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

Facilitator Spotlight: Laura Callahan-Hazard

By Anita Dacanay

Founded in 1964 by Jean Vanier, L'Arche is an International Federation dedicated to the creation and growth of homes, programs, and support networks with people who have intellectual disabilities. L’Arche is an interesting point of connection between Still Point Facilitator Laura Callahan-Hazard and our Founder, Lisa Wagner-Carollo. Lisa was living in a L’Arche community in Kansas City, KS in 1986, when young Laura was growing up in Nebraska with her parents. Laura's parents are devoted L'Arche supporters, so her family visited the Kansas City L'Arche home for fellowship and events, and this is how Lisa and Laura met - when Laura was only 4 years old!

Fast forward through the years: Laura attended Barat College of DuPaul in Lake Forrest, IL. She served as an intern for a young Still Point Theatre Collective, and then later as a volunteer.  After Laura graduated in 2004 with a degree in Directing, she became involved with various theatrical projects.  She also began working with adults with developmental disabilities. Through Search, Inc., a Chicago nonprofit that provides services for adults with developmental disabilities, her job intersected yet again with Still Point when she began escorting individuals from Search to Imagination Workshop programs. Eventually this led to Laura facilitating the Ravenswood Players workshop series at Ravenswood Presbyterian Church. This program is unique in that it is open to members of the public. Laura also ran a pilot program at Orchard Village in Skokie this past spring, for which Still Point is being awarded the Jeannie Johnson Hirsch Award for Outstanding Community Service.  As our Lead Facilitator for Imagination Workshop programming, she is also currently conducting a workshop series with core members from L’Arche Chicago. 

On September 14 L’arche Chicago will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of L’Arche international, and the 14th year of L’Arche Chicago with a special benefit event.  Laura’s group will be presenting an original performance as part of that benefit.  The theme of the performance is “what community means to me.” The scenes presented will explore the lessons that the actors have learned from community, and that they would like to teach to others.  The participants will also talk about the gifts that they bring to community. 

As I spoke with Laura in detail about how she approaches working with groups of adults with developmental disabilities, it became apparent that her training in directing and her life experience arm her with a unique set of skills that she brings to Still Point’s outreach work.  She facilitates a variety of creative, practical lessons about stage acting – like the “No Butts Lesson” on stage movement.  This playfully-named class session teaches the actors to remain turned toward the audience during a performance, and to learn how to follow directions to move around the playing area. 

In addition to teaching acting skills, many of the exercises also emphasize building social skills and self-esteem.  Having new acting students work together to “build a story” – with each person adding an element as they take turns storytelling – provides important information to Laura about each person’s personality and skill set.  The exercise is also a way to boost confidence by demonstrating to new participants that they truly can tell a story, as doing so may be completely uncharted territory for them.  Another exercise that builds self-esteem is to end each session with the giving of compliments to other group members. Laura coaches participants in how to be specific in their compliments. After they receive a compliment, it is their turn to give one. 

Laura has become very adept at providing a supportive structure so that each performer can have his or her moment to shine on stage. She describes the shows as being “highly structured improv.” The actors know their characters and the basics of what happens in the story, but are free to change the exact wording of their lines. Laura is often on stage with the actors, with her main role being to prompt the actors to talk in more detail.  

When I spoke to Laura, she was bubbling over with enthusiasm, information, and ideas regarding her teaching methodology. One significant gift she brings is her understanding, respect, and support for an often-marginalized segment of our society.  Still Point has always focused on self-expression and empowerment in our Imagination Workshop programming. Laura’s experience and unique perspective allow her to explore that aspect of our outreach work with both great knowledge and great conviction. L’Arche’s philosophy is one of total inclusivity. People with intellectual differences who live in L’Arche communities are referred to as “core members” rather than “clients” or the currently used “consumers.” Laura explores the significance of that language with her actors in their upcoming show. She encourages them to express their thoughts and feelings on a variety of subjects, and helps give them tools with which to do so.

Laura and her husband have a shared living arrangement with two women with developmental disabilities. These women are going to be in the L’Arche performance as well. In short, Laura Callahan-Hazard exhibits total consistency regarding the inclusion, celebration, and support of adults with intellectual disabilities. Laura brings her great heart and integrity, along with her exceptional facilitation skills and artistry, to every Imagination Workshop group that she leads.  For all of these reasons, Laura has quickly become an integral and highly valued member of Still Point Theatre Collective.

