 Hi everyone, welcome back. Today too of the Inclusive Theatre Festival. Thank you all for being here. I am so excited to introduce a second speaker for the day. We have Simone Prasini joining us. Simone is a multi-hyphenate actor born in Lima, Peru, raised in Dallas, Texas, and currently based in Los Angeles. They hold a BFA in acting. Sorry, that was the live stream. As I was saying, Simone holds a BFA in acting and a minor in film production from DePaul University. Recent onscreen credits include Veil in the Pilot Wisdom, filmed at Chicago's Sin City Studios, and Gail in a Wedding to Diego, a queer rom-com shot in Portland, Oregon. Other than acting, Simone loves rock climbing, hiking, writing, poetry, creating music, and generally mosing around in nature. Simone's passion for inclusion in media prompted them to found Vibes Video, a production company centering BIPOC, LGBTQ, and near-diverse voices. They aimed to tell stories rooted in authenticity regardless of medium or genre. Recent productions include one of the boys, a queer sitcom pilot, It's Alive, a comedic sketch, and the lamp a short drama. We're so happy to have you here Simone, and welcome. It's all yours. Hi, everyone. My name is Simone Brazini. Like our lovely host just said, I am a multi- Simone, I don't think we can hear you very well right now. Could you repeat that maybe? Hi Simone. Can you hear us? Yeah, I think you're muted right now. Can you hear me? Yes, yes. Okay, my Wi-Fi's back. Awesome. So as I was saying, my name is Simone Brazini. Like our host said, I am a multi-hyphenate creative. I am based in Los Angeles. I am primarily an actor, but I also write, direct, and create all different kinds of art. And I'm here today to talk to you about intersectionality in authentic storytelling. And I have a lovely presentation if we want to share the screen. Great. So I created this little canva thing. So what is intersectionality? Intersectionality acknowledges that people and groups can experience multiple forms of discrimination and oppression simultaneously, and that these forms of discrimination are interconnected and cannot necessarily be understood or experienced in isolation from one another. The term intersectionality was coined by Kimberly Crenshaw in 1989. She used it to describe how Black women often face a unique set of challenges and experiences that weren't properly addressed by mainstream feminists or anti-racist movements. Overall, intersectionality recognizes that various aspects of a person's identity, such as race, gender, sexuality, class, disability, and more, intersect and interact to shape their experiences and social position. In addition to the multi-dimensional aspects of identity, other key points of intersectionality are interconnected systems, which emphasizes that systems of oppression, like I said, like racism, sexism, homophobia, etc., are interconnected and cannot be fully understood in isolation. Discrimination is not just additive, but it can be multiplicative in its impact. Unique experiences. People with intersecting identities may face unique forms of discrimination and privilege that are not experienced by those with single, unidimensional identities, though I don't think anyone really has a single or my back. It keeps closing out. Yep, you're back. I'm sorry, we might be facing some internet problems with Simone, but they will be back. Does it seem like I'm like leaving because on my end, Baizoum just like closes and then opens again? Yeah, I think it just like, it shows that you just leave the meeting and then come back in. But that's okay. If you're good, you can keep going. Oh, we can't hear you, Simone. So where I was talking about was the social justice aspect of intersectionality. Can you hear me now? Yep, yep, we can. Okay, so the social justice intersectionality is often used as a framework for social justice activism and policy advocacy. It encourages a more inclusive and nuanced approach to addressing social inequities. To break it down, I'm going to use myself as an example. So I identify as non-binary, trans, queer, neurodiverse, and Latinx. So there are many times where maybe I'll be in a queer space, but I'll be the only non-binary or transmitted person there. And it can be difficult to connect or have a full experience because that intersection of my identity isn't fully recognized. And similarly, if not more, when I'm in like Latinx, but spaces that aren't queer at all, then my queer and trans identity make it very difficult to feel accepted in the Latinx space because that culture is very binary and patriarchal. Overall, intersectionality has been very influential in various academic fields and social justice movements, helping to raise awareness about the complex and multifaceted nature of discrimination and inequality. It's used as a tool for understanding how different forms of identity interact and impact people's lives and experiences. And in theater or writing film, you know, all creative mediums, it helps create art that all people can connect to. And it's something that's always there, you know, whether we think about it or not. We can go to the next slide. So what is authenticity? Oh, that was this slide. Okay, next one more. What is authenticity? So authenticity is a complex concept that refers to being true to yourself, your values and your beliefs. It involves living in a way that aligns with genuine character and not pretending to be someone or something that you're not. Authenticity is... Apologies for the issues to our audience. First of all, we'll be joining us soon. So some key aspects of authenticity