BRATTLEBORO — We recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of NEYT Alumni productions with Shakespeare's Coriolanus on the New England Youth Theatre stage.
Very different from our first production, The Importance of Being Earnest, in 2007, Coriolanus resonates with today's political scene in the U.S.
In the play, a grassroots uprising faces the challenges of democratic establishment and tradition, an authoritarian dictator up for election devalues civic engagement because of the ignorance of the people, and representatives of the people cling to their positions of power instead of representing their constituents.
I chose this show because I believed it could give us a new window into our current political situation. The themes of an evolving democracy and manipulation of the people through misinformation were so resonant.
Community leaders came to do talk-backs as part of the production on Friday and Saturday evenings. Dr. Ralph Meima was a key player in inspiring these discussions, and met with me to plan conversations around growing pains of democracies and how information can be manipulated to incite public outrage.
We were joined by Kate O'Connor, Jeff Potter, Olga Peters, Chris Lenois, Brenda Seigel, Brandon Batham, Jessica Leonard, and Peter Galbraith. Tremendous thanks to everyone who participated in the talk-backs, which generated stirring conversations around the impact of perceived inevitability in elections and how a breaking down of fairness in the political process can lead to an evolution of government.
It was artistically rewarding to be working on this passion-infused show with 20 alumni, ages 18-31, who were committed to throwing deep emotion into this political drama.
The dedicated cast came from Brattleboro, Boston, New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles to participate in the production. I extend a thank-you to the performers and to alumnus Ben Stockman for working alongside me as assistant director before leaving to make his New York City directing debut.
I want to thank New England Youth Theatre for continuing to host alumni productions, bringing back young adults who are passionate about returning home to Brattleboro, helping us kindle their desire to return permanently someday.
Specifically, thanks to Rick Barron, Jerry Stockman, Michelle Meima, Laura Bliss, and Sandy Klein, who volunteer to make these productions successful every year by running box office, building sets, taking photos, and offering technical assistance. And great appreciation goes to Hallie Flower, new to the NEYT helm, and a fantastic addition for the organization.
To the dedicated audience who came out for this production, thank you as well. This show was angry and upsetting, but from the comments we received over the course of the weekend, we understand that it moved you. One woman wrote, “I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, spellbound.” Thank you for supporting this production.
And thanks to my husband, James Gelter, for being an inspiring artistic partner and life partner. This show could not have happened without his set and lighting designs and his solid acting performance.
I hope the actors, designers, audiences, and talk-back leaders we engaged in this production will take what they learned home with them and will strive toward being better informed and more civically engaged members of society.