 Hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, hello, folks. Folks are slowly coming into the room. Yes, hello, hello. Hope a couple more folks will be joining us in the space and in the room. Hello, hello, and welcome, welcome, welcome. All right. Hello, everyone. I just want to say hi to everyone on this beautiful Thursday morning, afternoon, afternoon for all of us, afternoon. So hopefully if you're watching it, it's either afternoon or if you're watching it later in the recording, it is a lovely day for you. I want to acknowledge the presence of, that I am on the presence of the traditional ancestral and unceded territory like the Gabriolino and the Tabonga peoples. And I'd like to also acknowledge that we have our captioner Miranda who's going to be doing captions for us and we have Gregorio and Gloshanda who are going to be our ASL interpreters today. And I also want to acknowledge that we are, you know, a lot of writers are still striking. The WGA is still striking and people are still picketing. So if you can have a moment to head on and join and strike with folks, that would be greatly appreciated and that the Actors Union has also voted to strike. So it's going to be very interesting. But I'd like to share this is really important because we are entering the space with playwrights and a lot of playwrights are members of these unions and it's important to be very respectful. So thank you so much everyone for joining the space. I'm going to pass the baton over to Ray. Ray! Hello everybody, thank you so much for being here. I'm Reynaldo, my pronouns are he, him, his. I'm coming at you from New York City, the land of the Lenape people. And it's an honor to be with you, honestly. You know, I mentioned to Daphne that my path to playwriting has been a bit unconventional, you could say. So I'm excited to be in conversation with you all. My bio is down there in the chat as well. You know, and yeah, Daphne, should I just jump into sort of how I came to the end in the first place? Yes, please do. Because it's such a, I mean, I didn't even know. And then I was like, what? So please, please, please do. Oh, absolutely. So, you know, most people here, I grew up in New York City and they say, oh, you must have went to LaGuardia, you went to performing arts high school. No, I went to high school for agriculture. I totally was not into the arts at all. I was super shy, introverted. And I kind of stumbled into the arts. And the way I did that is I did not want to take English, like I did not want to take an English class. So my high school, John Bowne High School and Flushing Queens, if you took drama, you did not have to take an English class. So I thought I was being slick when actually all we do in theaters re-scripts all the time. So that was a terrible choice. A good one, because I ended up with you all. But at the time as a 17 year old, I was like, this is a big L I just took. But that being said, once I discovered theater, I found a place where I could be my full self. It was the first time that people really wanted to hear my voice. They wanted me to play, wanted me to make a fool of myself. And I kind of knew that I wanted to be an actor. Playwriting was nowhere near the realm of possibility for me at the time. And me being the naive New York City teenager I was, I was like, college, nobody needs college. All these BFA programs and all that. I'm like, that sounds like a lot of money. That sounds like a lot of time. Let me go buy Backstage Magazine and start auditioning. And that's what I started to do. I found my first community at the Flea Theater in New York City. I was this 18 year old with a bunch of 25 year old fresh transplants to New York City. And it was just a great education for me, being around these up and coming playwrights, designers, people who were discovering their own unique voices as well. And I started to build from there. But what happened over the years is that I got further and further away from why I was drawn to theater in the first place, which was I found theater had the potential to change minds, to open hearts, to really say something about the world. And as I was working more as an actor in nonprofit theater, I found that my intention became getting the next gig for myself as opposed to the story I was telling and the communities I was affecting with my work. And that started to shift actually in 2017 when Michael Brown was murdered in Ferguson, Missouri. I was actually working in St. Louis right after that happened at the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. I was doing Romeo and Juliet. It was Elena Rosa's production. I was playing Romeo. And something really called me to start writing. I was like, as an actor, I spent so much time waiting for that great script, waiting for someone to cast me in the play. And I'm like, what if I just take that power back and tell my own story? And I did during tech rehearsal, I would sit there with my laptop and everyone was like, dude, you're playing Romeo. Like, why are you in front of your laptop? But for me, I just felt like this need to get this story out of me. And what I basically did was I hired a bunch of my friends. I paid them a little stipend and I had