The Hamilton College departments of dance and theatre, the Hartford Players Youth Theater (HPTY) and Untitled @ Large will present two theatrical community productions, I Dream a World and Hometown Heroes on Wednesday, May 20, and Thursday, May 21, at 7:30 p.m. in Blood Dance Studio in the Blood Fitness Center at Hamilton College. Tickets are $5. For reservations or more information call the theatre office at 859-4057.
I Dream a World is based on personal interviews with Nora Johnsen, a native Utican and disability rights advocate. Johnsen was born with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes developmental and physical disabilities.
One of the goals of HPYT's In Our Own Write Gang, the organization's youth playwriting group, is to give the disabled community a space to tell stories and reframe their own representations. Hamilton Teaching Artist Shannon Stanfield directs the group.
Johnsen's interviews are condensed and shaped into the production. Interwoven into the script are flashback scenes where actors re-enact Johnsen's childhood memories. Her story is in her own words as she describes vividly, what it was like to grow up longing for peer affection, dignity and equality. We learn of her struggles, her triumphs and her hopes. It is an inspiring piece for anyone interested in understanding the experience of living in our world with a physical and developmental disability.
Also included in this production is Hometown Heroes, written by In Our Own Write Gang. Hometown Heroes is a moving collection of monologues highlighting everyday community members who perform heroic acts, but who often go unrecognized.
For more information contact Shannon Stanfield at Hamilton College at 859-4057.
I Dream a World is based on personal interviews with Nora Johnsen, a native Utican and disability rights advocate. Johnsen was born with Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes developmental and physical disabilities.
One of the goals of HPYT's In Our Own Write Gang, the organization's youth playwriting group, is to give the disabled community a space to tell stories and reframe their own representations. Hamilton Teaching Artist Shannon Stanfield directs the group.
Johnsen's interviews are condensed and shaped into the production. Interwoven into the script are flashback scenes where actors re-enact Johnsen's childhood memories. Her story is in her own words as she describes vividly, what it was like to grow up longing for peer affection, dignity and equality. We learn of her struggles, her triumphs and her hopes. It is an inspiring piece for anyone interested in understanding the experience of living in our world with a physical and developmental disability.
Also included in this production is Hometown Heroes, written by In Our Own Write Gang. Hometown Heroes is a moving collection of monologues highlighting everyday community members who perform heroic acts, but who often go unrecognized.
For more information contact Shannon Stanfield at Hamilton College at 859-4057.
