Jamia Jones, Hamden High senior.
High school senior Jamia Jones found it “nerve-racking” to stand at the open mic to begin her spoken-word piece on the floor of the Long Wharf Theatre main stage at the second annual Moments and Minutes Festival.
If Jamia was nervous, it didn’t show. Her piece was delivered with all the confidence and poise of a professional actor, or someone who has experienced and believes her own dynamic words. “With a powerful piece, you have to project emotions… I live to break stereotypes,” she said in a post-show interview.
Some of the Moments & Minutes performers.
Jamia was one of 23 students participating in the showcase of original monologues, spoken word, poetry, and visual art, where issues of race, identity, and coming of age realities seemed to be foremost on the minds of students.
DAVID SEPULVEDA PHOTOS
Painting by Juliet Royster, Brien McMahon High School.
Performers and exhibiting visual artists from all over the city and the state were invited to participate in this year’s festival by Long Wharf Theatre’s education outreach program. “Moments and Minutes is a celebration of the youth of our community as performers and artists,” said Long Wharf Director of Education Beth Milles.
During the year, Long Wharf teaching artists visited classrooms to teach workshops on writing and performing spoken-word pieces and monologues. Eliza Orleans, a resident teaching artist at Long Wharf, said that a call went out to schools and students in January: “We want to know who you are. We want to know how you are discovering your identity in the world today. What is your legacy — what are your dreams and ambitions?”
Long Wharf Theatre’s managing director, Josh Borenstein, noted that “education programs serve between 5,000 – 6,000 students every year. Between 60 and 70 percent of students in the programs are from New Haven’s public schools. “A critical expression of Long Wharf’s mission is our investment in education,” he said.
Scene from “This is Modern Art.”
In addition to spoken-word performances, the audience was treated to a scene from This is Modern Art, a play by Idris Goodwin and Kevin Coval now playing at Collective Consciousness Theater (CCT) at Erector Square through April 17. A partner in this year’s Moments and Minutes Festival, CCT co-founder and director Dexter Singleton said he was “excited to see young people take the stage and own the stage and talk about their lives and realities.”
Caleb Rutherford of Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School.
Among the students addressing the realities of their lives was eighth-grader Caleb Rutherford of Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School, who talked about the indignity of prejudice in his poignant piece, Bernstein’s Mass:
What do you see when I am walking down the street?
Is it my hoodie, Timbs, and the color of my skin?
Do you hear the music blaring through my headphones?
Do you see the swagger with which I walk?
Is my head down?
Are my hands in my pockets?
Do I match the description of…?
What would you see
If the logo on my hoodie read “Yale” instead of “116?”
Which, by the way, represents a scripture and not my set.
If my skin were as white as yours?
If my eyes were blue?
If my hair were straight and blonde,
Not curly and coily?
When you see me walking down the street
In my brown skin, hoodie, and Timbs
[But] what you don’t see is me
Listening to Leonard Bernstein’s Mass,
Walking with the confidence my parents instilled in me,
With my head down, blocking the cold wind
That cuts across my face,
With my hands in my pockets to keep my fingers warm.
Emanuel Gonzalez, also from Betsy Ross School, said he felt “weightless — like I can express anything” when performing. He cautioned that he should not be judged by the color of his skin, and proudly proclaimed his Puerto Rican-American heritage.
Hillhouse High School junior Jonysah Bouknight began her piece, “Far Away,” singing a capella. She quickly transitioned to her cautionary tale of the dangers of following the crowd.
Faces by Olive Fengel, Brien McMahon High.
An evening packed with profound and compelling moments and minutes on stage also extended to the visual arts projects that could be found on two lobby floors at the theater.
Natalique Leonffu, Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School.
Like the their spoken-word counterparts, the imagery and content addressed issues of identity …
Mabel Rooney, Betsy Ross Arts Magnet School.
… and a universal wish for acknowledgement among people that posed the question, “Do you see me?”
For more information about Long Wharf Theatre and its educational offerings, visit its website or call 203 – 787-4282.
