New York Moments: Finally: WJPK in Review

“Two hearts one dream, two hearts one story”

“The only mistake I can make is not to chase it.”

“Dreams that give us space”

What we created

These are a few quotes from the original songs, sketches, and poems from this year’s production of When Justice and Peace Kiss. This summer 10 adult artists and 25 high school youth came together to create 5 original songs, 3 dances, 2 monologues, 2 sketches, 2 spoken word pieces, 2 poems, and 4 paintings around the theme of our hopes and dreams. Throughout this program youth were able to express dreams that have been broken in the past, ways they have seen God fulfill their dreams, and dreams that they have for their future. All of the groups were really excited to perform in the different artistic mediums. The students gave themselves fully to the rehearsal process and even more to the performance. After four weeks of creating and rehearsing, we held a culminating performance at a local theater in which we invited family and the community to come see the work that we created. It was a wonderful night and many were impressed at the quality of art these students brought forth.

My Passions Come Alive

My role in the project was to lead the team of adult artists and teachers, write and perform my own monologue, and write and direct the theater sketch for the youth. The combination of these experiences really highlighted my passions and talents, making it a really life giving and joyful summer. The students that I worked with in the theatre group all had a common dream of wanting to graduate and make their parents proud. The sketch that we wrote was about one student’s struggle to graduate and people encouraging and discouraging him along the way. The students were very excited to learn their lines and were almost completely memorized after the first rehearsal. The one student that was a little hesitant on performing did a fabulous job and thanked me after the performance for pushing him to do it.

We had an amazing team of adult artists who were really dedicated to teaching the youth. It was wonderful to lead them as they discovered what it means to be a Christian that creates engaging art. It was great for me to care for and work with a team of peers who have similar passions to my own.

Although it was a challenge to plunge into the world of performing again, it was great to work out those acting muscles for myself. I loved the experience of creating a character that is very different from me but still able to express dreams that I have. I challenged myself with trying a New Jersey accent which turned out to be really fun. The monologue was about a women who cared about kid's stories and wanted the world to hear them through songs that she wrote.

What I am most passionate about is giving young people an outlet to express themselves artistically and have their voice be heard. This summer fully encapsulated that passion and desire for me.