Urban Possibilities & ThThe Geffen PLayhouse
Changing Lives Together ~ January 2013
“I never dreamed someone like me could perform on stage.
Mrs. Eyvette, Mr. Craig, Ms. Dorothy, Ms. Alexis, Mr. Connor and the Geffen Playhouse changed my life. For the first time my daughters saw me stand strong. They saw the finished product of Urban Possibilities in me. Oh how my enthusiastic hope for life has begun to consume my whole soul. I have a new family. I have blossomed. My life has meaning now. It was like being born again. I’m alive! Thank you.” – Mamie Black
For 25 years Mamie was abused and addicted to drugs. She’s suffered the worst life has to offer and her daughters were witnesses. She joined our writing & empowerment program at the Los Angeles Mission where she is now living clean and sober and rebuilding her life. Lucky for Mamie that class included a special Geffen Playhouse component: attending plays, a Skid Row theatre discussion group, an Improv class and expert theatre coaching to prepare her to present her work at our end of class performance. We were all inspired when this mother of two and grand mom of one, took the stage and showed her girls that the past does not have to dictate the future. They saw their mom publicly face her darkness and take a courageous step into the light. An audience of 350, packed with homeless men and women, were inspired by that too.
“The event was powerfully moving and inspirational. Your students are beacons of light shining beyond the area of the mission auditorium. They are truth telling torch bearers showing that the flame of possibilities lay smoldering within all humankind and once stoked blazes brilliantly. It was amazing.” “Your students inspired me to start thinking creatively again … and I am. Inspiration comes from everyone and everywhere and last night my inspiration came from skid row. “ Althea E. Garvey/Regional Vice President Chartis Insurance
“Thank you so much for inviting us to Friday’s performance! Words cannot truly express how powerful, inspiring and life-changing the experience was. It was such an honor to be in the audience. Thank you for being such an incredible partner. Congratulations to you and your amazing students on an absolutely beautiful event!” Jessica Brusilow Rollins/Associate Director of Donor Relations and Strategic Partnerships Geffen Playhouse
“With grateful thanks the Los Angeles Mission is overjoyed and honored to again host this inspirational experience. This program unleashes the mental ropes that hold students to self-imposed limitations and releases them with a creative process and momentum to become more, to do more and to share in community. This is one of the most exciting and important collaborations we have.” Herb Smith/President & CEO Los Angeles Mission
THANK YOU! Mamie is just one of the lives on Skid Row we have impacted together. We are incredibly grateful to have such a passionate partner that believes with us that theatre can be a powerful lightening rod for change, particularly in communities like Skid Row that have the least amount of access. And in this city that we both love and share, that’s vital because Los Angeles is the homeless capital of America. I believe our collaboration is groundbreaking work. I know it is life changing. Together we are proving that beyond its entertainment value, theatre is a way to access the untapped potential of the poor. A doorway to help see beyond current circumstances into a broader world. A bridge that offers practical life skills that fuel progress, create stronger more creative employees and lead to a successful life. Thank you for investing resources to change lives with us.
Thank you for an extraordinary partnership. Eyvette Jones Johnson & Craig Johnson Founders – Urban Possibilities
Los Angeles The Homeless Capitol of America It’s estimated that more than 50,000 are homeless each night in Los Angeles County making it the Homeless capital of America. The largest concentration - about 15-20,000 homeless men and women live on “Skid Row” where we work. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, the homeless problem here is growing faster than the national average and is trending upward in every demographic. Just outside our classroom doors, women are sleeping on the street, ex-offenders are languishing and veterans are eating out of trash cans. There are thousands clustered in missions, shelters, & low-income housing left behind by mainstream culture. Many who thought they’d never be unemployed or homeless have hit Skid Row with a tremendous thud. To recover they urgently need food, shelter, jobs – but we believe they urgently need something more –laser focus on rebuilding self-worth and life skills to catapult them forward. Why? Because the high cost of poverty is not only the loss of a house or a job – it’s the loss of self-esteem –it’s the inability to believe in yourself.
The need is huge. That’s why we team up with agencies and work together.
“PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON THE MARGINS DO NOT HAVE MARGINAL MINDS” - ANIL GUPTA
We Believe
There is a sea of untapped potential in underserved communities waiting to be set free in service to our communities. Within these marginalized groups , are those who have lived through life’s toughest circumstances yet refused to give up. That survival has built muscles in tenacity, courage, and resilience that can be channeled to move their lives forward, address neighborhood problems and serve as a competitive advantage in our cities. Poverty restricts growth and drains city resources. When you don’t invest in the potential of the poor, it doesn’t just hurt them, it hurts us all. Thriving people build thriving communities.
