Sign up now for Play of Delights!

Play of Delights is an intergenerational community-based theater project inspired by The Book of Delights, an essay collection by the award-winning writer and poet Ross Gay. Together we'll explore some of the essays from the book and create original work inspired by them. It will be co-facilitated by myself, Willow Brown and G-Quan Booker, in collaboration with Story House Ithaca, Civic Ensemble, the Greater Ithaca Activities Center, The Village at Ithaca, Ulysses Philomathic Library, and the Youth Farm Project.

WHO + WHERE: 
Folks aged 15-22 are invited to collaborate with us at the Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC), 301 W Court St, Ithaca, NY. Folks aged 18+ are invited to collaborate with us at the Ulysses Philomathic Library (UPL), 74 E Main St, Trumansburg, NY.

Anyone can participate! No previous theater experience is needed, just a willingness to be creative and collaborative.

WHAT:
We'll read some of the short stories in the book and then write or improvise original work inspired by those stories. That could mean creating monologues, scenes, poems, songs, spoken word, movement pieces, or whatever else you’re excited about! The facilitators will provide prompts to get you inspired and you’ll be able to create the work you want to. At the end of the workshops we’ll present what we’ve created for family and friends. 

After the final sharings, four collaborators from each site will be chosen to share their work for a larger audience, along with professional actors presenting Ross Gay's original words, in a public celebration at the Youth Farm Project in June. This part of the project will be compensated.

WHEN:
The project at GIAC will meet once a week on Sunday afternoons from February 25 - May 5. 
The project at UPL will meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Saturdays from April 9 - May 11.
More details can be found by clicking on the links below.

WHAT IS THE BOOK OF DELIGHTS ABOUT?
The Book of Delights is about becoming aware of and celebrating unexpected delight in our lives. But it also talks about the trauma and oppression that lots of people experience in America, especially Black folks. It allows the reader to hold those complexities, celebrating delight, while calling out injustice. It’s also about the beauty of nature and the joy of community and friendship.

QUESTIONS?
Feel free to reach out! You can use my contact form here.

HOW TO SIGN UP:
Click on the links below to learn more about the project at GIAC (with folks 15-22) and UPL (with folks 18+).

Play of Delights @ GIAC

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Play of delights @ UPL