L’Arche Chicago’s Jubilee Anniversary Banquet, at which Laura’s Imagination Workshop group will perform,  will take place on Sunday, September 14th,  from 4-8:30 p.m.  at the Carleton Hotel, 1110 Pleasant St. in Oak Park.  For more info please visit the L’Arche Chicago website: http://www.larchechicago.org/events/

Photo: Laura Callahan-Hazard on stage with the Ravenswood Players.

Facilitator Spotlight: Lindsay Porter

by Anita Dacanay

While I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting Lindsay Porter face to face, we have had several long phone conversations about her work with Still Point. Lindsay’s warmth, compassion, and enthusiasm for the women she serves through Still Point’s Persephone Project were impossible to miss in those conversations.

The Persephone Project originated in 1998 with a pilot program at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago. Building on the success of that program, Still Point has continued to provide performing arts workshops to women incarcerated in various correctional facilities in the Chicago area. Facilitators lead participants in a twelve week program exploring creative writing, improvisation, and acting. The sessions culminate in a special on-site performance for fellow inmates, prison staff, and invited guests. For the facilitators, the work is demanding. Dealing with the institutions and operating within the rules of the system can be a challenge in and of itself. Working with women whose lives have included any and all manner of personal trauma, dysfunction, and tragedy, as well as the heavy consequences of their own problems and mistakes, is not for the faint of heart. It takes a special type of person to perform the job with finesse, to keep the focus positive and not get mired in the more grueling aspects of the work.

Lindsay first became involved with Still Point in 2008, through her friend Maia Morgan, who was a Still Point facilitator at Lake County Jail at the time. Interestingly, Lindsay told me that she remembers having a strong desire to work with people in prison from as early as about eight years of age. “It was just always something I wanted to do,” she remarked. In light of that, it is not too surprising that once Maia started sharing about her work in the jail, Lindsay’s connection with Still Point developed pretty seamlessly from there. Maia suggested Lindsay as a facilitator, she came in for an interview, and the two began working in collaboration shortly after that at Lake County Jail.

When asked to relate some of the more memorable moments with the Persephone Project, Lindsay recalled an experience that she and Maia had early on. There are two “pods” at the facility – dormitory style housing units with individual cells opening to a large common area. The facilitators had worked with a group of women from one pod and were preparing to have participants perform their original work for the other pod, which was made up of women who had had discipline issues at the jail. Lindsay was struck by the grim, defiant faces of the audience members as they filed in.  She recalls feeling that everything in the demeanor of these women was communicating: “I dare you to affect me.” She wondered how their work would be received. The performance was created from writing developed in the workshops, and the participants would be baring themselves with a vulnerability not often seen in the jail environment.

At some point during the performance, Lindsay saw that a box of Kleenex was being passed around the room. The formerly resistant audience members were weeping; they were laughing; they were having an undeniable experience of empathy and catharsis through watching women like themselves sharing honestly and bravely about their own lives and experiences. This story helps to illustrate the ripple effect of this programming. Not only were the women directly involved in the workshops served, but the many women who witnessed the performance had a rare opportunity to allow themselves to feel deeply: to analyze their lives and situations from a safe perspective, and to feel and express an honest and open response.

The jail environment is inherently dehumanizing, and Lindsay reiterates what many other Persephone Project facilitators have shared: time and again, the women involved express their profound appreciation for having one time per week when they felt that they were treated “like a human being.” In creating a safe space in which to be fully human, these women are afforded an opportunity to build self-awareness and life skills that can have a profound effect on their future lives, whether in or out of jail.

Lindsay comments on the fact that many women in these workshops have not yet learned how to be accountable or responsible for their behavior. In the group creative process used in the Persephone Project, all members are expected and encouraged to be present, to give deeply of themselves, to share their stories and support other group members in doing the same. Lindsay thinks that part of the key to the process working is presenting a non-hierarchical model. As a facilitator, Lindsay is indeed using her skills as an artist and instructor to provide structure and direction for the process. Yet, she is also participating in the activities herself as a member of the group, and encouraging an organic creative process integrating what the women themselves choose to focus on. This model of operation calls on the participants to each take responsibility for their part, and to be accountable to the other group members. “It’s team work,” comments Lindsay, “but it goes even deeper than that.”

I asked Lindsay about the rewards that she has personally experienced in being involved in this work. As a writer herself, she remarked that her own skills have improved through the discipline of doing all of the writing exercises along with the women – the collaborative process allows her to grow as an artist while she supports the participants.

