"From Where I Stand" is a theatrical storytelling project featuring nine students from partner organizations. Photo courtesy: Orpheum Theatre Group
The Orpheum Education department has launched two pilot programs in youth storytelling to collaborate with Mid-South youth through the transformative power of the arts: “Listen Up!” and “From Where I Stand.” These programs have been bringing young people together with teaching artists for the past two months so that the youth could share their own stories. Two free public showings resulting from these programs will be held Thursday, April 11th, and Wednesday, April 24th.
“Listen Up!” (a digital storytelling project) features seven 4th, 5th, and 6th graders from St. Patrick Catholic School. These students worked together with teaching artists to create a digital documentary version of their story centered on legacy.
“From Where I Stand” features nine youths from various partner organizations (including Facing History, Shelby County Schools, Stax Music Academy, Cazateatro Bilingual Theatre, and the Refugee Empowerment Program), who share their stories in a devised theatrical form.
In a press release, Jennifer McGrath, the Orpheum's vice president of education, says, “The voices of young people in Memphis matter and everyone’s story deserves to be told. We want the Orpheum Theatre Group to be a place where everyone has a platform to share their experiences in their own voice and we believe in cultivating a variety of mediums and programs to do that.”
The public is able to enjoy what's been cultivated from these programs, and the participants want to share with the community! Both of the storytelling projects are created and shared by the students performing, in their own words, voices, and point of view. Two free performances will be held at the Halloran Centre Theatre located at 225 South Main Street, next to the Historic Orpheum Theatre.
“Listen Up!” will be on Thursday, April 11th, at 6 p.m. Guests are also welcomed to view student artwork at 5 p.m. before the storytelling project in the Halloran Centre Art Gallery on the 2nd floor. “From Where I Stand” will be later on in the month, on Wednesday, April 24th, at 7 p.m. Some material contains mature themes.
The Orpheum Theatre Group’s mission is to enhance the communities we serve by utilizing the performing arts to entertain, educate, and enlighten while preserving the historic Orpheum Theatre and the Halloran Centre for Performing Arts & Education. Visit their website for more information: orpheum-memphis.com.