There’s something especially difficult about shaking the cobwebs from my brain and returning to second semester. It feels like all the momentum I built up last semester has collapsed in a heap of hot cocoa and sleeping in, made all that much worse by my two cats, who plop themselves down on my lap just as it’s time to be productive again. I felt an odd sort of anxiousness going back into my first day at BostonWarm after break, a sort of dread that asked, “What if this internship isn’t like it was before?”
Well, within about two minutes of my return, my anxieties were calmed. I was welcomed back in as if no time had passed at all—sometimes by hugs and sometimes by teasing (but loving) comments, but genuine welcome all the same. Shortly thereafter my anxieties shifted focus to the second semester project I’ve been designing over break. I am hoping to work with community members to write, direct, produce, and perform a show over the course of several months. This idea is as nerve-wracking as it is exciting. My mind races off into tangents of possibilities and as these thoughts are darting off in all directions, my rational brain struggles to reign them in. What kind of show would we do? Would we write it together? Would it have a cohesive plot or a series of monologues?
To organize my thoughts, I scheduled a meeting with my former advisor, from whom I got the idea in the first place. He is a drama therapist that worked with those experiencing chronic homelessness in New York City. He helped me organize my thoughts by starting with an important question, what are the therapeutic goals? I pondered this for a while, finally deciding that my therapeutic goals are improving communication and collaboration skills, affect regulation and expression, and self-esteem. Establishing these goals is a good place to start, but in order to continue with this project, I must figure out what the community is interested in performing—a story about life on the streets? A completely fantastical, self-written story? A new take on a story that already exists? Once I’ve established this with those who are interested in performing, I will better be able to establish an overall timeline and plan for the performance. That is, based on the type of story the community wants to perform, I’ll better know the theater exercises, games, and techniques to help get them there. While this project still is a bit overwhelming, I am very excited to hear who is interested in participating and what they hope to get from the experience.
-Amanda Ludeking