Lindsay also confides that despite a certain balance that must be struck in terms of how involved or attached she becomes with participants, she feels that she has made authentic and deep connections with other women through the work. In one group, Lindsay encountered a number of women who were deeply troubled by past traumas. They all managed to rally around one another not only to provide moral support, but to provide practical information regarding resources and services that could be useful to one another. The receiving and spending of commissary money is a significant part of life in jail, and each penny spent is considered with great care. Therefore, when this particular group of participants presented Lindsay and Maia with flowers that had been purchased from pooling their precious commissary allotments, it was a profoundly moving experience.  Those flowers represented a great sacrifice on the part of the givers, and were no small comment on the significance of what was given to the women in those weeks of classes.

Lindsay’s dedication, enthusiasm, and sensitivity are qualities that make her a wonderful facilitator, one that we are truly lucky to have on the Still Point team. In her capacity to share the full depth and breadth of her own humanity, she helps others to see theirs.

Reflecting on Still Point’s Journey with Founder, Lisa Wagner-Carollo

By Anita Dacanay

I have had an insider’s position from the very beginnings of Still Point Theatre Collective, as Lisa’s close friend and colleague throughout the entire 21 year history of the company, and having worn many hats within the company myself. Recently I spoke with Lisa to hear her reflections on Still Point’s journey thus far, the state of the organization at this time, and collective’s focus for the future. The following piece was written from this conversation, and informed by my own perspective as a long-time member of the Still Point family. Managing Director Ben Gray and Lisa both thought that it would be beneficial to share an update with our friends and supporters at this time.

Soon after the turn of the millennium, I remember hearing Lisa talk about coming to an impasse. Still Point had developed around Lisa’s personal vision, fusing her love of theatre with a desire to serve society, and fueled by her passion and commitment. As the company grew over the years she recognized that the model of leadership we were relying upon had its limits. This is because it relied almost solely upon her – and she, being human, had her limits. This dilemma of Founder burn-out in nonprofits is not at all unique to our organization, and I believe relates to the Sisyphus-like position of nonprofit entities in a for-profit economy.  How nonprofits learn to survive and thrive in our society warrants its own discussion, but relates directly to the position that Still Point was in during the early years of the 21st Century.

Lisa recalls, “Still Point was just too much. On paper, we were doing fine – in the black every year. But I knew that I couldn’t continue at that pace. We needed a new way.”

Lisa began to think of new ways to run the organization, and we have been through a trial and error process since then. Currently we have a shared leadership model. Ben Gray has been working with Still Point for several years researching, writing and submitting grants. As of July of 2013, he stepped into the role of Managing Director, and Lisa assumed the role of Artistic Director. In fact, both of them are working together to run the company, with the support of a few additional part-time staff like myself, and Lisa’s current assistant, Sara Fisher. There is a great deal of work stretched amongst a very small but dedicated staff, and supported by our generous volunteers. “Everyone who is working with us now brings great energy to the company.” Lisa feels that she found the “new way” she was looking for in sharing leadership of the company – specifically with someone who also has a history with Still Point and strong personal investment in its health.

“Finances are stable,” Lisa remarked, “We are reviewing and revising systems to keep money coming in. We are cultivating new donors, like J.D. Schramm of Stanford University, who is also a recent addition to the Advisory Board.” Lisa also noted that, from her personal perspective, she made peace with the fact that running a nonprofit requires rigorous, daily attention. Every day, she must put attention to the following questions: How can we bring in more funds? How can we book more shows? How can we reach new people with our work? This sense of peace is a new paradigm for Lisa, and she summed it up by saying, “If you really accept it, it’s not a burden. It’s just your job.”

Lisa told me the story of how she and Ben and two other members of the collective recently performed a ritualized blessing of the Still Point office space. This sort of action is part of Still Point’s identity and stems from the vision that drives the company. We seek to create ways to celebrate the human spirit and life itself, in a manner that is truly inclusive. The office is also decorated with reminders of the work that the organization does: a quilt made by women at the Chillicothe Correctional Center, and flowers that Sara planted in pots painted by Imagination Workshop members, to name a couple.

The blessing of the office space recalls a scene in Living Water in which the pastor leads parishioners in blessing the walls of their church that had been destroyed in the New Orleans floods of 2005. Those of us who have been integrally involved with the creation, mounting, and touring of Living Water can attest to the fact that producing this show gave us inspiration and energy for our own rebuilding process within Still Point. Lisa realized that twenty-one years down the road, it was not too late to restructure and rebuild the company. In fact, that process was necessary in order for Still Point to adapt and grow.

Producing Living Water definitely gave a jolt of creative fire to the company. Every time we bring new artists in to work on a play, they infuse the collective with their own energy and enthusiasm in support of Still Point’s larger mission. Actors Nicole Michelle Haskins, Jove, and Andy Clifton each came into the play with enthusiasm for the show and for the vision and mission of Still Point.  Likewise, the artists who are already part of the collective derive deep satisfaction from creating new work, and renewed vigor for attending to the other more mundane aspects of operating the company. Thus, Living Water reminded us all of how important it is for the company to continue creating and touring new productions.

