #151e24; font-size: 12pt;">Being from a mixed family,
I have seen how a certain type of sensitivity can help bridge cultural
boundaries, and Bond Street Theatre does that on a large scale. They generate
important conversations between those who disagree, and allow each side to physically
express their argument, enabling people to find common grounds. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #151e24; font-size: 12pt;">I am very fortunate to have
been exposed to theatre at a young age, and have found it to be my catharsis.
Bond Street Theatre introduces theatre to communities where artistic platforms
aren’t readily available, and in doing so they are giving people all over the
world the freedom to use theatre to tell their stories. From undocumented
refugees such as the Rohingya women Bond Street works with, to those
incarcerated in literal prisons, Bond Street Theatre is committed to this
beautiful type of artistic healing. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #151e24; font-size: 12pt;">Bond Street Theatre has
given me the freedom to hone in on my own interests and I narrowed my
professional focus towards grant writing. As an emerging theatre artist,
learning to write grants is crucial. This involves historical research and
close attention to minor and major conflicts, studying them with a sensitivity
and reporting them with accuracy. The research necessary for these grants has
cultured me and given me knowledge of conflicts mainstream news sources don’t
cover, conflicts I thought my Middle Eastern upbringing had exposed me to, but
in many ways it shielded me from. In addition, I have written blog posts and
found partnerships for the organization. Bond Street Theatre is helping me with
my personal endeavors and teaching me how to make theatre for change. I have
learnt here that anything is possible.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; color: #151e24; font-size: 12pt;">Joanna and Michael, our
Artistic and Managing Director (otherwise known as the dynamic duo), have shown
me the type of life a non-commercial theatre artist can lead. I admit that
getting an artist degree was extremely scary for me; I didn’t know if that kind
of life was realistic. Joanna and Michael literally live their art and have
shown me that it is entirely possible to run a company, travel the world and
help people. Though one theatre can’t change the world all on its own, it has
certainly changed parts of it. </span></span></div>
</div>
Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-81874515257567622542017-11-25T17:40:00.000-05:002017-11-22T17:43:05.951-05:00International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. According to <span style="line-height: normal;">UN Women estimates:</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;">750 million women and girls alive today married before their 18</span><span style="line-height: normal;">th </span><span style="line-height: normal;">birthday</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">35% of women have experienced either physical and/or sexual violence</span></span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Approximately</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> 120 million girls worldwide have experienced non-consensual sexual intercourse and/or sexual assault</span></span></li>
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Bond Street Theatre works with women globally who are survivors of abuse, forced marriages, sexual violence, and incarceration. By teaching theatre, we create a platform for women to use their voice to speak out against the violence that they have been subjugated to.</div>
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Bond Street Theatre has worked with women all over the world, introducing theatre as a tool to amplify their voices. We have collaborated with women and girls in the US, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Malaysia, and more, and we know that discrimination, harassment, unfair treatment and violence against women are global issues.</div>
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Recently, we began a project with members of Malaysia’s Rohingya community, and in doing so we helped facilitate the creation of the Rohingya Women's Theatre. The five members of the new ensemble were each married by age 15 and had no experience with theatre beyond Bollywood dramas. By using theatre, we were able to offer creative tools to share their stories and promote their rights.</div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;">From 2011 to 2014, Bond Street Theatre worked with inmates at a women's prison in Afghanistan, many of whom are survivors of abuse. The program was launched with the support of</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="line-height: normal;">Dining for Women</span><span style="line-height: normal;">.</span><span style="line-height: normal;"> We encountered many inmates who have faced systemic violence and a flawed legal system, and offered healing ways to approach problems, learn their legal rights, and develop the communication skills and motivation to speak out for justice. In addition, they learned educational and creative activities to enjoy with their children who were incarcerated with them.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Bond Street Theatre continues to promote an end to violence against women, both through our work with women and girls and, equally importantly, by engaging men and boys to speak out for justice. Through artistic solutions, we aim to change entrenched cultural gender norms present in communities from the US to Afghanistan, and to bring an end to violence against women.</span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOF-O-rnoCQL3F4sS3umoEHbC-e1WOpk50bRWh7ahaRtOJMNf0CWsKR50RvtQ7gupfUFUJlRPYDTiINtYF9LF93vSv9J8uqj0ZrkytjbbV-kRFXGSmOTBH7PSTrElT0QlrOm8/s1600/2017-09-17+%252845%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="1280" height="371" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOF-O-rnoCQL3F4sS3umoEHbC-e1WOpk50bRWh7ahaRtOJMNf0CWsKR50RvtQ7gupfUFUJlRPYDTiINtYF9LF93vSv9J8uqj0ZrkytjbbV-kRFXGSmOTBH7PSTrElT0QlrOm8/s640/2017-09-17+%252845%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Members of the Rohingya Women's Theatre and Masakini Theatre perform a play about refugee rights in Malaysia.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: normal;"><span style="line-height: normal;">Violence against women needs to be eliminated </span><span style="line-height: normal;">now. </span><span style="line-height: normal;">Today, we are inspired to continue in our line of work towards a better world, with artistic rigour, cultural sensitivities and diligence. While noting the strides that we have made, we know that there is so much more work to be done. Today and everyday, Bond Street Theatre joins with our sisters and fellow advocates around the world in saying NO MORE.</span></span></span>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-16864966941507341162017-09-22T17:35:00.000-05:002017-10-09T17:36:34.851-05:00Malaysia: Scenes from Kuala Lumpur<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Performances are well underway as we continue our inaugural project in Malaysia, partnering with Asylum Access Malaysia to create programming with Kuala Lumpur's refugee population. Working with local troupe Masakini Theatre, as well as the Rohingya Women's Development Network and Somali Community Coalition, we've created a series of performances addressing common issues faced by refugees, from access to healthcare, to interactions with law enforcement, to applying for status with UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency).</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuPakl2HHjZgNzYghFiAyfUF_NUYR1bUOfdz0h7n1D6ZvMtDNZvB9zKKW6VQamAKoAxabwnVuNPFz5sro1drmh8Fuv2uzGi1V5gHLAn7a5tyYAmiugfXV-PEG1kN0PXogrv5i/s1600/22.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="718" height="515" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZuPakl2HHjZgNzYghFiAyfUF_NUYR1bUOfdz0h7n1D6ZvMtDNZvB9zKKW6VQamAKoAxabwnVuNPFz5sro1drmh8Fuv2uzGi1V5gHLAn7a5tyYAmiugfXV-PEG1kN0PXogrv5i/s640/22.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Performances also address resources that refugees can access to help deal with common issues, as seen in this snapshot of a rehearsal with Masakini Theatre. Though Malaysia is not a signatory of the UN Convention on Refugees, domestic and international non-profits operating in the country do offer some limited resources.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBXlArdotB3phknSbqgc0RnRlSQvARi9s2FNRJmElGUZ0cjkLE6WBELUk9VY9aY7z4qnu1IGTNykgw96PUMDq3IZuZaVG42F2zKBBdUadYbK2V3pLTX3rCIdN1RDv-R6i-DfN/s1600/33.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="864" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheBXlArdotB3phknSbqgc0RnRlSQvARi9s2FNRJmElGUZ0cjkLE6WBELUk9VY9aY7z4qnu1IGTNykgw96PUMDq3IZuZaVG42F2zKBBdUadYbK2V3pLTX3rCIdN1RDv-R6i-DfN/s640/33.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">All performances are interactive, meaning that audience members have the opportunity to discuss, or even correct information presented based on their experiences. This is both an effective tool for sparking dialogue among refugees, and for relaying the most up-to-date information about refugee experiences to advocacy groups attending performances.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZJXv320iG04114UURb5dU7-CoipbG9NdpbIQQWfHs5gBQfOFgM0Fzi3gvcW08ivEc3_mUmRdtXvPQKcRXWA2Xf0oL4bfSgmJ3AbXkGfhL8K8tjoFlQ4YTMFA1nEiPwGDkdwi/s1600/44.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="1013" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZJXv320iG04114UURb5dU7-CoipbG9NdpbIQQWfHs5gBQfOFgM0Fzi3gvcW08ivEc3_mUmRdtXvPQKcRXWA2Xf0oL4bfSgmJ3AbXkGfhL8K8tjoFlQ4YTMFA1nEiPwGDkdwi/s640/44.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Audience members ranged in age, nationality, religion, gender and background. Here, some of our youngest audience members enjoy a refreshing post-show treat with a cast member.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQp_P4jbwBKuRhyphenhyphenIKecVyA2P-48sYB4gAlpPvAzXQn1kE17RSTKI7xHE2WbW4fA81Wcqnh1GVbXsPMF8bfd3H0QdAR59BNTf3K1OtlH8vCtjwo0m2SeMpgtPTAL9r8Rf6vwuEQ/s1600/55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="774" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQp_P4jbwBKuRhyphenhyphenIKecVyA2P-48sYB4gAlpPvAzXQn1kE17RSTKI7xHE2WbW4fA81Wcqnh1GVbXsPMF8bfd3H0QdAR59BNTf3K1OtlH8vCtjwo0m2SeMpgtPTAL9r8Rf6vwuEQ/s640/55.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The program has been a great success, and we are so excited to share that the Rohingya Women's Development Network and Somali Community Coalition will continue to train with Masakini Theatre.</span>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com2Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-2422296611074364172017-08-26T08:23:00.000-05:002017-10-05T08:25:02.608-05:00Working with Refugees in Malaysia<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Greetings from Malaysia, where Bond
Street is launching its newest project working with refugee groups.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">More
than 150,000 refugees and asylum seekers are registered with UNHCR in Malaysia,
coming from a range of countries and languishing in makeshift housing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many
have fled active conflicts in Myanmar, where Bond Street has been working since
2009, while others have traveled from Afghanistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh, Iraq and Syria. With the influx of men, women and children from
different parts of the world, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">language
barriers, cultural differences, and lack of employment plague refugees who
struggle to start a new life.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We
are partnering with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Asylum Access
Malaysia</b> – a respected advocate for refugee rights – to implement
programming that will assist in their work. Asylum Access runs a variety of “know
your options” trainings for refugees, covering everything from healthcare
access to education to UNHCR registration.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">However,
these trainings are often delivered by PowerPoint, which presents a challenge
since many of Malaysia’s refugees are illiterate.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;">That’s where theatre will come in.</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_InvltlKGiZK9fYOqJP_f6PCrTvsIlY-GLpmlZjAH88mlP6HSfJOzyGRHpoNf1TQ5-9O6uRPekj5mYzfE1GRU7CMnno4RcTlo5bd8ArgMyo1kCgKOxfKfuzXIRJ0LVtMQXESP/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="391" data-original-width="645" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_InvltlKGiZK9fYOqJP_f6PCrTvsIlY-GLpmlZjAH88mlP6HSfJOzyGRHpoNf1TQ5-9O6uRPekj5mYzfE1GRU7CMnno4RcTlo5bd8ArgMyo1kCgKOxfKfuzXIRJ0LVtMQXESP/s1600/1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A workshop with the Rohingya Women's Development Network</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span id="goog_400963757"></span><span id="goog_400963758"></span><br /></span></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First, we are working with a group of
Rohingya women who want to learn theatre. We are working on teaching theatre
techniques, and on identifying a range of problems faced by the community,
which we will later work together to dramatize.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are also working with a mixed-gender group
of Somali refugees who have newly formed a community advocacy organization. When
we did our Problem Tree exercise, where participants speak about local issues
and their causes, the group named cultural integration, language barriers, and jobs
among their concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="color: #1a1a1a;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, we are working with Masakini
Theatre, a Malaysian troupe, to bring Asylum Access's PowerPoints to life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After one week, we’re already off to a great start. We can’t
wait to see where this project takes us.</span><br />
