An Unduplicated Result
Not simply a performance venue, NWT actually provokes theatre through a process that is intense, challenging and transforming for both participants and audience.
During each production, people from all walks of life come together—sharing their unique life stories and experiences. Participants discover their own voices and make personal connections with each other and the production. The amount of time and intentionality NWT devotes to building the ensemble and creating a community with casts and crews sets it apart. Long rehearsal periods (up to 10 weeks) include exercises to help participants forge bonds through theatrical games such as mirror games, gift circles, Perceive-Observe-Wonder, and trust-building exercises.
Collaborations
One of the constants in NWT’s repertoire of service is the myriad collaborations with community organizations. NWT has partnered with West Side Community House, Cleveland Mediation Center, West Side Community Mental Health Center, Max S. Hayes Vocational High School, PRYSYM, Urban Community School, May Dugan Center, Julia de Burgos, Y-Haven, Providence House, Westhaven, West Side Ecumenical Ministry, LEAP, and many others. Additionally, NWT regularly provides tickets to 35 social service agencies to make the theatre arts accessible to individuals who might otherwise be excluded.
NWT is committed to preserving its role as a center in which anyone who walks through the doors can experience the magic of theatrical arts.
Post-performance discussion forums with audiences make connections and encourage understanding of thematic issues that are emphasized in each production.
Through these sometimes rugged and ragged processes, people not only discover themselves in new ways but relate to each other through the medium of theatre. The connections that actors inevitably create with their characters offer an intensely intimate experience for audience members.
A Tradition of Award-Winning Oral History Programming
Over the years, NWT has developed a specialty in oral history plays. Recently, NWT produced two original pieces with children ages 9-13. America: Through the Looking Glass gave voice to the concerns, fears, and hopes of our youth following the 9/11 tragedy. Hercules vs. Godzilla explored ancient Greek myths and legends interpreted through contemporary cultural icons.
Breaking Through
One of the most notable oral history projects is Breaking Through,
winner of the Ohio Psychiatric Association's Enlightenment Award. Written in collaboration with West Side Community Mental Health Center in 1991,
Breaking Through was designed to destigmatize mental illness. Oral histories were collected from people living with mental illness, family members of those living with mental illness and mental health professionals. The cast of 10 adults reflected these populations as well. For two years,
Breaking Through was performed as a road show with the support of the Cuyahoga County Mental Health Board and Woodruff Foundation. It was produced as a video in 1995, utilizing the original stage cast, so that its powerful message would reach more people.
The video was produced with the support of Cinecraft Productions and Mike Kelly of The Writers. A Leader's Guide accompanies the video and provides background information, resources, and discussion questions. The video has received three national awards: a Cindy, a Telly, and the National Council of Churches' Ecumenical Recognition Award. (Breaking Through was written by Stephanie Morrison-Hrbek and Lauren Persons in collaboration with Bob Navis, Jr., Joanie Hoover, and Jodi Maile.)
The Peoples of Cleveland: Building Community
Commissioned by the Cleveland Public Library's Cleveland Heritage Project in 1983, The Peoples of Cleveland: Building Community was written by NWT's executive director, Stephanie Morrison-Hrbek, George Hrbek, and Professor Ed Miggins of Cuyahoga Community College. It celebrates the rich heritage, struggles, and triumphs of immigrant communities in Cleveland, including African-Americans moving here from the South during industrialization. Touring Greater Cleveland for nine years, it was performed over 90 times for audiences in churches, prisons, malls, community centers, Public Hall, parks, and schools, and used for seven years at the inaugural day for Leadership Cleveland. The Peoples of Cleveland: Building Community was the catalyst for Near West Theatre receiving the Governor's Youth Recognition Award in 1985.
Other oral history plays written and produced by NWT include: Where Do I Go? (1986), based on the writings of young people in Cleveland area schools, and Harvesting My Dreams (1987), stories of contemporary Cleveland-area women.
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