Artist Spotlight: Director Virginia Smith

by Anita Dacanay

I was happy to have a chance to talk to the effervescent and accomplished Virginia Smith recently about her history with Still Point Theatre Collective. It was not a short conversation. Virginia first connected with Lisa Wagner-Carollo when Haunted By God: The Life of Dorothy Day was still being produced by Catholic Activist group Call To Action. Former Call to Action Executive Director Ray Wohl asked Virginia to re-work the original production of Haunted By God.

“There were three writers: Lisa, Bob McClory, and Paul Amandes. I immediately got rid of two of them,” Virginia quipped. “I said, ‘Lisa, you’re the actor. You’re too close to the material to make decisions about it.’ Bob was a journalist, and he had already contributed all of the factual information to make sure the play was historically accurate – so we didn’t need him anymore. That left Paul, and I worked with him. I told him where I thought the storyline needed more development, and he would write it… and I would cut it to shreds… (chuckles) I also decided that the show needed music. So I asked Paul to write all of the music that is in the play now.” Now, Virginia has a gentle, musical voice, and a ready smile and giggle – so when she recounts this story it doesn’t come across with any hard edges. This is part of Virginia’s gift – to be relentlessly staunch in communicating her interpretations of scripts and characters, in a style that is simultaneously supportive and convincing for her fellow artists. One always has the sense that she is absolutely clear about what choices will best serve the work.

I have heard several versions of this reworking of Haunted By God, and no matter who tells the story, the happy ending is the same. Under Virginia’s leadership and discerning eyes and ears, what was once a somewhat cumbersome play was honed into a beautifully written, acted, and staged one woman show. Lisa founded Still Point in 1993, and at that point the company took over the show’s production. This powerful portrait of beloved Catholic Activist Dorothy Day is still touring in 2015 - to enthusiastic audiences across North America.

For a number of reasons which include Lisa’s long-standing relationship with her, Virginia has been the first choice to direct Still Point plays throughout the years. Virginia directed Deep Listening and Living Water: The Story of St. Gabriel the Archangel Church. She also directed SPTC’s recent collaboration with Catholic Charities USA, Visionary at the Helm: The Bold Leadership of Monsignor John O’Grady, which enjoyed a successful debut at the Catholic Charities Annual Gathering in Omaha on September 11, 2015. These plays were all produced after Virginia had moved from Chicago to Nebraska to teach at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln – meaning that Virginia traveled to Chicago to work on  the plays. 

I asked Virginia what has driven her to continue working with Still Point over the years, given the distance and her full schedule. She explained that even while she was serving as the Artistic Director of Nebraska Repertory Theatre from 2005 to 2014 in addition to teaching at UNL – she liked having side jobs. A lot of theater work would have demanded more of a time commitment than she had to give with her standing professional obligations; but because Lisa has been willing and able to work around her schedule, Virginia was able to accept the projects.

“We also condense the process.  We often do in a matter of weeks or months what might usually take years to accomplish, in terms of developing new work.” She credits some of that to the fact that there is a creative team that has been established for many years – Lisa, Virginia, and Designer Holly Windingstad have worked together for the past three shows, and I was a co-writer for the past two. I know what Virginia means when she points out the value of trust in the creative team. 

Virginia also appreciates the opportunity to support Still Point’s mission in producing plays that are centered on topics of social justice and spirituality. To elaborate on her motivations, Virginia said, “I find Lisa and her work inspirational. There is always this blessed way that things come together for these plays – lots of lucky breaks and little blessings along the way.” 

Virginia’s extensive background as a theater professional – not only as a Director, but also as a writer, an instructor, and an actor - gives her the perfect skill set to nurture and shape new work. Earlier this year, Virginia was recognized with a Mayor’s Choice Award for her work as AD of Nebraska Repertory Theatre, for acting and directing in numerous roles and productions in Lincoln, and for her contribution as an educator – reminding us that Virginia’s longstanding professional relationship with Still Point is a lucky break and, in fact, a rather big blessing for the company.