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Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.139003 101.686854999999922.885326 101.36413149999993 3.3926800000000004 102.00957849999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-82916647256210090992017-06-20T08:46:00.000-05:002017-06-20T08:52:24.800-05:00Celebrating World Refugee Day<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">World Refugee Day,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and here at Bond Street Theatre we are taking the opportunity to commemorate the resilience, strength, and courage of millions of refugees all over the world. Today, we encourage </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">you</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, our friends and colleagues, to educate yourselves on the very serious refugee crisis that continues to impact our world.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the </span><a href="http://www.unhcr.org/en-us" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">UNHCR</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (the UN Refugee Agency),</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> there are currently 65.6 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">million</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> people who have been displaced worldwide</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. 22.5 million are refugees and 10 million are stateless. Refugees are defined as individuals that have been displaced and forced to leave their homes due to war, famine, persecution, or violence. Their ability to succeed in the face of everything is remarkable. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A citizen of any given country is guaranteed a set of basic human rights but, as a refugee, a person may lose access to these rights and protections. According to the 1951 Refugee Convention, all refugees have the right to safe asylum, the right to not be forcibly returned to their country of origin, and the same rights as any foreigner who is a legal resident, including freedom of thought, movement and freedom from torture. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, in countries that did not sign the 1951 Refugee Convention, refugees are left vulnerable and they are often stripped of access to these rights. This is why we at Bond Street Theatre continue our commitment to working with refugees, and why we are bringing new refugee-centered projects to Malaysia in 2017. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Theatre creates the space for laughter, for critical thought, for expression, for mutual understanding, and so much more. At Bond Street Theatre, we challenge and call upon all artists to spread tolerance, especially towards people who are facing turmoil and persecution, and to seek out new opportunities to learn from others. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Below we share stories of those from the refugee communities that we have had the privilege of learning from:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="316" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/SJnXtaM9wc2kg_0LqwnbYKraYWZ0XsxWtpYnlF06CScYYMimfZ-tfDdekSz0Y2qqkvRdb_ssAEGgbkgM0_pE1kRZjsqZvU6cFnL4LO0LGqtCWERyYnb93JMG9ZvLbxBx9YupnCog" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1987: Montreal</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 1987, BST was invited to Montreal’s International Youth for Peace and Justice Program to address 60 teenagers from 45 war-torn nations on the power of theatre, and to teach them practical popular theatre techniques.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="490" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bYlRW9o4FdDXebwT21AsSW2YmCTAwtSPyQxn0r61zt72-ws4pXuFxGek3KIHJve20zhwK4iQ3IyRF_qGMnyaDjVQSr_DxQjfh5wLwGtfInNWeE3FHx0o2bf560CCPDml-d2YX8XJ" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1999: Kosovo Refugee Camps - Macedonia </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an immediate response to the war in Kosovo, BST initiated a three-week program bringing laughter, joy, and creative play to more than 10,000 Kosovar children, many of whom had been traumatized by the war, in seven refugee camps located throughout Macedonia. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We staged shows in open areas before audiences of 1,000-2,000 people, and taught mime and theatre games to the children. When we returned to the camps later, we were pleased to find the children demonstrating what they had learned from days before. This project has clearly demonstrated to us the value of interactive theatre, and the healing power of all of the expressive arts. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="429" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/t8NIB_KL-MrWzac2uv5izzlpBIJch43ZM-ajfL4ibFoafCK3FyaPwy3xl0bHAJu7o1AGIJM_H2IGnYqPpqc5a0qKJNDHeeWn7X0jJdRJhljJDKjzUQDv6kY0sEG90QTVjC-XWQra" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #151e24; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #151e24; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2001: Afghan Refugee Camps - Pakistan </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #151e24; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Following September 11, 2001, BST members traveled to Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan to bring joy and laughter to Afghan children, conduct workshops, and learn more about the conflict.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We returned in 2002</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to refugee camps in Peshawar, where 10,000 Afghan boys and girls were reached with live performances new confidence-building skills and games. The company trained teachers from Plan International</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to use theatre-based educational activities for children, bringing this program to rural villages in Chakwal.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2003: Exile Theatre - Afghanistan</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BST began a collaboration with Exile Theatre, aimed at bringing healing programs to refugee families that were pouring back into the country. With partner group Afghanistan-Schulen, Bond Street reached 25,000 children in the rural north, focusing especially on girls who were returning to school. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2007: India</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bond Street traveled to India to conduct mask-making and physical expression workshops with 30 children from the violence-ridden area of Bastar in central India. These refugee children had been traumatized by years of rebel uprisings, and our workshops moved from liberating games to image-making relating to their emotions. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="426" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/lwBtGUGN3ABYhui2HCa7WS2JY-dwULRaIkKqNMH4Wbj5JEY4yiZTpO0VFe1oxR2kexj7sW20qCC6bg_B-PAZRijGTgA8t7xs0w44Y33DE2qHs_DuoMiV4lG8PhShBkxLduQUyMcl" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2011-2012: Refugee Camps - Haiti</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BST c</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">onducted training programs for </span><a href="http://www.themagdalenaproject.org/en/content/theatre-addresses-gender-violence-haiti" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">FAVILEK</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a theatre group of female sexual violence survivors in Haiti, with tours in refugee areas and tent camps in the post-earthquake areas.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="475" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/AAdlYJ9JQRFuR0DfXVfg1bqbNAF1AJSzJEFZFB2o7fNr7DefJrbt1V4frmf_rZxkkN4JcEY8wzrH0pQx13Vy8AFCs_uwqhv2XZB-W2zX5Ydu69rdzn3od9hgnaWBjuuuIR8FBLeO" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2016: Borak Arts Series - Penang Malaysia</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bond Street Theatre's Artistic Director, Joanna Sherman, was a featured speaker at the Borak Arts Series in Penang, Malaysia. The series is designed to provide an international forum in which artists and activists from around the world can share information and ideas. Joanna spoke about the relationship between sustainable social development and performance, and demonstrated for the audience of artists, many of whom are working with migrants and refugees in the Malaysian region, some of the useful exercises and techniques they could use in their work. </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.globalgiving.org/world-refugee-day/?rf=ggad_16&gclid=COTEntv8vdQCFUhYDQodBwIHZg" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.globalgiving.org/world-refugee-day/?rf=ggad_16&gclid=COTEntv8vdQCFUhYDQodBwIHZg</span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.unhcr.org/afr/publications/brochures/3b779dfe2/protecting-refugees-questions-answers.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.unhcr.org/afr/publications/brochures/3b779dfe2/protecting-refugees-questions-answers.html</span></a></div>
