This summer
we artistically explored the life of Peter from the bible, seeing how his attitude changes over the
course of his relationship with Jesus. We learned how we can have an attitude
of joy even in the midst of challenging situations.
This
summer 8 college interns and 5 other adult staff worked with over 40 youth
to put on an inspiring performance as we shared our stories, struggles, and
hopes.
This summer we created and performed 4 original dances, 2 scenes,
2 monologues, 3 poems, 6 songs, and 12 masks.
Here
are some of the stories that came out of the summer.
"Youth 1" (a sophomore this fall) is a motivated and driven
actor. This is my second year working with him in the theatre group and it has
been such a joy to see him grow in his faith and as an artist. He was the one getting
the group hyped up at every rehearsal, always saying, “Ok let’s do this.” This
year I saw him grow so much in his character development. We gave him the role
as class clown in the scene. I wasn’t sure how he would take the role but he ran
with it and made the character his own.
I told the college interns working with the dance group
that they by far had the hardest group. They had all the incoming 6th
graders and 12 youth to choreograph into one dance. They faced initial challenges
of dissension among the new youth, cliquey groups, and being unmotivated to
practice. But despite these challenges, it came together in the end. The dance
piece closed our show with energy and charisma. It was amazing to see the
transformation in this group and the unity of the dance by the end.
"Youth 2" (a junior this fall) has been a part of every WJPK since it began. This year
Jamal wrote a song about battling depression and finding the hope to persevere
through it. When someone asked him after the performance how it felt to sing
about those things, he said, “It felt really empowering.” These are the moments
that inspire me.
Although
it was a full summer, it was very energizing to be able to direct the
project. I was able to grow in how to
vision for the overall theme, which is not my strength. Since I don’t have an
outlet to perform during the year, it has always been a source of joy for me to
write and perform for WJPK. My skit this year involved the challenges that I
face with my elementary students’ attitudes and how I need to grow in patience
as well.
The moment that I enjoyed the most from the summer
was standing on side of the stage watching the theatre group perform. I was
literally jumping up and down with pride as I watched the youth step into their
characters, remember all their lines, and hearing the audience laugh at the
jokes.
I was so
proud of the work that everyone put into the show. What a fantastic end to a
great summer.
