From Georgia:
For my final B’DAT production, I was given the gift of doing something I’ve never done before. Jo offered me a gentle push, and for the past semester I have attempted to navigate this fierce group of opinionated young adults. As I entered foreign territory, I found myself challenged, bewildered, and astounded by the material. The Heidi Chronicles holds a mirror up to us and demands our equal time and consideration. It is a warning, an omen, a foundation for our future. It is a love note to women and young people. This show encourages risk taking! Question asking! All of the above!
My perspective as an assistant director allowed me to work with my passionate friends in a way unprecedented. Never have I been so honored to learn from my peers and watch them gracefully tell a story this raw and real. These students exude bravery and unfailing responsibility! But don’t be fooled by how effortless Morgan and Jonah and Lila make it all look- our show has taken indeed hard work. This cast has touched me to my very core, and has given me one of the most profound learning experiences I’ve had at Beacon. To say that I’m grateful for Jo’s gift is the understatement of the year. The Heidi Chronicles is a living and breathing piece of art, above all else urging for change. Today it starts with us.
From Brittany:
When tasked with directing an entire act of this wonderful little show, I was immediately excited, but had no idea what I was getting myself into. This play has so much more depth than I thought, and it was a blessing to get to turn this piece of theatre into what you see before you today. Getting to work alongside my best friend, Georgia Ganser, a strong and powerful woman I constantly look up to, is exactly the way I would have wanted to complete my final production- this wonderful, profound play that relates to the masses. I cannot thank Jo Ann Cimato enough for this incredible opportunity- a challenge that I am proud to say I accomplished. I could not be more proud of how it turned out- working with the actors was delightfully collaborative and we pushed each other constantly to make stronger choices and honor this show.
Thank you Morgan Starling, my star, for being the beautiful ray of sunshine we all need in our day and for going about this play with absolute grace and earnest humanity. I could not have done this without Jo, Georgia, Morgan, and every other person you see onstage, and those you do not see offstage. Although this show was written a while ago, and by a woman who passed well before her time, this show holds weight with us today, and will for time to come. All the women characters in this play are heroes in their own way, as are all the women who worked on this show to me. The Heidi Chronicles has forever changed the way women are represented and talked about in theatre, setting a precedent for many feminist texts to come. Inclusion riders and intersectionality always. Women now, women forever. Women in art!