them read the first draft of a play I wrote. And they said it was trash. It was so bad. They gave me all these notes. We all need those friends who like are gonna keep it real with you. And I definitely have those friends. But that feedback did not discourage me. My friends wanted me to keep going. And so much of my work as an actor was about, how should I say this? Being okay with failure? Looking at failure, quote unquote, as a chance to get closer to that opportunity that's gonna really fulfill me. Taking that risk in rehearsal so that you discover the fullest truth you can in each individual moment in the script. So from that initial playwriting experience in 2017, I just started writing more and more and the pandemic hit. And all of us were at home. I lost all my employment as an actor as did most of the industry as well. And I finally had this time to sit with my artistry. And that time in 2020 and 2021 was the time where my artistry actually exploded. I took this painful, dramatic experience we were all living through and I channeled that through my art. So I know it's a bit unorthodox to say I do not have a BFA. I do not have an MFA. But I wanted to share that story because there may be someone out there who feels discouraged, who may say, hey, I did not get accepted to that school or I don't have that fancy degree. Is there a place for me in this industry? And I feel like I'm a living example that there is. And I just want people to know that there's a path for them whether or not they can see it for themselves. Thank you. Thank you so much for that. I think it's so important and inspirational. I've taught at community colleges and it's the same thing. It's like each person's path is at their time and whatever it is meant to be is meant to be. And so thank you so much for sharing that. So I would love, I know you have a little PowerPoint for us. You want to share the PowerPoint and go for it. Absolutely. So for all the people on the Zoom as a playwright, maybe as an academic, even as an actor, you're going to be applying to different opportunities, maybe different fellowships, different residencies. You may have a family member or a producer who's asking you, so what kind of art do you make? What stories are you passionate about? And I know for me as an artist, oftentimes I'm like, oh no, I just did not have an answer to that question. So thankfully I did this workshop with Forge NYC, which is an arts consultancy firm here in New York City where I am. And they gave me a roadmap, a roadmap to find answers to these questions so that I could get really specific about the stories I want to tell and the opportunities that I'm really passionate about. So I'm going to share a PowerPoint. Can everyone see that? Oh, I did not share my screen. Okay, let me do that first, everyone. Okay, bam. All right, cool, perfect. So the artist roadmap developed by Forge NYC and we're going to talk about four key points today as a group. The first, why we make our art in general. What's our fuel? Some of you write because you want to celebrate a certain community. Some of you write because it gives you a chance to discover who you are as an individual. Other people may write just for entertainment purposes. Whatever is specific to you, we really want to hone in on that. And that leads me into number two, which is how you make your art, your core values. Everyone's process is different. We all enter spaces in different ways. Do you make art collaboratively with other people? Are you devising your work? Are you someone who likes to work alone? We are going to really hone in on what are the key ways that you make your art so that when you get back to number one, why you make it, those two things are connected. And then that leads us to number three, which is who is all for, right? Because certainly we can make great art for ourselves but so many of us, particularly in theater are creating the work to start that conversation, to make someone in that audience feel seen, to promote healing in different communities. So we're going to really get specific about our unique visions for our work. And we're really going to dream because I know sometimes in theater in particular, we don't get to see the impact of our work, right? We put the play out there, people come to see it and we're not seeing that conversation that happens between a family because they've already left the theater space. So how can we dream about the impact we want to have with our work? And then that leads me to number four, which is what is like to work with you, right? Because we all have a unique vibe and a unique process. I know for me, starting out as an actor, I felt like I had to have a process that was maybe rooted in an angle sized way of making art that wasn't unique to my background and my heritage. And more and more as I've gotten deeper into my career, I'm getting back to what's at my core, my vibe, my process. And this vibe and process is unique to you. And maybe it's something that maybe your close collaborators are really familiar with, but we really want to get specific on that because it connects all three of the previous bullet points. So without further ado, we'll dive into mission. And clearly