The Council That Inspires
Posted by Julia Celentano on 4/13/2010
In a few days, Steppenwolf for Young Adults will be hosting The Brother/Sister Plays Afterparty… I am super excited! Who am I? Julia Celentano, one of 19 lucky members of Steppenwolf’s Young Adults Council. The council is made up of high school students who want to learn more about the inner workings of a professional theatre. We see plays, read plays, organize events around plays, and (my favorite) meet with professionals in the business. Because of this connection to the theatre, we have seen The Brother/Sister Plays evolve from a series of amazing scripts into the brilliant shows they are today. If that doesn’t tempt you to join the council, then check this out: one of the first people with whom we met this year was none other than Mr. Brother/Sister Plays himself, playwright Tarell McCraney.
Being a “freshman” to the council I decided to calm my nerves by preparing myself for Tarell’s visit. I read countless interviews and articles, but this seemed to do quite the opposite of the intended. By the time I arrived at that Wednesday’s meeting, I must admit, I was petrified. My Google searches had told me he had overcome much hardship, and accomplished as much as most of us hope to do in a lifetime. What could I possibly have to say or even ask of him? I took a back seat, listening and enjoying the ride.
Tarell introduced himself briefly, and then asked us all to get out a sheet of paper and a pencil. He scrolled through his iPod and instructed us to write down anything we knew about the songs he would play. I began to feel relatively foolish as he played song after song that I had never heard of. When I looked around I wasn’t the only one struggling. At least I wasn’t alone in my failure. Tarell took pity on us and gave us the answers. I started to see some repeats. The first song we had written down was an original version; the one that followed was a remake or new interpretation. The whole list followed this form. Even after knowing the pattern, I was still confused about its relevance, though. There are no new stories, just new versions of them, he told us, summarizing his writing philosophy in 10 words.
That meeting was a blast. He was impressively secure and passionate in speaking about his life and work. He spoke about his writing process. His education. His goals. All this in an hour and-a-half. To put it simply: this meeting was inspiring.
No doubt the play and the afterparty event on April 17th will be as inspiring. And, if that wasn’t enough of a sell for why (if you’re a high school student) you should come… did I mention Tarell McCraney will be there?
If this interests you, high schoolers, you might want to consider looking into joining the council. For more info and the application to join, please visit the Young Adult Council website.