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<a href="https://therefugeecenter.org/help-refugees/world-refugee-day/?gclid=CPO4g-T9vdQCFVpMDQodP54DYQ" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://therefugeecenter.org/help-refugees/world-refugee-day/?gclid=CPO4g-T9vdQCFVpMDQodP54DYQ</span></a></div>
Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-57045346078992752042017-05-18T14:54:00.002-05:002017-05-18T14:54:42.007-05:00Behind the posters: Bond Street Theatre's work in the Balkans <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>There are a variety of ways to tell a single story. Recently, the posters from BST’s work overseas have been archived, and it is amazing (especially for the intern who archived them and is writing this blog) how much they have to tell.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>This week, Bond Street Theatre shares the posters from our work in the Balkans, where the company initiated the<b> Balkan Peace Project </b>and formed the <b>Performing Artists for Balkan Peace</b>, an inter-Balkan network of artists. Back to the year 2000!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One year after the war in Kosovo, Bond Street Theatre came to the region in response to to an emerging need for psychosocial support for the population of the area. In 2000, Bond Street Theatre and Theatre Tsvete, a puppet theatre company from Bulgaria, created a non-verbal version of <b><i>Romeo and Juliet</i></b> as a part of the Balkan Peace Project initiated in Kosovo. The two companies’ goal was to address the tragedy of the war between neighbors through physical theatre and visual storytelling. The actors were able to symbolically talk about choosing between love and violence, following one’s heart and duty to defend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The play was presented throughout Kosovo, featured at such festivals as the International Theatre Festival Skampa in Albania, the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania, and the International Festival of Alternative & New Theatre in Serbia. In partnership with UNICEF, Romeo and Juliet was performed in the most critical areas of Serbia, where ethnic tensions were still high. The play was warmly received, and the story resonated with audiences, providing a safe space to reflect on the conflict situation in the region.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A poster announcing the International Theatre Festival Skampa in Albania,<br />where Romeo and Juliet was presented, 2002</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A poster announcing Romeo and Juliet, 2000</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />In 2005, continuing the collaboration in the region, theatre practitioners from Serbia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, the UK and the USA convened in Bulgaria to initiate the Performing Artists for Balkan Peace network, which was devoted to free exchange of ideas and cross-border cooperation. The connected artists confirmed their role as global actors for social improvement, stressed the importance of involving and reaching local communities in peacemaking processes, and aimed to create arts projects that would address the current social and political issues of the Balkans.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A poster announcing free lectures, workshops, and performances from the<br />Performing Artists for Balkan Peace in Bulgaria, 2005</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a result of the collaboration, five theatre directors united to craft a performance titled </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Honey and Blood</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. In the Turkish language, “</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bal</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">” means honey and “</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">kan</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">” means blood. A performance conducted by 20 actors from 9 countries was presented to a wider audience, stimulating a cross-border dialogue.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An English version of a poster presenting Honey and Blood<br />in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2005</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkpgU_IXXtTKtUMNg9crGnNrmFsH1NF4isv4P9MTMY7KXMGby4QxRdHs0N_EuR9lYaZuaptc6PmBTnx2754qwno506_RKjdJAeKRmiU5XD8H22r7QAkDRkUISdgPqMmytZFnQ/s1600/Balkans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWkpgU_IXXtTKtUMNg9crGnNrmFsH1NF4isv4P9MTMY7KXMGby4QxRdHs0N_EuR9lYaZuaptc6PmBTnx2754qwno506_RKjdJAeKRmiU5XD8H22r7QAkDRkUISdgPqMmytZFnQ/s400/Balkans.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Cyrillic version of a poster presenting Honey in Blood, 2005</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The work of Bond Street Theatre and its partners in the Balkans went far beyond these posters. To quote Bond Street Theatre’s Artistic Director, Joanna Sherman, this social project, focused on relationships between artists from ethnically diverse backgrounds, was a success.</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Could Kosovars and Serbs room together? Could five directors really create together in collaboration? We were all sublimely pleased that the project was both a successful social experiment and a truly deep artistic experience as well”</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span><div>