it says here that your mission is at the heart and soul of your why. And that mission should only be two to three sentences. And that's because we want to get really specific, we want to really distill why we do what we do. So for our first exercise, I want everybody on the Zoom call, you can be on camera, you can be off camera, you can write on your computer, you can write using a pen and pencil and paper. But we're gonna answer that first question, which is why must you make, craft, weave, design, tell, serve, write, whatever kind of artistry you do, why must you do it? Why are you called to do it? The second is why is your work necessary for the communities that you're wanting to serve with your work, right? Getting down to like why these communities need that, need your work in particular. And then also number three, we're considering which is why are you uniquely able and positioned or qualified to do it well? Maybe it's your training, maybe it's where you grew up, maybe it's something unique about you. Let's really hone in on what makes us unique in that way, because this is what's gonna draw people to our work in the first place. So I'll be here, it's in New York City, Eastern Standard Time, it's 4.13. But let's just take five minutes and then we'll come back and we'll share a little bit. Perfect, I'll keep the clock for you. Thank you. Okay, it's been about five minutes everyone. So I hope you've considered all of these questions because now we're gonna move on to our next exercise, which is a mad lib. Okay, so mad lib is something I played a lot growing up in the 90s, for anyone who does not know where the mad lib is, they are stories with words removed and replaced by blank spaces. So in this instance, we're going to be using the answers to these questions here in order to fill in a story in which you'll see next. So number one, the first question. What is a core value that your work upholds or a specific methodology that you employ or a specific cultural or life experience that guides you? Some of you may be trained in a certain methodology. I know as an actor, we talk about Meisner method, for example, a specific cultural life experience that shaped me is growing up in New York City. So those are just some examples of an answer to number one. Number two is what is the full name of you or your company? Some of you may be an individual artist, but some of you may write collaboratively as part of a theater company. So that'll be the answer to number two. Number three, what is a long-term change or outcome that you hope your work achieves? Some of your work may strive to pass laws. Some of your work may fight to change some environmental racism in different communities. So that'll be the answer to number three, a long-term change or outcome that you hope your work achieves. Number four, what is your signature product or program offering? In this instance, it may be a play you wrote or it could be a whole series of plays. Maybe you're more of a producer or director. So what's the signature product or program that you're offering? Number five, your target audience or community that you hope to serve. We all write for different reasons with different communities in mind. I know for me, somebody who's, you know, Black, Puerto Rican and Cuban, I'm always writing with my people in mind. But who's that people for you? Maybe you're from the East Coast, West Coast, maybe it's an international audience. It's getting really specific for you. Number six, the specific medium you work in or unique process you use? Now some of you may be theater artists. Some of you may work in VR. Some of you may devise work through movement. What is the unique medium you work in or the unique process that you use to make your work? And then seven, yours or your company's short name or nickname. For example, I've done some work with the classical theater of Harlem. So for number seven, I could put C-T-H which is the abbreviation they use there. Number eight, a short-term observable or measurable impact your work makes. We had long term for number three, but number eight is short-term. An example I can give of that, my bilingual Hamlet that I've co-created. When we've presented it, we always have young people of color talk about how they've never felt seen in the classics until they've seen our production. So that's something that we have footage of, we've documented. So for you and your work, what is that short-term observable impact you hope your work can make? And then number nine, a grounded image of your long-term change or outcome. What does it look like in practice? And this is where we get to really dream big, right? If your work is produced all over and is in schools, is in communities that you really want to have your work be seen in, what does that change look like? Are people healed? Are people having conversations? Are people celebrating themselves? What is that long-term image you're looking for? So I know this is a lot which is why we're going to take 10 minutes to really brainstorm on these answers for each of you. And then we're going to take these answers and then we're going to plug them into the next slide which you'll see very shortly. So 10 minutes, everyone. Thank