Seeking Racial Justice through Theatre and Film at Brophy Prep — BLOG POST
Originally published with Ignatian Spirituality Network’s Global Hemispheres — September 2020
At Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, students are in the process of creating an original theatre and film project, to be shared in November 2020. The devised piece will identify, analyze, and deconstruct the social constructs of Race and Racism and explore ways to be actively Anti-Racist. Students will share stories on-stage and on-screen with a focus on the amplification of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) voices and the dismantlement of racist behaviors and belief systems.
During the devising process, the project team will collaborate with affinity groups and clubs on campus including Black Student Union, Hermanos Unidos, and Advocacy Club. This hybrid format of theatre, film, service, and justice is new to Brophy, and it will be student-driven and student-created. Facilitation from faculty and staff will look more like mentorship and coaching than directing, with a focus on the Jesuit Apostolic Preference of “Journeying with Youth”.
Part of the journey towards racial justice means navigating terminology like White Supremacy, Implicit Bias, Explicit Bias, Covert Racism, and Overt Racism. These words may seem scary at first glance, but there is another way to look at them. When placed in the context of a story, on-stage or on-screen, the audience can “point a finger” at the story events and characters and then enter into courageous conversations with some distance between self and story.
Over time, the goal is to then turn the spotlight on one’s self to identify where “the work” is needed. The journey may be uncomfortable at times, but that is what it takes to spark change. In order to truly serve others and seek racial justice for “the Greater Glory of God”, we must go forth and get comfortable being uncomfortable.
November 2020 Update:
Brophy Theatre is proud to present the Fall 2020 production — online!
Students devised an original performance piece that features theatre, film, and music. The final product is a beautiful compilation of scenes, monologues, poems, songs, and conversations that celebrate personal identity and promote anti-racism.
A quick look at the numbers that made this happen:
50 students
7 weeks of writing and devising
2 weeks of filming
50 minutes and 12 seconds of content
Click the link below to view the production:
Carolyn Marie Wright hails from upstate New York and is currently based in Phoenix where she serves as Theatre Director & English Teacher at Brophy Prep and Artistic Director of Humanity Play Project. Proud member of AEA, SAG-AFTRA, AATE, and Arizona Theatre Company’s Cohort Club.