Virginia enjoying a walk with husband Doug and their poodles, India Ink and Lola.

Introducing Sage Theatre Works!

by Anita Dacanay

The Administration and Board of Still Point are thrilled to announce the creation of a NEW branch of our outreach programming! This program, Sage Theatre Works, provides theatre programs for senior citizens in the Chicago area.

In the fall of 2014, Still Point Founding Artistic Director Lisa Wagner-Carollo received a call from Gina Jung, who is a former Still Point volunteer. Gina is with the Benedictine Sisters of Chicago, and approached Lisa about leading a theater program for some of the older women at the Infirmary of the Benedictine Monastery on Ridge Road. The class began as a small group of six retired sisters, supported by two aides. From the beginning, members of the group delighted in the unique opportunity for creative expression. Dubbing themselves The North Wind Players, the troupe put on their first performance in March of 2015. Musician Veronica Garza contributed her talents by adding guitar and vocals to the performance, and she is scheduled to do the same for the next North Wind Players presentation, which will occur on July 15. After the success of this pilot program, an additional ongoing workshop for seniors began in June of 2015 at the Bethany Retirement Center in Ravenswood.

Lisa recalls that she grew up watching seniors perform in a Community Theater Group in Kansas City called the Senior Barn Players. Lisa’s parents, Richard and Shirley Wagner, are also talented performers and used to direct Senior Barn Players performances. Now, they are members of the troupe. For Lisa, it only seemed natural that Still Point should extend its outreach programming to include this under-valued segment of the population.

As with other Still Point outreach work, Lisa encourages the women to bring their own ideas, interests, and talents to the class. She notes that improvisation works particularly well. Improv creates an opportunity for participants to draw from their rich life experience to create interesting characters and scenarios.  The women in the North Wind Players have come up with a variety of original ideas, and they have a penchant for comedic sketches. One such scene was based on the premise of one woman’s ill-fated trip to a cosmetics counter at a department store; another revolved around two passengers on an airplane with conflicting desires: one wants to read her book in peace, and the other wants to chat endlessly! The women also enjoy portraying historical characters. The oldest member of the North Wind Players, Sr. Mercedes Moore, who has passed her 100^th birthday, likes to recite poetry - some of which she recalls from when she was 12!

At least one member of the group has confessed that she always wanted to be an actress, but never before had the chance to explore that interest. Why shouldn’t she explore it now? All of the participants in this particular group are retired Benedictine Sisters. They worked hard and served their communities for many years. Many of them have serious health issues. The chance to interact with others in a new way, have some fun, express their thoughts and feelings, and take their minds off of the inevitable stresses of aging is something that participants appreciate, and most certainly deserve.

Our senior citizens offer us a wealth of experience, perspective, and wisdom – yet our youth-focused culture often fails to acknowledge, let alone celebrate, these gifts. Sage Theatre Works takes a step toward correcting this imbalance.

We are still putting together materials for a new page on the Still Point website devoted to Sage Theatre Works. In the meantime, interested parties can receive more information by contacting Managing Director Ben Gray at the Still Point Office: 773-868-1700; benbgray@gmail.com

Lisa with the North Wind Players

Showtime at L’arche!

Well, I asked Facilitator Stephanie Browning to send me a couple of lines about what’s going on in our program with L’Arche Chicago. Her response outlined so many cool, creative happenings that I couldn’t choose just one thing to share, so I decided to put it all into a blog post!

L'Arche is an International Federation dedicated to the creation and growth of homes, programs, and support networks for people with intellectual disabilities. L’Arche Chicago welcomed its first core member in 2000, and has been growing ever since. Still Point began a program for the members there in late February of this year.

Stephanie is working with the group developing both musical and dramatic presentations. 
Here’s Stephanie’s report on the participants’ musical pursuits:

“Christianne leads the singing to get us warmed up by choosing which song out of our L'Arche Songbook we'll sing first. She's partial to “Lean on Me “& “Ring of Fire”.