you. And I think we're back. I think the 10 minutes are up. Amazing. All right, everyone. So make sure you have numbers next to your answers because we're about to plug in all of these amazing responses you just generated into the next page, which is, sorry about that, great. Okay, amazing. So this is a little template that you can use. And what I basically want you to do is to plug in those answers we just generated into these spots here. It sounds simple and easy enough. If you're anything like me, you'll start to plug in these answers and you'll say, I like this and you'll cross them out. I'll show you, this is when I first did this exercise. You can see it's a mess because suddenly I was like, this doesn't feel like me. This doesn't sound like my voice. How can I make this sound unique to me in my process and the work I want to make? So you have these offerings here, like grounded in and formed by based on, if that does not feel like you, feel free to write whatever feels like you. This is just an offering to you as a starting point. So let's just take a few minutes to plug in those answers, just five minutes and then we'll share if anyone is up to it. And remember, we're speaking in draft here. This does not need to be perfect. There's no pressure at all, but this is just a chance for us to really hone in about the work we're creating and why. Great, so five minutes everyone. Perfect, thank you five. Those five minutes are up. Amazing, all right. Everyone, pens, pencils down, fingers off those keyboards if you're typing. And now, I just wanna have someone volunteer to share their mission with us. There's no pressure at all. What I'm really looking for is, for us to inspire each other, because sometimes we hear someone give a specific example that says, oh wow, that sounds like this. And I can use that in mine. And for the people listening out there, we're really gonna support this work. We're gonna share what's that first word or phrase that the volunteer uses that gets us excited, that gets our attention, because we want people to be as excited about our work as we are about creating it. So do we have a volunteer out there, anyone feeling brave? Come on, Mildred, come on, come on, come on. Should I? Yes. I don't know. All right, well, this is a very, very rough draft. Yes, that's what the space is for, your brainstorming. And so now you'll have a brainstorm to work off of, so go for it. All right, very rough. Based on lived experiences, Brookmill Productions nurtures love and complexity and hope by offering stories to teens and to late 20s through film and theater. Brookmill achieves connection that encourages celebration. Hi, yes, thank you, Mildred. Okay, lovely. And then for the rest of us, what phrases stood out? Anything really, you know, making ears perk up? Love, love, yes. I mean, I mean, people use that word when they're, you know, and it's so important. Absolutely, love. Nurturing too. And for me, it was connection and celebration, like those two right there. And because I know you Mildred, what I'm going to say is, you know, your first line, you talked about lived experiences, right? I almost wanted to know like what those experiences are, like how can we even get more specific about that? You know, what's unique to you and your company in that way, you know? Because we've talked about it personally, but I just want to make sure everyone else is just as passionate about your stories as we are. But great stuff, awesome. Anybody else feeling brave out there? Peggy, you feeling brave today? Yes, I am, I'm sorry. My stupid camera went on and then it shut off and I feel like an idiot, but yes. That's what you say, that's what that happened to me. My camera, like someone called me and I'm on my phone, so absolutely, go for it. This is messy. I've done this before, but I'm trying to clean it up for you, but it's messy right now. Good, this is good. Okay, based on lived experience, Robles Rise Productions Inc. nurtures intergenerational communal heating, literacy, creativity and equity for the Bronx and beyond by offering support and publishing writers of color with the focus on women writers to publish and perform, oh, sorry, to publish, perform, and no, yeah, to publish and perform work via our public journals, performances, open mics and workshops in order to create conversations and celebrate who we are and our unique experiences that shape us. I said something like that. Nice, well, if that's in draft, I'm like, woo, that was amazing. Thank you, Peggy. That was so good. Sorry. When I'm done, actually. I know, I was like, that is fantastic. And I, I've been doing this work for quite a while, but I finally got incorporated as a non-profit about a year. So this is what we've been doing since 2013, but I finally did the paperwork and I'm currently applying for grants for myself, but also for the organization because I really, really believe in our writers of color, especially women writers of color. So yeah, that was kind of like much for you. Thank you. Thank you for that. You feel a great segue actually into what's next, which is just us talking about what the next steps are for this work that we just generated, right? Because at this point