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Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-6213396558487954072017-05-09T13:46:00.001-05:002017-05-09T13:58:10.826-05:00Intern Spotlight: Polina Peremitina<b id="docs-internal-guid-0fab48f2-ee76-b763-3f40-73ee9a5314ce" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-0fab48f2-ee76-b763-3f40-73ee9a5314ce" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is me, an Arts Administration intern at Bond Street Theatre, sitting in an old Ford and waiting for the Easter Parade in Brooklyn to begin. Michael and Joanna (name a more iconic duo) invited me to join them to help and have some fun with kids and kites all around, while they led the parade on stilts, and dozens of children followed them down the streets. It was a cold, gloomy day, but the bright costumes, big smiles, and readiness to be there for these kids, making them laugh and question whether Michael and Joanna’s legs were truly that high and wooden, made all the difference. However, there are some questions that will remain mysteries no matter what, kids. </span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: xx-small; white-space: pre-wrap;">Waiting for the Easter Parade to begin</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was a kid, I also had lots of questions. However, having played in my hometown musical theatre for almost ten years as a child, I never wondered if this experience would somehow shape my future. Pursuing theatre was a done deal, with “no” as the answer. I considered theatre to be a means of entertainment, and hadn't even thought about its capacity to influence social justice. Luckily, I educated myself with the help of my dear friend Jordana, who explained the concept of social theatre to me last summer while in Palestine through school. And when, having been accepted to the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program this January in New York City, I knew exactly in what kind of organization I wanted to intern with for academic credit. So I found Bond Street Theatre and I applied right away. And, once again luckily, I got in. </span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-0fab48f2-ee76-b763-3f40-73ee9a5314ce" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At my very first day in the office, I had to conduct research on problems that Afghan refugee returnees face as they come back to their country. By doing that, I learned about needs assessments. Yes, it’s true that BST cannot help with water and food supplies. But the company can help with spreading information among the returnees about their rights in an effective way. Where there is a need that can be covered by theatre, the company is there, and the more I searched for grant opportunities later on, the more I realized how it can be applicable. </span></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-0fab48f2-ee76-b763-3f40-73ee9a5314ce" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It also taught me a lot about NGO management itself, especially if an NGO is small. There are only three people in the NYC office who maintain the company, as well as a full Afghan staff, and it’s a great opportunity to be involved in a variety of things: marketing, fundraising, researching, photo editing, design. Speaking of which, who would have thought that I would gain some basic graphic design skills at this job, creating promotional materials for “Amelia and Her Paper Tigers”, Bond Street’s young audiences show? Wow. I learned a lot from Emma directly, Internship Coordinator and Development/Communication Director, and I am genuinely grateful to her, Joanna and Michael who taught me so many things that I think I am not even able to embrace fully yet. </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTpbTYTjv4cTRgDj8M2QMYehqUwKAFvedr_GFKl-ugWhrCGhNDLUVew32NFbYFNK3yqCKCM-RK2PPOOiVJYCOOG0AX2gVLljTNixECZMjLy9b4tdUdc1bWl40rf48e9feKC2P/s1600/BST+Staff+Spring+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTpbTYTjv4cTRgDj8M2QMYehqUwKAFvedr_GFKl-ugWhrCGhNDLUVew32NFbYFNK3yqCKCM-RK2PPOOiVJYCOOG0AX2gVLljTNixECZMjLy9b4tdUdc1bWl40rf48e9feKC2P/s640/BST+Staff+Spring+2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Bond Street Theatre NYC Staff - Spring 2017</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Emma develops the BST website, I am close to wrapping up my biggest project here. I am creating an interactive map that will show all the counties in which BST has worked, with a short description and pictures for each project and performance. In a way, it is an archival project. BST was founded in 1976, and there is quite a history that needs to be systemized constantly. I am helping with it, going through all the pictures that have been taken since 1979 and digitizing the ones that I think may be worth adding to the already existing and awesome digital photo library of the office. I also use these pictures for this map, which is a fun quest - to find the gap (where are the Colombia pictures?) and fill it by searching through more than 155 envelopes of photographs. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKHPOnQxXBHoodLVxOXbO3EKHU18hGbQhpz6GQGiUnsiAbYUdepKwkYgXrb0vzJv-DDwyu-OG9-o4R_EvPB57yZhkmXtoKCt8K-0GAP5V7k6Tga10icOLgluwjlE5oPn4ChmI/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSKHPOnQxXBHoodLVxOXbO3EKHU18hGbQhpz6GQGiUnsiAbYUdepKwkYgXrb0vzJv-DDwyu-OG9-o4R_EvPB57yZhkmXtoKCt8K-0GAP5V7k6Tga10icOLgluwjlE5oPn4ChmI/s640/unnamed.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is what the process and my office space looked like</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I believe I became more aware and conscious about global affairs and social injustice around the world during this internship. And I LOVE how well it is linked to my academic program, where I use the knowledge I gain at the internship for writing my papers and class discussions. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But back to the initial question: yes, theatre can be about entertainment. Theatre can be about education, enlightening issues of a particular society, providing tools for peacemaking and reconciliation, and empowering audiences to act along. But theatre can also be about grant researching and writing, maintaining the current projects and preparing new ones. It can be about marketing upcoming shows, trying to figure it out how and where to promote them best. It can be about more than three thousand analogue pictures, waiting to be digitized and archived. In addition to all of that, you can always have some fun hanging in an old Ford and walking on stilts. And yet again, another mystery solved. </span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-37744691418938407762017-03-08T17:05:00.000-05:002017-03-08T17:05:26.682-05:00Celebrating International Women's Day<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">On the occasion of
International Women’s Day, we celebrate the achievements of women and girls
around the world, and are reminded of the challenges that lie ahead on issues
ranging from domestic and gender-based violence, to girls’ education, to voting
rights for all, to social justice, to safe self-expression. Today, we highlight
a selection of projects created in collaboration with our partners around the
world devoted to women’s rights.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As a part of the
2010-2012 Theatre for Social Development project in <b>Afghanistan</b>, we
worked with four Afghan theatre companies, and created four new all-women’s
theatre troupes as part of the project. For the first time, the troupes were
able to reach women directly, performing in homes, girl’s schools, and women’s
shuras. The photos above and right below were taken as part of a 2011 workshop conducted by
Bond Street Theatre and Simorgh Theatre of Herat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Malia, one of the workshop participants, shared:<i> ”When I came
to the workshop, I was really shy to even move, <b>but now I really feel free
to speak aloud and talk to audiences</b>”. </i></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Manizha, another participant, reflects on the importance of
women’s unity<i>: “What I learned by performing in so many different places is
that most of the women have no good relationship with others and with society.