There are numerous examples of Still Point staff going above and beyond the call to show their support for the organization. Sara Fisher recently organized a wonderful benefit event at local venue Casa Dolce Café. Called Lost and Found and Alone, the event was a great success in terms of making connections, building community, and raising money for Still Point. Musical improv troupe Buffalo performed, as did Sara herself, and storyteller Mary Ruppert. Ben spoke about Still Point’s work, creating new allies within the Buffalo crowd that had come out to see the troupe. Again, the event highlights the importance of a celebratory spirit of community.

The running theme of my conversation with Lisa was the inherent value of human beings and nurturing a healthy interconnectedness. There are many ways in which we affirm this in our work and in the Still Point culture.  Lisa reflected, “If it were not for the many women in prison who have shared their hopes and fears with us in the Persephone Project, Still Point would not be Still Point. If it weren’t for the adults with developmental disabilities that have participated in the Imagination Workshop over the years, Still Point would not be Still Point.” Lisa emphatically pointed out in our discussion that we would also not exist if it weren’t for the audiences who see our plays. “While the special populations we work with have more obvious wounds because of their positions in society,” Lisa notes, “We all have wounds, and when people come to see one of our plays and feel inspired or invigorated or informed by the performance, they are receiving a service that they need and deserve as well. That’s outreach too!”

In terms of outreach programming, there has been recent expansion of fee-for-service programs, like the additional Imagination Workshop classes currently taking place at Orchard Village in Skokie. Another example of this is Athena Theatre Works. Still Point launched this initiative last year as a pilot program for formerly incarcerated women, in collaboration with Breakthrough Urban Ministries, Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers (CLAIM), and Art Reach at Lill Street Art. This program was designed to use hands-on theatre experiences to foster community engagement, enhance self-esteem, help build a support system among participants, and to provide important legal education. This successful collaboration will be starting up again in the fall of this year.

Strengthening our unique emphasis on combining artistic excellence with a commitment to service, ongoing efforts to reach out to an ever-expanding and diverse circle of individuals and groups, and a disciplined approach to maintaining fiscal solvency, all in the right measure, are the main elements in maintaining a healthy organization into the future. Lisa sums up Still Point’s current position by exclaiming, “It’s working! We’re making progress. The process has given me gratitude for the great work that we are doing, and an appreciation for the great life that I have.”

A successful labor of love requires both labor and love on a daily basis. May Still Point be seasoned with both ingredients throughout the next 21 years and beyond.

Still Point Founder/Artistic Director Lisa Wagner-Carollo and Managaing Director Ben Gray

Exciting New Program at Orchard Village!

by Anita Dacanay

Whenever I speak to Still Point Facilitator Laura Callahan-Hazard, the joy she feels about working with her classes is apparent. I spoke with Laura recently about Still Point’s brand new 12-week program for adults with developmental disabilities that is taking place at Orchard Village, a service provider in Skokie. Laura is the Lead Facilitator for this program, and she is working with participants to create an original piece that will be performed for the Orchard Village Board of Directors on June 30.

A running theme in the workshop is the way in which people with disabilities are treated in society, and how participants can demand the respect and fair treatment that they deserve. Consequently, the group has explored various situations in which someone may have been discriminated against or treated poorly. Then, the group has a “re-do” of the scene, in which they act out a better or more empowering outcome to the situation. In the process, group members get an opportunity to practice voicing their needs and claiming their rights.

While the subject matter is serious enough, my conversation with Laura left me feeling that the performance would also be fun and entertaining! One participant named Joey is apparently a born performer who loves to sing and dance at every opportunity. Joey has taken a leadership role in the class and will act as narrator for the performance, reading the script that Laura created from what group members voiced in rehearsals.  Another woman, Laurie, surprised everyone with her insatiable love of dancing, which has her leaving her walker by the wayside whenever someone cranks up the tunes.She even has a signature dance move, gleefully copied by the rest of the group and coined “the Laurie” in her honor.

This workshop at Orchard Village moved forward after a slight delay due to a fire at the facility. It certainly sounds as if the performers in the group are relishing this opportunity to explore new talents and showcase their thoughts and feelings.  Each unique voice that finds expression in a Still Point program is a victory for all of us - from participants, to other artists, to the community at large. 

Still Point Facilitator Laura Callahan-Hazard of the Orchard Village Workshop