now it's about self-reflection. It's us asking ourselves, is this mission we just created, does it feel true to our why, right? Is Peggy just shared such a great, lovely example of why they're passionate about the story they're telling? So for us, whatever we just created is a true to us. And does it speak to who or what our work is in service of and the communities we want to really reach? And to me, most importantly, does it sound like your voice or give a glimpse of your vibe? And that can mean your company's vibe and the work they create. That can mean the way you speak because we don't necessarily need to have our mission sound all intellectual to sound academic. It can sound just like everyday speak. So these are just little notes for the next draft for your mission statement to keep it grounded in process over promise. So the work that you make as opposed to an expected result of that work. And then also specifying those verbs because those verbs are everything, those are your actions. So instead of make, you can use concoct. Instead of collaborate, you can use nurture. And that's just, you know, some things for the next phase of your mission drafting which brings us to our core values. So our core values are in articulation of our non-negotiables, those things that are key to who we are as people and who we are as artists that should guide us and be visible in all aspects of our work from the creation of it to the implementation of it. So I just want everyone to take a few minutes. I know we're running short on time now. So let's just take three minutes actually as opposed to five. What do you stand for and believe in? Ask yourself that. And what are your non-negotiables in every collaboration you enter? What are the things you need before you say yes to a job? And on the flip side of that, if this work doesn't blank, I will say no to doing it. So what's that no to you? What's that thing that is the line in the sand that you will not cross? So let's just take three minutes to contemplate these answers and then we'll come back. We are good. Perfect, all right. So we're going to move quickly into the next slide, which is a free ride. So from what you just did, those questions you contemplated, can you pick three to five words from that answer that feel like your core values? And a core value can be justice. It can be activism. It can be collaboration. Whatever that word is for you, let's jot down some notes about what those words mean to you. Because collaboration, for example, can mean many different things to different people. So let's actually just take three minutes again, just based on time, to contemplate what our core values can be. Perfect, thank you. And we are ready to go. Amazing, okay. So just reflecting on those core values now, how do you define your core values in a manner that is unique to you? Because many people say a core value is leadership, for example, but what is leadership in your work or in your company? Then the next reflection, would someone from outside your work know what you mean by these core values? For example, when we talk about activism, maybe someone isn't really into the social justice movement and how do you make your work accessible to them so that they want to support your work and really champion you as well? And then the next reflection, are these truly non-negotiables for you? And that can mean different things. For example, for a long time, I said I would not work for free in any job. That was just a core value of mine, that if you want to celebrate me, you need to pay me. But then I got presented with opportunities to support communities that were made up of incarcerated individuals and it wasn't a paid opportunity. And I'm like, really the payment in this is not going to be financial, it's going to be spiritual. So I had to shift my non-negotiables in that way. And then the final reflection is, are these qualities present in your work or things your work exists to uphold? If you're someone who wants to open hearts and change minds, can you honestly say your work is doing that right now? And if it's not, why not? I think this is a really important reflection for us and all the work we create, but particularly as playwrights. So now we get to the next category, which is vision. And vision is an articulation of a world changed by your work. I'm asking you to tell us what your utopia looks like. This is a big thing, right? Because for many playwrights, it can be, my vision is just to get my play produced, which we know is incredibly hard right now in the state of theater. But thinking big picture, we're dreaming right now. What is the impact we want our work to have? And can we articulate that in no longer than five sentences? So because we're running short on time, we were going to take five minutes to do this, but I know we got some grade A students in this class. So we're going in two minutes and I know we can do this. So in two minutes, how will people change if they participate in your work? Now that can mean the people who are creating it, your collaborators, or it can also mean the audience receiving your work. So how will they change if they participate in your work? How will communities be changed