include self-awareness. Authenticity starts with the deep understanding of oneself. Am I here? Yes. I think it's just going to keep doing that. I don't know why. Yeah, I'm so sorry. If it keeps happening, I'm not sure that... So self-awareness. Yeah, I think we just go keep going, yeah. All right, self-awareness. Authenticity starts with a deep understanding of oneself, including one's values, beliefs, emotions, and motivations. It requires self-reflection and introspection, which not only takes time and energy, but can also change and fluctuate as your life goes on. Consistency being authentic means consistently behaving and presenting yourself in a manner that reflects your true self across various situations and contexts. Although to relate this back to intersectionality, sometimes people do need to code switch or mask in order to stay safe. And I think recognizing that you're doing that in the moment is also authentic. So code switching and masking doesn't mean you aren't living authentically. It just means that there's more than one way to be authentic, given the given circumstances. Transparency. Authenticity involves being open and transparent about your thoughts, feelings, and intentions, especially to yourself. You don't need to be telling everyone your private thoughts or anything like that, but being transparent with yourself can be really valuable. Acceptance of imperfections. Acknowledging your flaws and imperfections and not trying to hide them. Like to zoom all the flaws and not trying to hide them. Authenticity means embracing the humanity and the complexities of our human character. Now that doesn't mean like you're never going to like not work on yourself. You just accept all your flaws and that's that. No, it just means that you are in a state of radical acceptance. And then you can make a conscious decision of no, no, I'm okay with that aspect of myself. Or you know what? This is something that I do want to change and improve and then take action from there. Self-expression. Authenticity encourages self-expression and the freedom to be who you are rather than conforming to social norms or expectations. And again, depending on your situation and environment, it may not always be safe to do so. And that doesn't mean you are being authentic, but maybe finding places where you can be yourself or choosing to express yourself when you know, it won't be dangerous, but maybe it can just feel scary. Okay, I switched to my phone's hotspot. So we'll see if that is better than the Wi-Fi. Okay, but I was on self-expression. So I was saying is that maybe you might not feel safe to self-express in some places and that doesn't mean you aren't being authentic, but maybe you can push yourself to find places where you can be yourself or choosing to self-express when it just feels a little bit uncomfortable, but you take that step because it's for you, which leads me to growth and change. Authenticity does not mean stagnation. You know, it allows for personal growth and change while you're staying true to yourself, you know, as you're evolving. It's also important to note that authenticity can be subjective and can vary from person to person. You know, what's considered authentic for one person may not be the same for another. You know, cultural, social, and personal factors all influence how authenticity is expressed and understood. But overall, in many contexts, being authentic is considered a positive quality. There's a power behind it. It leads to a sense of self-fulfillment, stronger relationships, and a more genuine and fulfilling life that informs the art that you do and create, as well as the art that you digest and experience and consume. However, achieving authenticity, if you can even achieve it, is a lifelong journey. It involves ongoing self-discovery and self-expression, and it can be scary and uncomfortable and emotional, but overall worth it. We can go to the next slide. So examples of authenticity and storytelling. I'll start with my own. So I recently wrote a feature film called My Name Is Blue that features a non-binary, neurodiverse, and Latinx protagonist. And it's not autobiographical, but I used a lot of my own past experiences, the intersectionality of my identities to create a character that is messy and authentic. And there were definitely moments in this that were difficult to write because I was taking for my own life, but I think it ultimately lent itself to creating a deep and heartfelt story. It's been three years in the making, but it's been received well, critically, and I'm pretty proud of it. In terms of more famous, recognized works, there's the TV shows Fleabag and Rami, the Oscar-winning movie Moonlight. In theaters, there's the classic The Raisin in the Sun, almost like all of August Wilson's plays, the Laramie project, the Broadway show Indecent. Now, all of these works were informed by real life experiences, mostly the writers lived experiences that helped shape the art they were creating. Now, I would love to go around and share all of you, share things that you've either personally created that were informed from your own lived experiences or something that you've seen recently that you just felt was very authentic. And you can either like raise the little zoom hand or you can just like unmute yourself and feel free to share. So just to recap everyone, we're sharing an example where we've seen authenticity in some kind of media. So if anybody has any examples of that, please feel free to raise your hand or just unmute and share. I could start us off. I saw Indecent for the first time when I was working