Mission
To teach practical tools that help marginalized adults unlock their potential through art, innovation and empowered thinking and put it to work in our communities; to move the community to action by experiencing what’s possible when we invest in their potential.
Clients
Homeless, working poor and at-risk adults 18 + who are pursuing training, education or employment programs.
Serving Skid Row Agencies
We are one of the few organizations on Skid Row that is not proprietary and welcomes clients from all agencies. Some of the groups that have joined us for shows at the Geffen are Los Angeles Mission, Volunteers of Americas Homeless Veterans, SRO Housing, and the Weingart.
Programs
Urban Possibilities teams-up with Skid Row agencies and delivers our programs on-site within their facilities. Our “Urban Possibilities Tool Kit” is the empowerment curriculum that is the foundation for our work. We pair that tool kit with art and performance to make the impact even stronger. Our formula is simple: tool kit + art + public performance=student & community impact
The Writing & Empowerment Program
Our introductory 10-week empowerment course that uses the power of story and performance to alchemize the pain of living in poverty into powerful tools for the future. It culminates in a published volume of work, a public reading and book signing event.
Theatre Program
A 5 month program that teaches students to turn their journal entries into monologues and music that they perform in a full-scale production.
Clothing Drives
What we wear tells a story too. That’s why we recycle “gently used” business clothing to help clients land jobs. We partner with businesses, trade associations and individuals to host clothing drives. Some of those that support the program with annual drives include: Aon Corp, Chartis Insurance, Gumbiner Savett Accountants, Public Counsel, The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, The City Club at Bunker Hill/ and others.
Digital Storytelling
Last year, in just 6 days our student team wrote, shot, edited and starred in their first film which captured first prize in Christopher Coppola’s Hollywood film festival. This year we will use video to help students learn new skills, further develop their presentation abilities and create exciting content.
Our Impact Together “This play reminded me never to relinquish my soul.” Alexandra
“Sometimes it takes a play to remind us that hope is still alive. It taught me that no one or thing can stop you if you do not give up or give in. . . Thank you for allowing me to experience so much joy and knowledge at the same time.” Pamela
“Wow! I can’t image being more inspired by anything. I have never seen a play before. I left the theatre feeling like I was walking on air.” Ron Since our partnership began in 2009 more than 300 students, donors and volunteers have joined us for “UP Nights At the Geffen Playhouse.” Our Skid Row pre-show discussion groups examine the empowerment lessons in each play. Ruined helped us take an introspective look at gang culture; Thurgood on achieving excellence even when the world views you as inferior and Chad Deity on the perils of compromising yourself and your dream. Geffen Educators then help us delve deeper into context, themes and historical references using our Geffen Playhouse Study Guides. Their instruction makes our theatre experience richer and less intimidating which is vital since many of our adult students have never seen a play. Our post show discussions allow us to compare notes, share insights and bond as we celebrate our theatre adventure together. This program is where some on Skid Row have found us and in turn discovered new possibilities in themselves.
Students like Tony Tate
Update: Tony has moved from Skid Row to low-income housing in Hollywood. He continues to be excited about his classes at Los Angeles City College, is now an Urban Possibilities Ambassador and recently retrieved his son from Michigan where he was getting heavily involved in gangs. They will both take our next class and have already begun to write pieces they can perform on stage together.
Seeing what’s possible can be the first step to getting there. After piloting our first Skid Row Theatre Program, we became a Geffen Playhouse outreach group. Our students fell in love with theatre and it modeled for them what great theatre looks like and inspired them to reach higher before they made their stage debuts.
An Aha Moment! Our second theatre class was twice the size and students start using what they were learning in class to help them land jobs. Improved confidence, speaking ability, goal setting, thinking on their feet, presentations skills, and telling their stories succinctly. And we saw first-hand that empowerment lessons teamed with the discipline and skill learned in theatre had value long after the final applause. More confident and creative employees were being born.
“It’s believed that speaking in public is one of the greatest fears people have. Performing my piece on stage in front of a packed auditorium, I more than faced that fear. I spoke with a confidence I never knew I had that I will now carry with me for the rest of my life in all I do.”
In 2012 Our Partnership Expanded Our Impact Grew Stronger! This year Geffen Playhouse staffers taught an Improv class as part of our tool kit and spent two weeks giving students expert prep to take the stage. In those rehearsals we watched them grow from knee-knocking body shaking fear to comfort and then confidence on stage. On show night they commanded the audience.
Building More Effective Employees That synergy is a perfect fit as we strategically focus on ways to leverage the skills the arts provide to help students become more creative and effective in life and as future employees. Teaching improv works in MBA programs at Harvard, Duke and MIT. We’ve seen how it’s also powerful for the homeless men and women in our program.