Elisha plays the drum and sometimes adds a piano solo on the Elvis tunes, especially “Love Me Tender”.

Mike brought in a Tim McGraw song that is working out great.  He also introduced the Taylor Swift song "Shake it Off" which is a huge hit. It sounds fantastic when we all sing together - Jessica, Monica, and Hannah, and now we are so happy to welcome Nelson to the group - he's a guitar player!

We have talked about maybe adding some dance moves to the Taylor Swift song. I also suggested we could make up our own lyrics about L'Arche and life at the houses, the challenges we all face and how we respond to them. Shake it off!”

The group is developing an improvised play about a very special royal family. The family includes Christianne as the Princess, Hannah as her mother - the Imperious Queen, Mike as the King, and Elisha as their beautiful horse. (He's almost like a member of the family!)

In addition, Tim has been hard at work writing a delightful short play about the search for an extremely beloved red ‘69 BMW that goes missing.

Our program at L’Arche is one of five Still Point workshops focused on the needs and gifts of adults with developmental disabilities. All of Still Point’s Imagination Workshop ensembles operate in a spirit of nurturing and celebrating each individual’s unique creative voice. According to Stephanie’s report, it sounds as though there is never a dull moment in their sessions! 

For more information about L'Arche Chicago, you may visit them at:
http://www.larchechicago.org/come-and-see#identity

Facilitator Spotlight: Maria Vorhis

By Anita Dacanay

Still Point Program Facilitator Maria Vorhis graduated from the University of Iowa in 2012 with a B.A. in Theater Arts. She has accumulated a fascinating and impressive gumbo of artistic experience as an actor of both stage and screen; also as a producer, storyteller, writer, and facilitator. Maria is a committed and passionate artist who values the gift that playmaking can grant to both performers and audiences: the gift of truly being present in the moment, and enjoying it fully.

A key element that has formed her artistic life is her background in Clowning, which she first encountered in a college class taught by Paola Coletto. Through exploring Clown and Mask work, Maria found freedom in a physical approach to developing characters. In essence, the process was one of stripping down rather than putting on: removing the safety of physical habits to reveal a more raw and vulnerable self on stage.

This work informs her approach as a facilitator. Maria frequently uses the word “innocence” to refer to the state she seeks for herself and her students when developing work. In an age rife with cynicism, we are all perhaps a bit starved for innocence. Interestingly, the quality of innocence is one of the many gifts that adults with developmental disabilities have to share with the larger community.

When speaking of her current group of participants at El Valor, Maria recounted a story of one class member’s blossoming when randomly assigned the role of a cheerleader in a scene. Formerly silent and reserved, the young woman suddenly lit up like a light bulb, accessed her inner ham, and started dancing gleefully. Maria asserts that these unexpected moments of pure joy are exactly the ones she wants to recreate for audiences.

With unabashed gusto, it does appear that Maria seems to revel in the unexpected. Immediately after graduating from college, the young actress found herself completely uninterested in auditioning for roles.  She developed material while engaged in a group dubbed “Lady Comedy Circle and Terrorist Society” – and would later turn this writing into her one-woman show, Are You There, George?  The idea of touring living rooms started as a joke with friends, but became a reality when her close friend and artistic partner Kaitlyn Busbee directed the piece, and they did indeed take it on an Iowa living room tour! The play was also performed in a more traditional venue when it appeared in the Minnesota Fringe Festival, but Maria asserts that it was better served in the intimate space of private homes. Considering that the set is a bunk bed, and that the story is about a 12-year-old girl longing for breasts and a sense of belonging, one can see how this might be true – although the play’s appearance in that festival did land Maria the title of #1 Newbie of the Fringe.  A 2015 tour of this show is in the works.

Former Still Point intern and Facilitator Tory Flack, who also attended the University of Iowa, introduced Maria to Still Point, and we are very pleased that she did. Clearly, Maria brings many unique gifts to the table, and we are most fortunate to have this talented and innovative artist on the Still Point team. We look forward to witnessing the unexpected moments of delight that she and her participants at El Valor will discover and share with all of us. For more information on Maria’s work, please visit her website: http://www.mariavorhis.com/

 (Above) Maria as Natalie in her one woman play Are You There, George?