on it last year at Northwestern. I was a sound op, but it was just such an incredible show. And for me, as someone who didn't know a lot about Jewish culture and Jewish history, it was just so wonderful to like see that intersection of Judaism and the LGBTQ community and what that looked like in that time. So it was just it was just super interesting to look at. And it really gave me a perspective on like some even being a little controversial when showing like being authentically true to yourself and the story you want to tell. Yeah, that's such a great example because, you know, I said during that time, like it was really hard for those in the Jewish community and it was also really hard for people in the queer community. So if your identity intersected in both of those things and like that shapes your experience so much more, you know, and then in creating this stuff, the playwright, if you go. Oh, Simone, I think the themes are still so prep. So your audio cut out, but it came back. So it's fine. All good. Do you want to repeat the last thing that she said? Just so everybody can hear it? Yeah, just that even though we're in contemporary times, so this playwright wrote this story that is set in the early 1900s. But so many of those themes are still so prevalent today and that intersectionality and authenticity just helps bring out so many layers of a play that's set back then even though we're watching it in today's times. Is anybody else having anything that they like to share, something that they watched recently or even something that they created themselves? Yes, Millie. Hi, I'm just so I've been an acting class with Ashna actually, and we're currently working on this project called the New Heritage Project. And it's a little vague, I think intentionally, but it's it's asking us to create little like small pieces of movement or sound or speech that are about us and our heritage and who we are, whatever that means to us. So just something that I've been thinking about recently is like, what are the parts of myself that I want to share in my stories? And our teachers also very clear on like that there are parts of yourself that you don't have to share. So finding those those places of authenticity has been really interesting to explore, especially because this is where we're starting our exploration and acting in the class. So I've had a lot of fun with that in the past couple weeks. Great, I'm really, it's like such an awesome thing that your teacher has asked how to do. And I think it is really important that like authenticity does not mean you're just like telling everyone everything about yourself, like, you can absolutely have boundaries. And it's more just like the exploration that you have within yourself and then choosing what you want to share with others. Because regardless, it's all going to inform everything. But I think that's lovely. And I'm glad that you're getting to have that. Matt. Hi, yes. So something that I connected with recently in a class was a project called the Penelope Project. And it was sort of a multi group project that involved a university, a local theater, I believe it was in Wisconsin, and a long term care facility for elderly people. And it was sort of a kind of a devised project that used the story of Penelope and Odysseus from Greek mythology to kind of give these folks in this long term care home the opportunity to sort of tell stories. And within that framework sort of tell their own stories. And it involved sort of also kind of a side plot that involved memory loss, which is something that a lot of these people were struggling with. And I think it just was something that really touched me because there were so many people from so many different kind of backgrounds and people from this university and from this care home and from this local theater that kind of worked together and helped really talk to each of these people as individuals and talk to them about their lives and helped them sort of weave all of that into a story that they could share with their own community and with other people who came to see the piece who maybe had misconceptions or didn't often think about the lives and experiences of those elderly people living in a care home. And yeah, just it was a really cool example of sort of I think like collaborative art making and also authentic storytelling for a group of people who maybe don't have that opportunity often. Wow, thank you so much for sharing that. That sounds really awesome. And I think you know devised work absolutely whenever you're creating both as an ensemble you know and taking from your life that's always going to include authenticity. But I love how you share this because it also shows how authenticity can be empowering. You know for these people who usually probably aren't creating theater very often and have this really unique experience. I loved hearing about it. Thank you. Holly. Thank you. I used to work in a liberal arts college and I have seen four or five pieces self-written about people on their trans journeys and how they made that decision and how their reactions from friends and families kind of affected them. And I found each of them to be very different and very, very brave. Thank you. Yeah, I think that also highlights that even if people you know identify similarly with like the same quote unquote label all our stories are going to be super unique and individual and that's what authenticity is all about. So thank you for sharing that. Okay let's go on to the next slide. So bringing your full authentic self into your artwork. So showing up as your