Program Spotlight
"Seasons of Love" musical production at Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation - June 2010
Students at IS 171 say, "Love, not fear!"
Photo Credit Mark Austin Spencer
The hit Broadway musical Rent first premiered in 1994, bringing to light such issues as gentrification, homelessness, disease, and troubled romance, fraught by struggling artists in New York City's Bohemian Lower East Side. In 2010, with the musical recently closed and Alphabet City now comprised of luxury condos and boutique bars, a new group of vocal young artists is emerging in a section of New York City even farther east: Cypress Hills, Brooklyn-with the help of Arts to Grow.
Photo Credit Mark Austin Spencer
During the 2009-2010 school year, through an ongoing partnership between community-based organization Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation (CHLDC), and Arts to Grow (ATG), Cypress Hills teens were given the opportunity to tell their own stories, by writing, producing and starring in an original musical inspired by Rent. The resulting June 2010 production at Intermediate School 171, Seasons of Love, tackled challenges that many middle-schoolers face: eating disorders, bullying, betrayal by one's own best friend-and, importantly, discovering and staying true to one's passion. Set in modern-day Cypress Hills, a neighborhood where over half of the population lives below the poverty line and with some of the city's highest crime rates, the musical's call for affordable housing and health care seemed especially relevant. Says the show's director and Arts to Grow teaching artist Patricia Runcie, "to come up with ideas for the musical, I asked students, ‘what is YOUR "rent?" This inspired students to think about key struggles they face and how to raise awareness of these struggles and transcend them through theater."
Photo Credit Mark Austin Spencer
The show's audience of over 300 people-families, fellow students, community leaders-- was certainly moved by the show, giving it a standing ovation and even wiping away tears as the 10-14 year-old actors bared emotional depth way beyond their years. But perhaps more important was the personal and artistic growth experienced by the students. They had rehearsed 3-5 days a week from February-May under the direction of Runcie, as well as dance, chorus, and visual instructors. They had honed their skills in stage presence, character development, singing, dancing, and costume/set design. Some had assumed leadership roles as stage managers and assistant directors, exploring the wide range of careers in theater.
Photo Credit Mark Austin Spencer
Students also had the very enriching experience of participating in two tailored artist workshops offered pro bono by top professional Broadway dancer/actor guest artists. Members of R.Evolución Latina (Gabriela Garcia, Marcus Paul James and Dwayne Clark) offered one session on-site and Mark Stewart Dance Theatre founder, Mark Stewart offered another session each helping the cast polish their roles and prepare for performance. During the fall semester, select students had also participated in Arts to Grow's acting elective taught by Runcie, preparing them for the full-length spring show. When asked about their experiences with Arts to Grow, students acknowledged that despite the unforeseen difficulty of putting on such a complex show, they had learned "focus, determination, commitment and teamwork" and were proud of themselves for sticking with the project. One student reported, "I had to sacrifice a lot of other things, but it was worth it...we're like a family now."
Photo Credit Mark Austin Spencer
Perhaps these young artists' sense of empowerment is best expressed by the adapted show's line, "love, not fear!"-a line that also expresses Arts to Grow's mission to create "families" united by artistic expression, in school/community sites in under-served and transitional neighborhoods like Cypress Hills. As ATG's partnership with CHLDC enters its third year, we hope to enable even more students to overcome their struggles and fears, tap into their creativity, and discover their love of learning.