They are fighting with each other! <b> If we stand up together, we
can solve this problem. </b>This is the most important and useful thing for
myself”. </i></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">From 2014-2016, BST’s <i>Youth-Led Community Engagement Project </i>brought
together 375 youth from 25 Afghan provinces for arts-based leadership and
communication training. One of them, the Women’s Group of the Volunteer Youth
of Kunar, chose to implement a project focused on ending violence against
women. The participants conducted sessions and workshops with women, and
met one-on-one with families to discuss the vital importance of
education. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In <b>Guatemala</b>, we
initiated The Acting for Peace project, which implemented theatre programs for
at-risk women and youth living in rural areas, and workshops with young women
aged 10 to 17 in collaboration with Oasis Orphanage.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">As a task for one of the
workshops, girls had to come up with short pieces to perform. <span style="background: white;">In this picture, captured in 2012, the girls present
the following story of unity: <i>“There is one tree in the forest that stands
alone. It is proud of itself, thinking it the strongest and best tree around.
One day, a woodcutter comes along and cuts it down easily. <b>Then the
woodcutter goes to a grove nearby, where all the trees have grown together.
He tries and he tries to cut the trees down, but he can't - the trees are
united</b>”. </i></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In these pictures
captured in 2007 in <b>India</b>, BST staff and Indian women collaborate on workshops,
later to be turned to a play to be presented to a wider audience. As part of
our time in India, BST was fortunate enough to work with the famed Patachitra
painter-storytellers of West Bengal, a primarily female group dedicated to
storytelling across mediums. Recalling a BST stilt-walking workshop, Nurjahan
recalls:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“At first I was “Ohhhh, I don’t want to go on stilts,” but now I
know once I go for it, after that, I don’t have any apprehension at all”.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Working in <b>Haiti</b> in
2012, BST collaborated with women’s group FAVILEK (Women Victims Get Up, Stand
Up), survivors of politically motivated violence. The original show created by
the women, <i>Fanm Yo Di Ase!</i>, was a powerful testament to the resilience
of women, and a call to action. In the words of Marie of Haiti,<b> <i>“They
fight violence. It takes courage and valor. Replace violence with love!”</i></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-1216d7aa-afed-5277-356d-48cc3dd06fae" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline;">As we work towards creating a more equitable world for all women, Bond Street is grateful for the women and allies that we have met and worked with around the world, crossing lines of citizenship, age, disability, and sexuality, but sharing a common core of courage and creativity.</span><br /></div>
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Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-25249069851581432372017-01-31T16:37:00.001-05:002017-02-15T10:41:08.742-05:00Volpone: From Rehearsal to Performance<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">our final weeks in Myanmar</span></span>, Bond Street Theatre and Thukhuma Khayeethe premiered our quite unique <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">vers<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ion of </span></span><i>Volpone</i>, a<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n</span> adaptation of Ben Jonson's 1605 play<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">.</span> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The play <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">is </span>a fusion of styles, combining Italian commedia dell'arte with a Burmese dance to the spirits, and addresse<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">the</span> particularly relevant theme of personal responsibilit<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">y<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> in a country j<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ust moving from strict military rule to a certain amount of personal freedom. With freedom comes responsibility<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">! </span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Check out photos from the process below:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_lNYCDtR15WSeDXELvsLVRf0vHqmdR0tO4ZNEHdgNZyBsVQM1jv37bXV5cioDNvmDAL07-MbdttuCmUbhOY7_XloEpZKH1D8h8T17MvM3e2Lo6EfkkjDqyKotLiI07ctGxln/s1600/2017-01-02-24.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_lNYCDtR15WSeDXELvsLVRf0vHqmdR0tO4ZNEHdgNZyBsVQM1jv37bXV5cioDNvmDAL07-MbdttuCmUbhOY7_XloEpZKH1D8h8T17MvM3e2Lo6EfkkjDqyKotLiI07ctGxln/s640/2017-01-02-24.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikA0yFEJJxTtjpJ42p_AuSDuUcXgrzK8ZnoyIBLNoL_jMTO422FHcE6ViMrI6CmyRSTl1sFLZWV_3sGlH0nmzxGpE3vAIQNeK2hyphenhyphenvg8sLrX-dewTAfJlEucdnt2OLvKUmkPWNh/s1600/2017-01-09-16.jpg" imageanchor="1"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikA0yFEJJxTtjpJ42p_AuSDuUcXgrzK8ZnoyIBLNoL_jMTO422FHcE6ViMrI6CmyRSTl1sFLZWV_3sGlH0nmzxGpE3vAIQNeK2hyphenhyphenvg8sLrX-dewTAfJlEucdnt2OLvKUmkPWNh/s640/2017-01-09-16.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The Bond Street and Thukhuma Khayeethe teams discuss the script</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">(L-R<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">: Nyan <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lin Aung</span>, Ng<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">we Ngwe Tin, Zi<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">n</span> Mar Thwin, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kya<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e</span></span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Zan</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and Soe Moe Thu. </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not shown: Soe Myat Thu, Thila Min, Michael McGuigan and Joanna Sherman<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">)</span></span></span></span></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p4tTAOQiY9Ll3BlhyDviss1ZKjZPRkdSxvGZG2A-Jf26c_qKny1ECK_i15ph46AN7X9qS-UwGf7BYUK8Yw_gX94AUYcwgy5X88VSZD0BbLRQh8rvWAgLpTFuuRcT5PgnWvue/s1600/2017-01-14-133.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p4tTAOQiY9Ll3BlhyDviss1ZKjZPRkdSxvGZG2A-Jf26c_qKny1ECK_i15ph46AN7X9qS-UwGf7BYUK8Yw_gX94AUYcwgy5X88VSZD0BbLRQh8rvWAgLpTFuuRcT5PgnWvue/s640/2017-01-14-133.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Wnq_vVRNbeI9RT-kDlzTzFy1wDqpFb7xTi98H9vaJ_HzuhBsStAMV6dgWK4lKFJXUfzmDaHu9X3miv5Gj7Wr5SiAC3aWmKgX-ke5N1D09ww1GjfGtT2O9RIoREVt_5UubGvf/s1600/2017-01-14-112.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Wnq_vVRNbeI9RT-kDlzTzFy1wDqpFb7xTi98H9vaJ_HzuhBsStAMV6dgWK4lKFJXUfzmDaHu9X3miv5Gj7Wr5SiAC3aWmKgX-ke5N1D09ww1GjfGtT2O9RIoREVt_5UubGvf/s640/2017-01-14-112.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5xlXJ5whNEVfHI7HxLC0rX24N7t5DA8zkT8LqhyphenhyphenBKj1zZp4Sf0u15kjIiJej9qe4xgLI3FMh9HRSGJHOcJX9tO5fx1Gyx5PCkZ6zKXGLrqRaCII44EZTpjxZgLLYP_6A_gt9/s1600/2017-01-10-22.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE5xlXJ5whNEVfHI7HxLC0rX24N7t5DA8zkT8LqhyphenhyphenBKj1zZp4Sf0u15kjIiJej9qe4xgLI3FMh9HRSGJHOcJX9tO5fx1Gyx5PCkZ6zKXGLrqRaCII44EZTpjxZgLLYP_6A_gt9/s640/2017-01-10-22.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Rehearsal sure is tiring!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-goHXdwcQJfu2mjo2TorB_7kSHT4RA1KrICpvhRYceaWeJjNIqI9ABPAbM1byFv6cBNpyPQNAfgctQK-WFP67rdMLSfGLDjtdjXQfMQkUNRPfdYu8ABd11Rucef5OkNanDzqs/s1600/2017-01-20-84.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-goHXdwcQJfu2mjo2TorB_7kSHT4RA1KrICpvhRYceaWeJjNIqI9ABPAbM1byFv6cBNpyPQNAfgctQK-WFP67rdMLSfGLDjtdjXQfMQkUNRPfdYu8ABd11Rucef5OkNanDzqs/s640/2017-01-20-84.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">dusty </span>dress rehearsal at Gitameit</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOarcZJPh9jTauHpAh_7Yp44E-ko73SKLB90g6hxQbijWjJnqsdHt9ERsj486vJSfYXhw5IOxeIplr0acMTPc-krECQaAqFWldGbTZMqdUr2WGanvEyD9_cd3ScjEnMxWegby8/s1600/2017-01-22-51.