As Petunia in short film: Where Are You?

Facilitator Spotlight: Stephanie Browning

by Anita Dacanay

Interviewing new Still Point Facilitator Stephanie Browning for this blog was truly a joy. Of course, that is only fitting, as Stephanie’s approach to her work was summed up in her first conversation with Still Point Founder, Lisa Wagner-Carollo, when she proclaimed to Lisa, “My agenda is joy.”

Stephanie cheerfully explained her unique background in the arts, which started when she was a young girl in Boulder, Colorado who threw herself into piano lessons, singing, acting, and all manner of performance. Shortly after she graduated from high school, Stephanie entered a modeling contest – and won. This started her on a modeling career. Eventually, she shifted into several years working as a photo stylist and studio manager, which she felt better suited her creative identity. “I had a lot of ideas,” she quipped, “And nobody wants a model with ideas.”

This lifestyle too wore thin after a few years, and Stephanie began to do some soul-searching regarding what her true path should be, and what would bring her the greatest fulfillment. A phone call from a friend in Chicago helped set her course, as her friend regaled her with stories of the rich music and performance scene in Chicago. “You’d love it here!” her friend insisted.

Stephanie decided that the answer to her soul-searching would be found in becoming a jazz singer in Chicago. So, in 1991, that is precisely what she did. Her friend’s instincts were right on target: Stephanie fell in love with Chicago immediately, and carved a niche for herself as a professional jazz singer.

About three years ago, Stephanie began volunteering at Garden Center Services, a Chicago area service provider for people with developmental disabilities. She later began to teach music classes there. Veteran Imagination Workshop member Andy Torres lives at one of Garden Center’s homes, and was the glue that brought Still Point and Stephanie together! Andy and Lisa have been collaborating on doing workshops together at Garden Center, and one day when Lisa was meeting with him, they attended one of the sing-alongs that Stephanie has been leading there. Stephanie and Lisa talked at length that day, and Stephanie was eventually asked to Facilitate Still Point’s new program with L’Arche Chicago. She had her first session with the class on Monday, February 23.

Stephanie’s philosophy on Facilitating for people with developmental disabilities is clearly and emphatically in line with Still Point’s mission and vision, starting with her assertion that people with disabilities are “100% people.” This sounds painfully obvious, yet those who work with this population know how truly marginalized persons with D.D. are in our society. Stephanie asserts that this segmenting of the population results in a huge loss for the community at large.  She appreciates the great capacity for joy and the ability to slow down and live in the present moment which she observes in her students at Garden Center. Her approach is to discover - and celebrate - what each individual can do, because everyone has some unique skill or quality to share. Engaging in the process of getting to know each participant on his or her own terms, and giving each person a chance to shine, has been tremendously rewarding for Stephanie.

She reflects on the “deep kind of joy” she experiences when a client does something that no one knew he or she could do. When discussing the new group at L’Arche, she expressed anticipation and excitement: “I can’t wait to see what we put together!”

It is with deep appreciation and great joy that we welcome Stephanie Browning to Still Point Theatre Collective.

Jazz vocalist and Still Point Program Facilitator Stephanie Browning, performing at the Green Mill

New Project Gives Voice to the Stories of Human Trafficking Victims

By Anita Dacanay

The artists of Still Point are thrilled to announce that we will be partnering with Ivan Velasco, pastor of Ravenswood Presbyterian Church, to create a new play raising awareness on the plight of human trafficking victims. Ivan has been engaged in activist work on this issue for three years, and one year ago adopted a young man who had become entrapped in a trafficking scheme.

