Have you ever taken the time to think about the world around you? Have you ever shared what worries you? What motivates you? What frightens you, or what gives you hope?
The Near West Theatre’s newest production, “Rise: The Reconstruction Project,” let 24 youth actors, ages 8 - 16, from the Cleveland area explore these questions by creating their own original performance. This week's NewsDepth A+ goes to the cast of “Rise: The Reconstruction Project.”
“This project brings a lot of things full circle for us. twenty years ago, we produced a show that explored how children felt about the 9/11 terror attacks,” shared Mariah Burks, the show’s producer. Ms. Burks said the current cast shared many of the same emotions.
During the summer production of the show, the actors processed how they felt about the world. They shared their thoughts and feelings and created a community.
“We were able to have very open discussions about how we perceive the world. A lot of our actors learned the importance of listening to what people have to say,” Ms. Burks shared. “I was really proud of the cast for how they supported each other as they processed their understanding of the world. They really showed a lot of empathy and patience.”
For many of the actors involved, the rehearsals and performance gave them a space to talk and ask questions that they wouldn’t normally feel comfortable saying.
The cast filmed their performance over the summer, and now it is streaming on demand.
This week’s NewsDepth A+ goes to the Near West Theatre’s youth cast for producing an original show that explores their feelings about the world they’re living in, for supporting one another, and for asking tough questions. Bravo!
Submit your ideas for our NewsDepth A+ segment to newsdepth@ideastream.org for consideration.