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOarcZJPh9jTauHpAh_7Yp44E-ko73SKLB90g6hxQbijWjJnqsdHt9ERsj486vJSfYXhw5IOxeIplr0acMTPc-krECQaAqFWldGbTZMqdUr2WGanvEyD9_cd3ScjEnMxWegby8/s640/2017-01-22-51.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our smallest audience members listen to the live pre-performance music at our second performance -- in a squatter sett<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lement just outside Yangon. Wah Wah (in the blu<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e dress at right) played the Burmes<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e harp, which can be seen on the ch<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">air next to her<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">, and the violin. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span>The audiences stayed ent<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">hralled and attentive for the entire hour and a half<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> show! And eagerly <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">contributed to the ending in which the audience gets to decide who is guilty and who is not and why. Most important, they <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">understand that they have a voice in their future<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> -- they can sp<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">eak out against injustice and have a responsibility to do so<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeK9BUlbgeucbIST0fumRhHiGHQ3cH5YL1pzPW_MqyXBUIiGzOuoZkj7vx5oyHbI-9QMFPrzsAnMUKFnnl7MaMUJAu-T6lK0yci-q38ax4fbRLfI32ZIsZWVmqaBGsgpIBU0zw/s1600/2017-01-23-40.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeK9BUlbgeucbIST0fumRhHiGHQ3cH5YL1pzPW_MqyXBUIiGzOuoZkj7vx5oyHbI-9QMFPrzsAnMUKFnnl7MaMUJAu-T6lK0yci-q38ax4fbRLfI32ZIsZWVmqaBGsgpIBU0zw/s640/2017-01-23-40.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Audience participation at the final show in the lovely t<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ownship of East Dagon in Yangon.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bond Street Theatre and Thukhuma Kh<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ayeethe give a h</span>uge thanks to all those that made this production possible, <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">especially</span> the Theatre Communications Group's In the Lab Grant <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">program that supported the entire <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mulit-year pro<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">cess</span></span></span>, the Gitameit Music School, and all of our supporters!</span></div>
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Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-20325344197183991722017-01-30T13:35:00.002-05:002017-02-13T17:34:45.346-05:00Volpone Premieres in Yangon<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Peopl<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">e have been asking, why <i>Volpone</i>? How did you manage to make that make sense in Myanmar? Did they catch the British humor or understand the context? Well, it was easier than one might think <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">-- human beings <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">have the same flaws and foibles everywhere. <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Adjusting <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">the char<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">acters to Burmese society was not a big leap! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The tough part was the verbal translation<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> -- t</span>ranslating from old Engl<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ish to new English to American to easy American to Burmese to clever Burmese. <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Even the humor <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">slipped <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">easily between cultures. <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">It's <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">a great pleasure to know that what makes people laugh is the same everywhere y<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ou go. People love to <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">laugh. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">[It reminds me of our <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">first performances in Afghanistan in 2003, just after the <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">fall of the Taliban regime. We <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">took </span>a comic show to small <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">towns </span>where people had never seen a <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">show, since all <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">of the arts <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">had been </span>banned under the Taliban<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">.</span> </span></span></span></span>There were still many Taliban-sympathizers in the audience and we had no idea if we'd be welcomed or <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">shot</span>. <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In fact, </span>they were rolling<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">in the aisles</span></span> (<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">figuratively</span> spe<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">aking</span>)</span> -- the children along with the white beards<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">! Everyone loves slapstick!<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">]</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background: white none repeat scroll 0% 0%; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The other reasons for doing <i>Volpone </i>is the <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">conten<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">t and m<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">essage.</span></span> </span>Both companies believe that theatre artists have
a<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> unique</span> </span>opportunity to facilitate discussion around social issues<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> and, in Myanmar, <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">that has</span> not been an option. All outlets for discussion were censored, and all public material had to pass government scrutiny beforehand. We</span> hope that th<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">is</span> production will make bold fir<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">st steps. The <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">s</span>tory </span>is bizarre enough to only obliquely reflect reality and anger any leftover cen<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">so</span></span>rs. <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And, hopefully, it will</span></span> </span>provide an exciting model for social
engagement through theatre for both performers and audiences<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> in the future</span>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Meanwhile, </span></span>Yangon is a city
in transition<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">!</span> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Newly opened to foreign trade, I was shocked to see shops like Armani in <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">a newly</span> refurbished airport <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">that<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></span>had only had</span> local handicraft stalls for years!<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">So it was only appropriate that, against this backdrop of
