THE IN[HEIR]ITANCE PROJECT: EXODUS COASTAL VIRGINIA

Invited into the production process as a 'local' artistic collaborator with the primary focus of maintaining the cultural integrity of this newly devised piece.   

During our 4 to 6-week rehearsal process, we wanted to be that folks of the Hampton Roads community's voices, insights, and perspectives were not only heard but amplified through the theatrical production that we were building and embracing each as an individual with their own skills and talents.

As the Assistant Director, my primary goal and focus were maintaining cultural integrity as an 'in-field research contributor' on behalf of the Hampton Roads community's unique history and perspectives while devising Exodus: Homecoming. 

•  Breaking down scenes to develop characterizations 

• Co-facilitating artist salons to gather content and context for our developing script 

• Collaborating creatively with the actors, producers and technical designers to build the show from the ground up 

• Documenting and analyzing creative practices using written notes, digital archival methods, performance 

'Devising' is building a theatrical production through a process where a creative team develops a show collaboratively with each contribution serving the narrative/story/plot as a whole. (ATHE)

FRAMEWORK

- An ensemble movement-based project with the local artists of the Hampton Roads community

1.  Through a devising tool called ‘Artist Salons’, the team conceptualized the outline for Exodus: Homecoming through a series of themes and topics about adulthood, childhood, generational bonds vs curses, nature vs nurture thoughts and processes. These salons hosting a series of conversations, creative explorations, text studies, open rehearsals, and individual meetings where we create spaces for participants from many perspectives to learn with and from their own neighbors.
2.  Word Association Walls: An interactive tool for collecting an array of words/thoughts/topics, etc., stemming from a central prompt or theme. For socially-charged creative work, these word association walls can be pivotal in developing conversation starters about expansive topics and simplifying them.