Southwest D.C. has one middle school and no high school. According to the 2010 census, roughly 34 percent of Ward 8 residents were under 20 years old.
“[There can be] tension between … the retirees and the younger community in Southwest,” Ashley Forman, director of education for Arena Stage, says.
In order to bridge the gap and improve communication between the two groups, Arena Stage wanted to give young people a platform to express themselves and foster dialogue. Now in its 13th year, the Voices of Now festival seeks to “empower the young people by putting their stories on stage,” Forman says.
The program has expanded beyond Southwest and includes four schools in Fairfax County: Key Middle School, Glasgow Middle School, Robinson Secondary School and South County Middle School.
Students, whom Forman refers to as artists, attend a handful of workshops to learn how to perform and write. After receiving a prompt, students, with the guidance of Arena’s staff, work to create a play to be performed at the festival.
“[We] focus on creating social conversation and positive social change and being able to talk about issues that were relevant to the community,” Forman says.
While some of the ensembles that will perform this year are from area schools, others are from groups like the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing, which offers support services for children who are coping with grief. For them, sharing stories can be a form of relief.
“[Our goal is] increased understanding and facility in the community when talking about grief and death and loss,” Forman says. “We try to make a path to transformation and catharsis and empowerment … by really focusing on the community and not just the individual.”
In the past, Forman has partnered with the State Department to take Voices of Now abroad to countries like India, Slovenia and Croatia. In Croatia, she used the program to give a voice to physically disabled artists who were traditionally isolated from society.
“It was a revelation for the community to see those artists on stage and to hear their stories,” Forman says.
More than 100 artists ranging from ages 11 to 18 will perform at the festival.
All performances take place in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle in the Mead Center at 1101 6th St. SW. Times and dates can be found below:
Wednesday, May 18 — 7:30 p.m.
Chain Reaction by the Mentor Ensemble
Now You See Me by the Advocacy Ensemble
Free Fall by the Jefferson Academy Ensemble
Thursday, May 19 — 7:30 p.m.
Upside Down by the Key Middle School Ensemble
Culture Shock by the Key World Ensemble
Now You See Me by the Advocacy Ensemble
Friday, May 20 — 7:30 p.m.
Equal Sign by the Glasgow Middle School Ensemble
Prize Fight by the South County Middle School Ensemble
Book Mark by the Wendt Center Ensemble
Saturday, May 21 — 7:30 p.m.
Action Figure by the Robinson Secondary School Ensemble
Shelter by the Mead Ensemble
Chain Reaction by the Mentor Ensemble