change, Bond Street Theatre and<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span>Thukhuma Khayeethe premiered our <i>Volpone</i> in a space that was quite literally still
under construction.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: small; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Volpone</span> </i>premiered at the new Gitameit <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">s</span>tudios<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">,</span> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">with
workers pouring concrete in the next room and bamboo scaffolding holding up the
stairwell. Nonetheless, the show was a success, with laughs all around, and an
opportunity to test <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">the material and</span> the interactive ending. Since it was at Gitameit, among artists, we got some great feedback and ideas<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. </span>Up next: two more
performances in more daring spaces around Yangon!</span></div>
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</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Check out photos from the rehearsal process below, and stay tuned
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lvjsBpz7pG-IXCyVcBNOD5CfRuHx5P5jlgByC0z-ZehbRTXoIwu4lt87iFRi_zNaDcYZJz6rUzw_to1KzPKXvmQol9coqIjSj_knXLM5HdHMuDP75chCINqduAYDNK6WGV-R/s1600/2017-01-07-17+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMl7D9kg66SaXMWVwI1Fwthp6TDLhzq1U6cAC2jy2Yv1dz1R-cPag6cWM_8vXN9AteKtU7kYylmFHmvsktl-2zY01uT0exDxPN-niAXtT3wPPpMnb02WoWVu34coGznmya3Gc/s1600/2017-01-14-40.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVMl7D9kg66SaXMWVwI1Fwthp6TDLhzq1U6cAC2jy2Yv1dz1R-cPag6cWM_8vXN9AteKtU7kYylmFHmvsktl-2zY01uT0exDxPN-niAXtT3wPPpMnb02WoWVu34coGznmya3Gc/s1600/2017-01-14-40.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25478549.post-76833587738919919542017-01-16T13:30:00.001-05:002017-02-13T17:35:25.158-05:00Updates from Myanmar<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Greetings from Yangon, Myanmar,</b> where Bond Street Theatre has just wrapped the second week of rehearsals for <i>Volpone</i>, our show in collaboration with Burmese theatre group Thukhuma Khayeethe.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Those of you who have followed Bond Street's adventures over the years might remember that we frequently rehearse at the <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">very cool </span>Gitameit Music School in Yangon. This time we were lucky to be the first group to rehearse in the <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">"n</span>ew" Gitameit <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">s</span>tudios. Well, <i>lucky </i>might be a little strong, since they are still actively constructing the building, which meant dust, nails, sparks and concrete everywhere. <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Concrete steps new<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">l<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">y</span> poured<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">...</span>"hmm, any steel reinforcing in there?" we wondered as we<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> made<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> our way to the third floor. </span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The best thing <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">was the group of workmen who trai<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">pse<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">d around during our warm-ups and rehearsal<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">s, <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">watching us with great curiosity. One of them was heard to say, "<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">What are they doing? They're just <i>playing</i>!" Yup. That's why t<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">hey call it a play. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">After one week, they started some serious welding in our space and <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">we had to move. </span>For our second week, we <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">rehearsed in</span> a small Buddhist Monastery located near the home of director Thila Min. Note: monasteries make great rehearsal spaces!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our r</span>ehearsals so far have included <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">pr<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">actice in traditional Burmese dance<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, learning</span></span></span> a traditional Nat<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> dance, a</span> spirit dance that (interestingly enough) <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">is about the joys of drinking. <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We have spent <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">our <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">meetings with TK over the years sharing physical </span></span></span>performance techniques, so we speak the same language theatrically and can jump right into the work. <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Our latest addition to the mix was introducing the style o<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">f the</span></span></span> Italian commedia dell'arte<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">. Now, in the third stage of working<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> on <i>Volpone</i>, we are easily blending our <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">mix of phys<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ical vocabularies</span></span></span></span>. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">We are working all day -- 10am to 5pm! What a luxury! Morning and afternoon sessions are separated by <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">lunch </span>at one of the street side <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">stalls</span>. Yes, <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I know they say don't eat street food... but this is <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">what they have<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">!</span> <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">And it's great foo<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">d<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">, f</span>resh<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ly made from fres<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">h produce from local farmers<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Next</span> week <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">is tech week and the </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">cast and crew will be assembling set pieces and costumes for our deb<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">ut </span>public performances in the following week!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> It's been a whirlwind <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">process</span>, and the next week is sure to be no different. If there's one thing we've learned about <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">street </span>performances, it's that they <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">are always full of </span>surprises! Stay tuned!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv4RlWv7orfEajM1G1V9711ZKoMapnoFKuY1yJAmM6eFIQyKu8ij6Lfs0uiXI1yzjm_3raMRRfm5BInbjRGpn9vB_Tc0Do4dpAgzx737oktotwKrqfdhxYt4nIbfRWj9X0Aju/s1600/volpone.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGv4RlWv7orfEajM1G1V9711ZKoMapnoFKuY1yJAmM6eFIQyKu8ij6Lfs0uiXI1yzjm_3raMRRfm5BInbjRGpn9vB_Tc0Do4dpAgzx737oktotwKrqfdhxYt4nIbfRWj9X0Aju/s640/volpone.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rehearsing at the New Gitameit Studios</span></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><span id="goog_608683357"></span><span id="goog_608683358"></span><br /></span>Bond Streethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17982613345192622682noreply@blogger.com2