authentic self in your artwork can be challenging and deeply personal for a variety of reasons you know as people have already shared you know like vulnerability. Authenticity often involves revealing your true thoughts and emotions and experiences which can make you feel vulnerable you know sharing your genuine self can expose you to criticism or judgment that's like it feels like it's about you and then it can lead to a fear of rejection you know there's a fear that your authentic work may not be well received by the audience or the critics and this fear of rejection can be a barrier to expressing yourself honestly and you know especially like in larger contexts when money is involved you know if there's a producer you have to think it's just going to be commercially viable and when it's about yourself and you're being authentic that's even scarier and they're self-doubt and doubting your own authenticity and whether your true self is interesting or worthy of artistic expression is a common hurdle that a lot of artists go through and self-doubt can undermine your ability to be true to yourself and your work not to mention the social and cultural expectations you know societal and cultural norms and expectations can sometimes discourage authentic expression you're leading to self-censorship someone might feel pressure to conform to what is considered more acceptable or more commercially viable and then identity exploration being authentic in your art often involves exploring your own identity and values which can be deeply introspective and sometimes it can be an uncomfortable process because we haven't been to those places before and then personal exposure which we talked about sometimes we can be hesitant to share some of those more personal experiences because of privacy however despite these challenges many artists such as myself such as these amazing stories that we've heard by not creating authentic work is worth it and ultimately a magical way of creation because it provides genuine connection authentic art has the power to create a deep and genuine connection between the art and the audience and the artist you know viewers and participants can sense the authenticity of the work and it can evoke a strong emotional response that resonates on a personal level it has more emotional impact no authenticity in our often leads to a more profound emotional impact it can stir powerful feelings provoke thought and inspire reflection leaving an even more lasting impression on those who engage with it uniqueness authentic artwork is inherently unique because it reflects the individuality and originality of the artist it stands out always it offers a fresh perspective and it makes it memorable the special empowerment we just talked about this too creating and sharing authentic art can be an empowering experience for the creators it allows you to embrace your own voice your values your experiences and give a sense of control and self-affirmation catharsis many artists find that expressing their authentic selves in their work is a cathartic process it can help release pent up emotions heal from past traumas and find closure inspiration authentic art can inspire others to embrace their own authenticity it can serve as a model for self-acceptance and encourage others to explore their own unique perspectives and creativity innovation authenticity often drives artistic innovation when artists break free from societal norms and expectations they can create groundbreaking original and thought-provoking work that pushes the boundaries of art and culture resilience sharing authentic art can build resilience it requires artists to confront their fears and overcome self-doubt which can be transformative and empowering and speaking of transformation you know both the artist and the audience can experience personal transformation through authentic art it can change perspectives it can challenge beliefs and inspire personal growth so in essence the magic of authenticity in art lies in its ability to transcend the superficial and touch the core of the human experience you know that's the underlying connection between every human being we're all humans and has the power to bridge the gap between the artist's inner world and the external world creating those moments of connection and inspiration now I would love it if we could take about a minute or two for everybody to write down you know whether that's like actual pen and paper or just on your phone I would love it if you could each write down five things that you think make you you now it doesn't have to be things that like only apply to you and no one else because that would be very very hard but just like the first five things you can think of that's like hmm this is me so for me that would be queerness neurodiversity creativity fitness and mental health now it doesn't necessarily have to be labels or identity or anything like that it can be something that you like to do like really love animals you can just like write down animals you know or something that you like like a color maybe you know identity can be more personal have some more depth so if you are comfortable I would love for you to go there but really any five things that you the first five things that you can think of I'll give you guys a couple minutes to do that and then maybe we can share keep writing if you're still writing but I would love us to go around and share if you're comfortable sharing and I think we'll be able to see that maybe there's some overlap but my prediction is that no one will have all the same five things and that this is