Arena Stage's THE VOICES OF NOW Festival Runs 5/15-19

Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater announces the Voices of Now Festival, a five-day event featuring original works of theater written and performed by 13 different youth ensembles from the internationally renowned Community Engagement program. The festival will bring together more than 175 young artists, ages 11-23, from D.C., Maryland and Virginia who have been working with professional theater artists from Arena Stage for the past year to devise original one-act plays. The 2013 ensembles will come together May 15-19, 2013 to perform and discuss their work in the Arlene and Robert Kogod Cradle at the Mead Center. This year's festival will also feature a special performance Saturday, May 18 connecting the 2013 participants in the U.S. with Voices of Now artists in Kolkata, India.

Voices of Now (VON)-currently in its 10th year-gives young artists the opportunity to devise and perform autobiographical theater that poses difficult questions about social, cultural and emotional issues. Through VON there is always a focus on creating works of theater that bring voice to issues of social change and relevancy for the young participants, and this year's plays examine topics including gender equality, sexual identity, emotional well-being, ancestry, how we handle loss, what it means to be an American, the meaning of a home and violence in schools, among others.

"Participants in VON learn they have a voice," shares Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith. "They realize through their teaching mentors that they are artists, and most importantly, they believe in what they are saying and doing. When you can get to that level of authenticity, of saying what you need to say-especially with artists so young-it is the ideal form of self-expression. I cannot wait to see the 13 original works this year and yet again be inspired by these emerging talents' genuine capacity to tell their stories."

In Fall 2012, Arena Stage's Community Engagement department embarked on a two-and-a-half week journey through India with the United States Department of State, traveling to Kolkata, New Delhi, Patna and Hyderabad. There they forged relationships with students, ages six and up, and professional artists across India, introducing them to the style, methods and social impact of the Voices of Now program in a growing effort to expand the program internationally. The performance Saturday, May 18 at the Mead Center will be livestreamed via Skype to ensemble members in Kolkata so that participants abroad, who have continued to create work using the Voices of Now program method, can experience a performance by their U.S. counterparts. There will also be further opportunity for engagement between U.S. and India participants with a livestreamed rehearsal taking place on Saturday, May 11 at 10 a.m. EST between the D.C.-based Mentor Ensemble and the Kolkata Ensemble. For more information about Voices of India, including photos, video and personal accounts, visit arenastage.org/education/education-programs.

"The rapid growth of VON has given us the opportunity to expand this program internationally and raise a community of brave, young artists around the world who are able to transform their life experiences into art and engage in meaningful artistic dialogue with their communities," adds Director of Education Ashley Forman. "When we traveled to India this past fall to implement the program in four different cities, it was amazing to see the VON model at work within multiple communities, languages and cultures, and to see the profound impact that creating and performing autobiographical theater in this fashion can have on young artists and audiences alike."

"Working with Arena Stage I experienced a different take on theater than I have seen," says Kolkata student Arani Acharya, who participated in the Voices of Now workshops in India. "The use of acting to communicate a message and an abstract concept is something that has greatly inspired me. I am very excited about meeting Arena's artist-educators again, even if it is not in person, because I really miss their interesting artistic ways, approachability and general awesomeness."

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