Life Stories From Across the City Highlights Artistic Work of At-Risk Populations
The Theatre Lab presents an evening of inspirational stories of struggle, survival and redemption. Life Stories From Across the City, at Woolly Mammoth Theatre on August 5 at 7:30 pm, will feature short films from our Life Stories programs for incarcerated and at-risk youth, homeless women in substance recovery, and our new intergenerational project for middle schoolers and seniors.
Life Stories is The Theatre Lab’s award-winning drama outreach program in which people from typically marginalized populations create original dramatic works for the stage and screen based on their real-life experiences. Life Stories from Across the City will showcase The Theatre Lab’s work with N Street Village, Parkmont School, Brighton Gardens, and New Beginnings.
“Something we stress in everything we do at The Theatre Lab is the power and ability of dramatic arts to transform lives,” said Deb Gottesman, Co-Executive Director of The Theatre Lab. “The work we do in the Life Stories program really underscores that. Many of the stories told by the people in these classes are just as compelling as anything you’ll see on a traditional stage.”
The evening will also include a sneak peek of a feature-length documentary by filmmaker Nicole Boxer about The Theatre Lab’s acclaimed March 2012 Kennedy Center project with the women of N Street Village which was hailed by Washington Post reporter Katherine Boyle as “the most moving performance … at The Kennedy Center this year.” The screenings will be followed by a discussion with participants, filmmakers, and Life Stories instructors.
Admission is pay-what-you-can at the door, with all proceeds going toward the Life Stories program.
The Theatre Lab is the largest independent theatre school in Washington, with classes for students of all ages and experience levels. The Theatre Lab is also well known for its community outreach, offering hundreds of scholarships to children, teens, and adults who wouldn’t otherwise be able to study acting, as well as Life Stories, a groundbreaking program that brings the tools and techniques of storytelling and filmmaking to marginalized or disadvantaged groups of people.
https://youtu.be/8WwiWFJhlsc
Thanks for this coverage! This is a program that a lot of people will be interested in, highlighting the true value of the dramatic arts in the world. Please come!