sort of what intersectionality is all about you know where we can come together and although we are all unique in individual you know it's how we can bring our full selves in a way that's that fulfills ourselves but also engages others and also connects you know whether you're a writer or producer or performer or director a behind-the-scenes person or just like someone who enjoys the arts I think we all benefit from being authentic with ourselves and our daily lives so if anyone is ready to share you can raise a little hand or unmute yourself yeah I can go first um I wrote queer faith science dogs and family so that I didn't hear any of it so if you mind sharing one more time or putting it in the chat because the audio is breaking up but I'm really sorry I'll write it I'll write it in the chat okay that's awesome yeah if anyone doesn't want to speak and just wants to write it in the chat I can read it for you too if that's something you're more comfortable with this is just any speaking I wrote down indigenous autistic artistic scientist I love it thank you thank you so much for sharing and then Monica this was queer faith science dogs family awesome this is awesome thank you so much I love hearing anyone else would like to share no pressure just making sure that we have the space for anyone who wants to either vocally share or write in the chat I wrote storyteller Jewish creative slash curious I couldn't pick on those sailor and family nice nice thank you so much we have Holly in the chat grow independent souist outward facing introvert reflective lover of Japanese traditional arts so cool thank you for sharing I wrote down teacher well just lost it teacher creativity children and mature woman thank you anybody else well so far no one has had all five and there's actually been only a tiny bit of overlap so I think that's really awesome showing just how different we all are yes Tessa and Ryan Korean Vietnamese gay introvert creative love it I love all the clearness in the room that is everyone then you can go ahead oh one more yes Kate mother educator wife woman of faith creative autism mama amazing thank you so much for sharing okay let's go ahead and move on to the next slide creative exercise thought you were done writing I should not okay after hearing what other people put down maybe you want to change yours maybe you want to add some or maybe you want to stay the same you know it's all about reflecting we're growing expanding now I would love it for you all to take three minutes to write creatively about something that intersects with the things that you wrote down you know it can be anything it is so this is super broad open babe it can be just like free writing like like a journal entry you know just whatever comes to your mind you can write some like premises if you are someone who really likes to come up with stories you can if you immediately are like inspired um just start to script like anything that you want to write even if it's just bullet points of more free writing words the things that don't necessarily connect just take three minutes whatever comes out comes out I'll do it too um so yeah three minutes from now go you can go ahead and write it has been about three minutes so if you want to go ahead and wrap up what you have written we can take about five minutes to share you can either like verbatim share what you wrote or you can just share what came up in a more broader sense when you thought about these five words that you chose um I'll wait word for word what I wrote because it was more of a free writing than a creative writing I wrote neurodiversity and queerness and mental health all seem to intertwine most queer people I know have some sort of neurodiverse identity and or mental health diagnosis but with creativity and fitness for me these aspects of my life that are aren't necessarily identity or diagnosis are the parts of my life that help me flourish when I see all aspects of myself I'm proud to be who I am I may have struggled in the past but my creative outlets and gym and rock climbing have all encouraged me to face my fears and embrace who I am um so if anyone wants to share what they discovered some thoughts anything that they wrote down feel free to raise your hand or unmute I can go um first I wrote down one of my five words was um they say and um for me I like my favorite was about how I feel like the words that I choose would be different like two years ago um from to what they are right now and I just like I was just thinking about how certain parts of your identity become salient when like depending on the context that you're in so because I'm not in like when I was in India for 18 years of my life I never thought about being brown the same way I do when I'm here in the US now so I think that's really interesting and um it's cool to see how with time the parts of you that feel the most authentic change and kind of like come up to the surface in different ways um yeah that's a little bit about mine if you're right thank you for sharing anyone else want to share this is claudia's disembodied voice on my writing and uh the writing was about being um embracing it's funny I'm trying to sum it up and I'm like should I just read it how about I'll say this the thing that I wrote was about embracing the fact that I am a talkative introvert and all the things in my home are supporting my access needs great thank you I really appreciate you sharing anybody else want to share great Ari for Mattia oh sorry no no worries or if you want to go first and then I can read sure um so one of the words I put down was storykeeper