I spoke with Ivan recently about his involvement with this issue. He said that it began in a roundabout way with research that he was conducting while working on his Master’s Degree.  The plight of a therapy client who was unhappily working as a stripper caused him to wonder about what happens in the brain development of youth who are recruited into the sex industry at an early age. His research led him to uncover information about human trafficking, and to see a disturbing correlation between the activities of certain corporations and areas of the world, like St. Petersburg in Russia and Medellin in Colombia, that were hotbeds of human trafficking.

The more he learned, the more alarming he found the situation. Ivan’s interest shifted from that of researcher to that of a man whose faith called him to help the needy. Clearly, there were few needier than the young people being targeted to be coerced into sexual slavery. Ivan started communicating online with victims in South America. He went to Medellin and stayed with family of members of Ravenswood Presbyterian Church. These congregants also had a grandson in Medellin who had become involved in human trafficking. Ivan communicated with and eventually met with the young man, Santiago, and began to develop a relationship with him as a father figure. He also began to consider the possibility of bringing Santiago to the United States.

There were many hurdles and challenges. Ivan made about 20 visits to Medellin. He had begun meeting Americans involved in trafficking, and was under threat. In Ivan’s mind, it would have been unconscionable as a Christian to not do what he could to help people suffering such obvious abuse. Yet, he found that many in his church were not supportive, and felt that he should stop his activity in Medellin.

In a moment of crisis, with his own life being threatened, Ivan questioned his commitment, and considered not returning to Medellin to retrieve Santiago. His oldest biological son, Alex, encouraged him, saying, “I believe in Christ because of what you are doing! Santiago is my brother.” With the blessing of his wife and children, and also the blessing of Santiago’s biological father who was homeless and suffering chemical dependency, Ivan returned to Medellin.  He used the fortunate coincidence that the young man bore a physical resemblance to him, and claimed to be Santiago’s biological father. The story was plausible; Ivan is from Peru, and had been pastor of a church in South America at the time of Santiago’s conception. The traffickers ultimately wished to avoid attracting any limelight with an American citizen, and they eventually released Santiago.

The artists of Still Point are thrilled at this opportunity to use our talents to educate the public regarding the scope and severity of this global crisis. According to the website of the Global Freedom Center, there are approximately 27 million victims of human trafficking worldwide, and only 1% identified.  Trafficking victims fall prey to a large variety of forced labor schemes and targeted coercion.  You can read more examples of real stories here: http://globalfreedomcenter.org/GFC/humantraffickingstories

We wish to humanize the victims of trafficking through sharing real stories in a live performance. Still Point will create a script based on interviews with Ivan’s adopted son, Santiago, and some of the other individuals that Ivan has helped. We feel called to speak out loud stories that have been previously silenced. Many would rather turn a blind eye to this issue than confront the ugly reality of it. It is our goal with this project to make the issue harder to ignore, and also to assert that we can take actions both individually and collectively to address modern slavery, so that we can start to transform the conditions and practices that allow human trafficking to occur.

Ivan and Santiago’s story is one of hope. Ivan, even though he is a pastor, has never insisted that any of his children attend church, as he feels that this should be a personal choice. Santiago is regularly attending services at his father’s church, insisting to Ivan that he wishes to do so. He told Ivan, “Now I understand my faith. You left comfort, you risked your life, you called me son: you gave me your life. This is Christ’s story.”

Ivan asserts that his own interpretation of living a Christian life is summed up in the Golden Rule: “Love thy neighbor as thyself. That is the basis of what I believe.”

No matter what one’s personal spiritual or religious beliefs may be, enslaving other human beings, especially children, is a practice that no ethical person can condone.  Ivan and all of us at Still Point hope to bring this issue into the light so that we may take steps toward creating a global community in which each life is valued and treated with respect.

The Velasco family: (standing) Ivan and his wife, Alison; 

(seated, left to right) Santiago, Eric, Anika, and Alex

The Creative Process and Personal Liberation: Why Art Matters For All Of Us

by Anita Dacanay

“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” 
― Paulo Friere, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

The above quote from famed Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Friere speaks to the reasons that those of us who engage in arts education and outreach programming can never think of this work as tangential or trivial. We see evidence that it is not. We see evidence that, in fact, just one experience in quality arts programming can change the trajectory of an individual’s life.  Engaging at-risk populations in the critical thinking and community building which is inherent to creating and producing theater heaps multiple benefits upon the minds and hearts of those who are ripe for the experience.