Soft skills Improv Provides: Increased focus Present in the moment Thinking on your feet Active Listening Teamwork Better communication Leadership Creativity Innovative thinking
As We Grow so Does Our Joint Impact
As we grow, we are actively seeking partnerships with organizations that heavily invest in helping at-risk men and women land jobs. Our collaboration helps us deliver greater impact as students move towards sustainability. We are the sole organization providing this service on Skid Row.
Moving Forward Increased Impact
Establishing the Improv class and stage preparation as a permanent part of our curriculum with continued focus on soft skills development.
Expanding our Reach
Creating Partnerships with organizations that support students on the road to sustainability
Additional Shows
Hosting performances for donors and diverse audiences including a performance at the Geffen’s Skirball theatre and larger events on the mainstage.
Digital Storytelling
Training our students to document the program, collect testimonials, and create social media content using video cameras
UP As Your Skid Row Partner
Maintain UP as the source group for skid row agencies to experience the Lights Up program.
Joint Opportunities • Fundraising • Attracting More Individual Donors • Academic Research • Publicity • Social Media Marketing
New Program Idea Story Possibilities for Urban Adults As students experience theatre, take the stage and tell their stories they become hungry for more. Training them as a traveling troupe that writes and delivers skits on real world subjects can further help change lives. Young audiences can learn from their mistakes and older ones can be inspired by their courage. Potential audiences include: Inner-city middle schools and high schools, Community Colleges, Job Prep and Placement, Programs, Job Fairs, Other Non-Profits, Libraries And more!
Next Steps • Feedback • Joint Goals and objectives • Plan for the 2013/2014 season • MOU • Budget And More Outcomes Like these. . .
Qiana Williams
“When I first came to the class, so many traumatic things that happened in my past had crippled me. I couldn’t live. I couldn’t function. I used drugs and alcohol to numb the pain I held within my soul. There was no way to express myself to get rid of the garbage I held so tightly. This class helped me express myself once again, it has helped me grow as a woman, to empty the garbage bin in my head and get rid of the baggage that weighed down my spirit. I feel lighter – free! It has opened doors in me I thought were closed forever. I am so grateful for this class and I can’t wait to take it again. Thank you so much. I love you guys!” Qiana was a real estate broker, homeowner, wife and mother of four who lost everything in a year due to an addiction to crystal meth. Yet from the heart of Skid Row she is staging a comeback and being on stage is part of it. She is now living clean and sober, has worked to regain custody of her children, is a regular at our UP Nights at the Geffen Playhouse, and was our lead performer in our latest show. Next class she’ll share what’s she’s learned by teaching a lesson or two and we’ll start harnessing her natural talent to be in front of the camera too.
Michael Shain
“Through this class, I have built a magic mirror of words. It does not tell me that I am the fairest in the land, but it does not tell me that I am not the fairest, either. It has enabled me to see myself past, present, and future all in one image. I have illuminated the dark corners of my past through the bright light of my future to see my present. I am not what I was. And I am not yet what I will be, but thanks to Urban Possibilities I am becoming more amazing than I ever throught possible. Thank you for a life changing experience that I will always cherish.� Michael Shain had the American dream. A CPA, married with a home in an affluent suburb, a couple of cars in the garage, income property, a regular contributor to charities. He describes his downward spiral as the perfect storm: first downsized, then divorced, then he lost his remaining assets and his confidence. When he landed on Skid Row he became angry feeling that he didnt deserve a fate like this. When we met him he described himself as dead meat walking. At the beginning, he was so shut down he would write just a few words and stop. We celebrated when he worked up to a sentence or two. Then the floodgates opened and the beauty of his voice came pouring through in volumes. Today, he is working again as a CPA, saving his money to leave Skid Row and publicly speaks on behalf of our organization. At our last book signing, he was the first in line to purchase books.
Michael Williams “I used to sleep in graveyards. I always believed I was nothing, came from nothing and would always be nothing. My journey of self destruction by way of addiction, prison, and near death led me to Skid Row where I felt even more at home because there were others who felt just like me: hopeless, destitute, and dead. But Urban Possibilities armed me with valuable tools to learn more, do more and be more. With every word I wrote, every performance, every class, every experience, I learned that I was someone valuable and my belief system changed. I am now living on a clear path to my dreams, using my gifts and my story to help others and there are no limits to what’s possible.” Michael is our Geffen Playhouse Student Liaison. He expressed what coming to the theater means to him in the Geffen’s 2011-2012 Education Report To The Community - (page 49) This June he earned his certification to become a drug and alcohol counselor, graduating top of his class. His teachers selected him as a graduation speaker. This former heroin user now works at a drug rehab facility on Skid Row during the day, although he no longer lives in the area, and attends college at night. His goal is to receive his Ph.D. in six years. When he does, the world will call him Dr. Williams. We’ve started calling him that now.