um and that's what I wrote about I'm a keeper of stories I am sentimental I worry that memories of something or someone will wash away and disappear I keep things that belong to relatives that past beloved toys old furniture my father's baby shoes my great grandmother's glasses photos of family members I don't even know pictures of my nephews this is how I feel the love and keep the love and remember thank you so much that was so beautiful I really love that thank you so much so Mattia wrote some of my words included curiosity slash willingness to listen and learn collaboration and compassion my writing pertain to the ways in which I strive to bring those to others but also I'm learning to bring them to myself lovely thank you nobody else feel called to share no worries if not then we shall move on to the next slide so this is a post exercise discussion so we're not done talking but uh there's not going to be any more like writing um but for this part I would love if we could just sort of go into a more in-depth discussion maybe about 10 minutes we'll see maybe I think more five minutes um I'm gonna ask us some questions to get us started but this is pretty open so feel free to talk about anything that feels relevant or you know ask everyone who's here your own questions if you have them but these are the questions that I have how often do you see all of yourself represented in media and do you want to see it would you want to watch something that's more intersectional and authentic and do you see any potential problems with authentic storytelling could it also be a trap um so those are just the questions that I'm posing you don't necessarily have to answer any of these um if just if it inspires a thought feel free to share that I'm gonna open it up to you all first and see if anyone has anything that they'd like to say from that yes Millie so something that I had just started thinking about with those questions is the like feeling I'm seeing people that are similar to you but have different experiences and I think that's what's super exciting to me about theater that I see people being their authentic selves in theater where I or stories where I see myself represented is that they're not me they don't have the same exact life story as me they don't have the same experiences as me but whoever is in that situation has something that I identify with and I think that finding those places of like similarity and relating to characters and relating to stories that you see told is super exciting and beneficial because you get to see other people's stories and how they engage in the world and you're not just seeing how you would respond to something or how you would go through the scenarios that's playing out yeah it helps us expand our minds you know you have that thread I can connect here but then it grows and expands and branches out which is like an awesome part of our anyone else anything that comes to their minds um this is Claudia's voice I was thinking about how representation isn't enough how often times we will be as marginalized people invited into stories that were not written by us and and then we're we're invited to represent a simulacrum of our experience so I I love that I am today seeing more people who look like me more people who in stories have a disabled experience more people who are black but also sometimes I can tell that the writer and the directors don't come from my community and so then I'm just seeing people telling stories that aren't authentic and it makes me more distanced yeah thank you for bringing that up I think yeah is it really could it be considered authenticity if it's just the actors you know reflecting that if it doesn't go deeper like on a deeper level like the writers like I think it's important that everyone involved in a project on all layers otherwise it's just performative and I don't think that's something that everyone can connect to as much if it weren't informed on every level so I really thank you for saying that Claudia anyone else have anything that they want to bring up I'll say something if no one else and I think this also relates back to intersectionality you know and how different aspects of our identities are informed in different ways you know there are some parts of our identity that we cannot even pretend to detach from like it's immediate and there are other parts of our identities that you know we can choose to share whether we want to or not and it reminds me of this story I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with the TV show Heartstopper but the TV show Heartstopper is about two young queer boys coming of age and one of the lead actors upon joining the show was out and gay and everyone was like yes representation and the other lead boy was not out and so people presumed you know to assume that he was straight and so it was getting a lot of backlash of like oh why is this queer character being played by a straight person and the actor was getting so much hate and so much backlash that they were essentially forced to out themselves and they did end up coming out um but they were barely 18 years old and you know this show that blew up overnight millions of followers and all of a sudden now in the public eye he's forced to come out and you know I don't I bring this up just to like just to think about just to bring something up about how authenticity you know we're all on our own journeys we all think about it at different points in times and how we shouldn't pressure people you know to come to terms especially with their identities and how it is a lifelong journey and