I tried something a little different with my embodied-poetry group at common art this week. We read a poem called “The Way It Is” by William Stafford, which features the prominent line: “There’s a thread you follow. It goes among / things that change. But it doesn’t change.”
As a warm-up to this poem, I thought it would be a fun idea to do an embodied activity using some thread, where everyone would grab hold of a single, connected piece of yarn, and walk around each other, letting the thread cross and tangle itself as we would pass, but nevertheless bringing us closer together as we would follow our piece of the thread towards each other. My vision for this did not exactly go as planned: number one, because we were very limited in terms of space; and, number two, because the “thread” I had was a ball of yarn that was already incredibly tangled. Luckily, one of my group members had a ball of twine on him. So after some laughs, while they wondered what on earth I was trying to do as I flailed around with the yarn, we used the twine. Since we didn’t really have room to walk around each other, we just kind of tried to make a web with the twine by trading our pieces back and forth and crossing them over each other, which didn’t quite fit with the original analogy I was going for but maybe created its own. I’m not sure if said analogy landed; but in any case, the group members were great sports and seemed to enjoy the change of pace.
Unfortunately, poetry group will have to be paused for the next few weeks. Fortunately, this is so that I can help produce our Christmas play (premiering at common art December 18th), written by our beloved-community member Richard Berman. I am excited because this script, entitled “Fix the Damn Sidewalk”, is honestly unlike anything I have ever seen before. While it reads like a light-hearted, humorous, feel-good play, it is also a poignant political commentary on the government’s inaction with addressing the needs of the unhoused population. As such, producing this play feels like more than just a creative challenge: it feels like assisting in a powerful form of artistic activism. I am honored to have this role and want to take it on with great care and intention. As a drama-therapy student, I am very aware of the impact theatre can have, both for the audience and for those involved in the performance and creative process. I want this to be an empowering and inspiring experience for all involved, so I’m hoping to cultivate that energy using some of my drama-therapy tools over the next few weeks.
I believe the “thread” that I follow here with common cathedral is helping others find their threads of truth and empowerment through creative expression. Our talent show, the embodied-poetry group, and now this play are all a part of that thread. None of it would be possible without the incredible talent and passion of this community. I’m so grateful to be trusted to follow where they lead me, and I can’t wait to see where we go next!
Nov. 20, 2024, Mary Swabenland