MCRC
Spring Colloquium: TOVA’s Theater of Witness
Haverford School, April 16, 2008
The
Center’s 2008 Spring Colloquium, titled “The Power of Conscience”, was
held at Centennial Hall at The Haverford School. The program was designed by the
Philadelphia-based theater group TOVA:
Artistic Projects for Social Change, which was founded in 1986 to give
“voice to the stories of those who have not been heard in society. Our
projects empower audiences and performers to explore issues of common ground and
social justice.” TOVA joined a number of other art groups sponsored by MCRC
over the years that carried the theme of the arts
as a vehicle for social
change. Groups invited in the past were Playback Philadelphia, the Twin
Poets and Interact Theater.
The
program was a combination of videos of TOVA performance pieces, live monologues
by members of the group and dialogue with the 280 students from nine MCRC board
schools who attended.
The
morning was fast-paced and thought-provoking. One video was created by prisoners
serving life sentences who expressed their remorse at their crimes and the pain
of being separated from family. Following the viewing of this video, TOVA’s
founder Teya Sepinuck asked the audience to think about moments in time that
changed the students’ lives, reacting to a prisoner’s statement that his
life, and the life of his victims, changed in what seemed like a moment in time
that he now constantly re-examines. Sepunick asked “how do we transform pain
into something positive?” and “how do we support the goodness in all of
us?”
Baldwin
student Emily Acker commented that “the most special part of the morning was
the student testimonials at the end, when people from different schools stood up
and announced what kind of change they hoped for. It was refreshing to see that
no one was embarrassed when students stood up for same sex marriage or for peace
or for surviving abuse.”
One
of the most powerful parts of the morning was a video and monologue by Victoria
Greene, a Philadelphia woman whose teenage son was shot to death in 1997 in a
gang fight. She described her grieving process, from seeing him dead, to
attending the trial of his murderer, where she saw the anguish of the
defendant’s mother.
When
asked by many if the spring program was a success, MCRC Director Karen
DeGregorio responded: “If young
people could be moved to empathetic tears for another human being’s struggle
and pain then, in my opinion, yes, it was a great success. What was different,
and I think special, about this year’s guests was that they all stand for the
many unknown names in our society and in our world who exemplify great
courage, dignity and perseverance. I believe that our students instinctively
know that their stories are powerful teachings. I am honored to be a part
of an independent school collaborative that allows for these voices to be
heard.”
TOVA
staff, teachers, administrators and students gather at a luncheon in Haverford
School’s quad after the Colloquium to continue the conversation