because of your work? That can mean communities locally, that can mean communities nationally, communities globally. This is your time to really dream in that way. And how will the world be improved because of your work? Is your work trying to incite changes in government, in communities of color? Let's really dream about how the world will be improved because of our work in only two minutes. And go. All right, y'all. Amazing. You just dreamt big in such a short amount of time. So now we're going to take this work and go into our second and last mad live of our time together. So just like we did previously when we were thinking of our mission, we're going to answer some questions and then on the next slide, we'll plug in our answers there. And there will be some overlap with the work we've already done. So question one, what is a core value your work upholds or a specific philosophy that guides you? This can be a core value you just brainstormed or it can be a certain philosophy that guides you. Some people, it could be a religion. Some people, it can be a lesson from an elder. So what's something that guides you in that way? Second, the full name of you or your company, I think that's pretty straightforward. Number three, what's a long-term change or outcome that you hope your work achieves? And this is dreaming long term when that film gets produced, that play is published, what's that outcome you're dreaming of? Four, what's the broadest community or world in quotations that you hope to serve? Now, this can mean the tri-state area where I am in New York City. This can mean a certain community of island nations. What's the broadest community you hope your work serves? And then five, a grounded image of your long-term change or outcome. What does it look like in practice? And I know for me, when I first saw this question, it tripped me out because I'm like, I don't know. Well, this is our time to dream right here. There's no right or wrong answers to any of this. Let's just take another two minutes to quickly dream up these answers and then we'll plug them into that mad lib. Great, awesome. So we've generated these amazing mad lib answers and now let's just plug them in. So here you go right here. The same option applies as the last mad lib we all did together, which is if one of these italicized words do not really speak to you and the way you make art or why you make art, feel free to generate your own. Just because of time constraints, we will not have time to share them, but I strongly believe that all of your visions are amazing and I look forward to watching you bring them to life in the future. So let's just take two more minutes to fill in this mad lib and then we'll come to our last slide of the day. Thank you. And did you say two minutes? Because two minutes are up. Amazing. All right, you filled in those mad libs and now your next steps when you go off on your own is to consider is your mission necessary to bring about the change you envision? Because when we think about our mission, our mission is our fuel. Is our mission connected to our vision? Or is our mission so exciting that we actually can dream bigger? We can have a bigger vision in that way. So can we make sure those two things are connected in that way? The next thing to consider, does your vision demonstrate concrete outcomes that reflect your core values? Because in our vision, we're dreaming big. So if one of our core values, for example, is justice, is that connected to our vision and the change we're trying to create with our work? And then finally, the last thing to consider, does your vision offer inspiration for you to do your work and others to join in of the creation of that work? That can mean a theater producing your work. That can mean a producer wanting to give you funds to create that project. Is your vision inspiring in that way that other people want to sign on to support you? So thank you all for going on that ride. I know it was quick, but I hope this gives you a jumping off point to really get specific with your work and hopefully not dread these applications, which always ask us to distill our work into these easily digestible forms. Thank you so much, Annela. That was absolutely wonderful and so helpful. Especially for any of you who are just beginning and you start sending your plays out, they will ask for all of these things. When you're applying for grants, they will ask for all of these things. So if you already have them, it'll save you hours. So thank you so much. Thank you for being in the space. Thank you again, Miranda, for staying a little bit longer. Thank you, Gregorio. And thank you, Glossonda as well. And just thank you so much again, Annela, again for sharing your knowledge and your wish them with us. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you. And I'm on social media for anyone out there who wants to stay in touch on Instagram. It's at ReynaldoRay. My email is my full name at gmail.com. So any questions, any concerns, feel free to reach out. Thank you. Thank you everyone for staying a little bit longer. And hopefully I'll see you all next week for our last session. Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you all, we are live.