To theatre educators

maybe to all educators

i gave a talk yesterday, in Southern California, to about 200 theatre educators (HS, K-8) mostly from up and down the West Coast, gathered at a summit, hosted by Disney, co-hosted by Educational Theatre Association. The topic of the summit was a theatre educator’s ecosystem, and how they can leverage it for the benefit of students in especially challenging times. I was invited to talk about my work on State of Mind ( a touring theatre and community dialogue project about behavioral health), and the idea of coalition. For reference below, Idris is referred to- that’s my friend Idris Goodwin, the great playwright and educator, and Jeff is the organizer of the summit. I gave these brief remarks, and then I gave examples.

What do they need,

The young people that we teach?

What do they need

In the schools

where we have reach?

What do they need

In our communities (can feel like walking into the breach).

My friend Idris rhymes gorgeous, with aplomb,

My apologies, I got as far as a peach.

These times, these days, are hard

There’s no way around that fact

Even standing in this house built by a mouse

One can only summon so much tact

But we gather not to despair

We gather not to rage

We gather because we believe

In the power of the stage

I don’t mean curtains

I don’t mean some in the light, some in the dark

I mean what happens when we imagine together

I mean what happens when we make art

What is needed, its you

Each one of you

Committed to rooms where possibility shines

Nothing is more important

Now, today,

Then opportunities for every person to mine

that which is unique to them;

to feel seen and heard

and loved.

We have a responsibility

to push back

on a culture right now that rewards the shove

That leans towards division

And bullying

and expecting the worst-

your rooms are spaces where

there are other truths

where care and vision come first.

So how do we do that?

Do we do it alone?

Are we part of a team?

Jeff invites us to see systems

Ecosystems

He invites us perhaps to share a dream

Now dreams don’t come easy

Dreams don’t come cheap

Dreams can seem hollow

Without the work it takes to keep

track of that which matters

To keep track of the core

To dream of an ecosystem

Means to dream of something more

More than a network of colleagues

More than an idea or a thought

To dream of collaboration

Means to consider that for which we fought

And by we I mean people

who believe in civic care

and by fought I mean generations

who’ve tried to build a nation where

we do better than before

better for and by every single soul

we honor progress that’s been made

we do more in hard times then console

we reach out across rooms

across buildings streets beliefs

we teach listening and curiosity

we invite feelings, real and deep

every room, every moment, every session

every class and every day

is a chance to imagine and make the world

we want to live in, in each and every way

You know this, its your daily task

There‘s nothing new in that charge

But I think we’ve been invited here to consider

Connections as opportunities, small and large

What are you trying to do with students?

Who helps you do that in your school?

In what ways do you tap community?

in what ways do you reach for new tools?

Who outside the arts are our allies?

Who possesses knowledge that aids?

Who’s in your building who might bring

A surprising addition to your days?

Who works in the neighborhood around you?

Who’s work is health and who’s law?

Who don’t you know that shares purpose

And who brings action to bear against flaw?

Civic care is a way I describe coalition

Civic care is a way I talk web

Civic care is when you and a student’s parent

Work together, help them get ahead

Civic care is all of us knowing

That threats to speech and culture are just part

Of a larger battle that challenges each and every field

That holds human rights and freedoms at heart

So as artists and teachers who create

Whose job is to imagine, build, dream and hope

when we have conversations beyond our usuals

When we reach outside our self-prescribed scope

We do two things at the same time

one for students, and one for all

we model the power of relationship

and we remind us that by standing together

across fields and sectors,

we won’t fall

I’m not sure why verse seemed important

I’m not sure why I started with rhyme

I know now I want to tell you a story, give an example

so now my words will become

…less poetically aligned.