how representation in media is a sort of a back and forth to give and take now if nothing is black or white uh you know nothing can be only one thing or the other uh and it is something that you know artists are still learning how to do but also audiences are still learning how to come to terms with um if anyone has anything they'd like to respond to that if that brought anything up for them uh please feel free to share I teach uh creative drama to kindergarten through fifth grade in evanston um and so i'm kind of looking at it as looking at all this about how it affects the young kids um we just went to see the third grades went to see a play at northwestern it was called Frida Libre about Frida Kahlo and um two things happened one is that they sent us a pre pre video to watch before we went and it was introduced by a young man who had been in our district all throughout his career a student career and also went to northwestern and now a professional actor and I was talking to the kids about this guy because he was so exciting to watch and one of the black boys in my room he just his eyes lit up and he was like what I could really do this I could do this too oh I love drama and uh I just gave me goosebumps um I know it's a different level that we're talking here but oh no so important but then another when we finished the play I had one group of kids write letters to the actors um just what they learned what they thought and one of the girls in my class is a Latina and she wanted to write to the actress playing Frida she knew her name she remembered her name from the the talkbacks and she wrote this beautiful letter about how she was so touched with this woman's performance and I knew that it deepened herself she was seeing that she was identifying with her and that's so I mean I know it's always been special but I was really reminded how terribly special it is for these children to see this happening um you know in tv movies plays books everything so yeah thank you for sharing that I think yes especially with kids you know growing up you know kids of all identities whether it is race or sexuality or disability you know at least like five ten years ago all we grew up seeing was just straight white cis able-bodied like north book it like that's all we saw and so you should have like there's the shame that comes around like oh like then this other part of me isn't normal because tv theater movies are such a big part of our culture uh but I love I love that these kids got to see that and I love all this new stuff that's coming out so that the next generation and so on and so forth can really start that authenticity can start from a younger age so that there is less shame and that we can't talk about it more um we can go on to the next slide I'm not sure we have time to go on to do a full discussion of the next slide but I just want to raise these points so we talked about watching more intersectional stories um and we talked about you know kids seeing themselves and also I just want to raise the point I think someone brought up earlier a little bit about watching stories that differ from us too you know because if we only ever watch stories that reflect that our own experiences we would never grow or appreciate others and so I think it's important to have that balance of seeing yourself represented on screen so that you know that you are worthy of everything and then also seeing other people so that we can learn and grow and expand as human beings um so I'm going to pose these questions I don't think we have time to answer them but just think about them as you go on with the rest of the day and it's how often do you watch content with people that have vastly different experiences from your own if you don't or not and has learning about other people today made you change your mind about that at all um so just things you know next time you go on Netflix and you click on something to watch whether you change what you watch or not just ask yourself what brought me to watch this are the people on the screen exactly like me what can I do to expand that if I want to you don't necessarily have to we can go to the next slide so closing remarks we all have unique identities we should spend time getting to know ourselves we haven't spent too much time doing that it can be scary and vulnerable but great things come from that you know especially all the works of art that we talked about today all our beautiful intersectional identities everyone is so different and so awesome and I love it and we're all brave and we all have stories worth telling even if we aren't necessarily writers we all have those stories worth telling so I really just want to thank you all for being here for bearing with technological difficulties at the beginning I really appreciate you all and I hope you have a great rest of your day thank you so much mom thank you for being here with us today and for all of those amazing exercises I personally really enjoyed them and I'm sure everybody did too um that's our second speaker for the day everyone uh Simone Vazzini thank you so much um we will be returning we we're gonna break for lunch now and we will be returning at around 2 p.m for a short and quick networking session um with our next presenter at 2 30 p.m so please start joining the call again at 2 p.m I will be ending the call for now and restarting it at that point of time um we have since invalid a wonderful performance collective coming to present at 2 30 p.m and I love all of us to be there but thank you so much everyone and I will see you in a little more than an hour thank you