If we contemplate the quote further, we see how Friere associates the “practice of freedom” with “the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”  This description accurately outlines the approach taken with many successful theater arts outreach programs, including Still Point’s Imagination Workshop and Persephone Project.

Stanford University Professor Shirley Brice Heath has conducted extensive research on the effects of after school programs for youth. One important study discovered that arts programs are more effective than any other type of programming at positively altering the course of children’s lives. They were more effective than sports programs, community service programs, or academic programs. The reasons given for these findings, in my opinion, support my belief that arts programming can be enormously beneficial for any and all populations, particularly at-risk populations. One of the reasons cited in the study involves the benefits of healthy risk-taking. Youth, it was shown, benefitted from putting their hearts and minds on the line in their artistic endeavors. Rather than simply following pre-ordained rules, the artists had to create their own structures; they had to analyze how to best express their thoughts and feelings, and then imagine how the audience would perceive them.  Read more about this study here: http://shirleybriceheath.net/pdfs/SBHYouthDevArtsNonschoolHours.pdf

When Lead Facilitator Laura Callahan-Hazard asks a group of adults with developmental disabilities to imagine a scenario in which a person with a disability is treated poorly, and then to re-imagine and act out a scene in which the situation is corrected to show the same individual being treated with respect, there is much more going on than a simple recreational activity.  When Laura or another Facilitator provides a structure through which critical thinking arrives at the imagining and acting out of a more just world, a powerful chemistry is at play. It is truly a kind of alchemy – the turning of lead into gold.

The widespread underestimating of adults with developmental disabilities often results in a lack of meaningful challenge and risk in the opportunities presented to them. At Still Point, we start with the assumption that people with D.D. are whole, valuable human beings with completely unique gifts to share.  This should go without saying - but unfortunately, in our society, it often does not. I have seen Imagination Workshop programs become a safe space for many individuals to engage in meaningful personal growth. The benchmarks vary greatly. For some participants, just learning to speak up in a group and offer original ideas and opinions is a huge landmark. For others, they have absolutely run with the opportunity to develop and express true artistic talent that might otherwise have remained undiscovered or undeveloped.  These individuals have fostered talents not only in performing, but also in developing and directing original work.  The effects of such achievements on an individual’s self-esteem are often profound. When Andy T. says, confidently, “I am the Director” – he is claiming an identity as an artist and a leader. This is not only beneficial to him, but to all of us, as the breaking of stereotypes allows for greater freedom of expression all around.

Likewise, the Persephone Project offers important opportunities for growth to women in jail. Writing exercises are utilized throughout the 12 week process that we use when working with women who are incarcerated. From the beginning, participants are asked to examine themselves and their inner and outer lives. The safe container that is forged by the Facilitator supports that process.  The healthy risk-taking begins as soon as a participant puts pen to paper to express real thoughts and feelings that are intended to be shared. The risk-taking continues in the actual sharing of those thoughts and feelings within the group. Critical thinking fosters the process of analyzing and assessing those thoughts and feelings, and how to best express them.  Emotional bravery is required in the final step of performing their original work for other inmates, jail staff, and guests. The entire process encourages the women to “deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.”

The Still Point motto that I am referencing in the title of this blog is this:”We all matter, and art matters for all of us.” In closing, let me expand on the importance of the “all of us” part. This means that those of us who perform administrative work for the company need to have our souls fed through developing our own creative lives and our own artistic work, as the vast majority of us are artists also. This means that the service performed when we tour our work across the country, and occasionally beyond, is as important as the outreach work we do. We are all “special” populations. We are all vital parts of a whole. It is my belief that widespread creative expression is an integral part of any healthy society and an inherent human need.  Art, at its best, paves a road to liberation.

Imagination Workshop: photo by Chris Carollo