“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you” is a quote by Maya Angelou featured prominently on the Ebony Road Players website, a theme embodied in a new curriculum designed to encourage entire families to tell their stories.
Ebony Road Players, a Grand Rapids theater company focussed on the Black experience, is inviting nine families to participate in an innovative theater workshop. The new program, “Story2Stage: Family Edition” is intended to get entire families involved in the process of writing an original play. From there, Ebony Road Players will bring that story to life on the stage.
“This is an exciting opportunity to spend precious time together. It’s like sitting down at the kitchen table with friends and family, sharing your legacy with each other,” said Edye Evans Hyde, Executive Director of Ebony Road Players.
Two instructors, Amisha Groce and Todd Lewis, will guide families through the playwriting process to help them create a unique narrative.
Family Edition is for families in grades 6-12. students. Younger students will not be admitted to the program. The workshop takes place over two consecutive Saturdays, Oct. 15 and 22, 9 a.m.- noon, at the Catholic Information Center, located at 360 S. Division Ave., in Grand Rapids. The cost is free and families will be accepted to participate on a first-come, first-served basis. In order to participate in Story2Stage: Family Edition, people must sign up on the website.
Another educational opportunity included in Ebony Road Players’ fall schedule is Visionary Academy, a virtual education workshop that explores the business of theater from the perspective of working professionals around the U.S.
“Visionary Academy is unlike any other program I’ve seen,” said Quianna Babb, Program Coordinator for Visionary Academy. “The virtual program puts Visionaries in the room with incredible talent from around the US to help them see that a career in theater is within their grasp.To offer a program of this magnitude for free is unheard of. Visionary Academy is another incredible step by Ebony Road Players to make theater accessible to everyone.”
The 8-week program is designed for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) adults, ages 18 and up and provides expert information around topics ranging from owning a creative business to stage and production management and acting through the lens of a director. This one-of-a-kind program is offered free of charge.
Learn more about these and other programs offered by Ebony Road Players on the organization’s website.