Selected Projects
Wild Women Don't Get the Blues
Hope Academy Teen Theater Company’s 2016 Showcase Performance of the original production Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues was a theatrical collage of stories, poems, monologues and songs about women throughout history who stood up, spoke their minds, refused to back down and changed the world. Through a partnership with CMU professor of African American History Nico Slate, founder of Social Change 101, students were able to study, explore, and discuss social justice topics like racism, gentrification, school to prison pipeline, and civil rights. A deeper understanding of these topics and their historical significance allowed students develop a foundation of prior knowledge and created a context for the material that they helped to select as an ensemble of young artists collaborating with their team of teaching artists to develop the performance.
Highlights of content from Wild Women included songs, poetry, and monologues of August Wilson, Nina Simone, Langston Hughes, Sojourner Truth, Rose Schneiderman, Eve Ensler, Maya Angelou, Jacquelyn Woodson, Patti Griffin, Beyoncé, as well as original student compositions, choreography, and vocal interludes.
East Liberty and Justice for All
A Celebration of Diversity on the Eve of the Women's March on Washington
ACTIVITIES - FOOD - POETRY - SOLIDARITY MARCH - JAZZ
Let’s make things together. Eat together. Sing protest songs and march together. Learn how to support each other and empower those who have been marginalized - especially during the recent Presidential campaign - people of color, immigrants, women, the LGBT community, Muslims, people with disabilities and survivors of sexual assault.
Donations will be accepted to support the work of our artists and our social justice partners, The ACLU and Thomas Merton Center.
Shakespear-ience: An Evening of Romance, Murder and Intrigue
As part of a 450th Birthday Bash for Shakespeare, Adult-themed performances -- based on “Romeo and Juliet,” “The Tempest,” “Othello,” and “Macbeth” – took audience members through East Liberty Presbyterian Church on site specific performance tours featuring monologues and scenes, opera, dance and stage combat, with strolling minstrels, The Band of Misfits, leading the way.
There were two tours, one at 6:30 pm and one at 8:00 pm; and activities in ELPC's social hall all evening long. Magic Organz art squad DS Kinsel and Julie Mallis live painted; Joe Kennedy of DJ duo Tracksploitation, remixed some Shakespeare inspired tunes; and there was art-making for the adults, too!
MGR Youth Peace Rally
The MGR Youth Peace Rally, an annual effort to confront the cycle of violence and social justice issues in some of Pittsburgh's most distressed neighborhoods, was a culminating event of Arts in Action, a program of MGR Youth Empowerment as part of Pittsburgh Public Schools Summer Dreamer’s Academy. Youth-driven, social justice art projects were created in collaboration with teaching artists and students across all Summer Dreamer’s Camp Sites.
These projects, based in drama, dance, music, and visual art, were exhibited and performed for peers, parents, community members, partner youth organizations, and key stakeholders at the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.
The Rally served as an opportunity for students to exercise their newfound voices and speak out against issues that directly effected their lives. Highlighted performers, partners, and key stakeholders included: Sala Udin, Mayor Bill Peduto, City Councilman Dan Gilman, Dr. Linda Lane, Alumni Theatre Company, Jasieri X and 1 Hood, Akil Esoon of Formula 412, Anqwenique Wingfield, Gwens Girls, Hope Academy of Music and the Arts, Dreams of Hope, TeenBloc, Hear Me, and DJ Duo Tracksploitation.
For the Girl Who Sleeps in Snow
“For the Girl Who Sleeps in Snow,” with its ‘50’s aura of bomb shelters and understated parental discord, took great advantage of the pottery studio in the cellar and then moved the audience into the catacombs for a well-staged apocalyptic finale.
Onlookers were given flashlights for this collaboration of instructors from Hope Academy, which they played over the scene like World War II air raid searchlights – all that was missing were the bomb sirens. Audience interaction played a part throughout the evening, bringing art even closer to the people.“
-via Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Review of Relative Positions
