2008 Summer Fellowship Reportby Charlie Miller '08 This summer (2008), I had the great honor of continuing and expanding my work with a unique theatre company in Denver called PHAMALY (the Physically Handicapped Actors and Musical Artists League). PHAMALY is (as far as we know) the only group in the country that produces large-scale professional productions featuring an entire cast of actors with diverse disabilities. I had worked with the company while in college, stage managing summer mainstage productions. They produce two shows a year -- a drama in the winter and a large-scale musical each summer; but they have long hoped to have an outreach program to provide further performance opportunities for their actors and reach new audiences. Knowing that PHAMALY wanted a more substantial outreach program, I proposed this project to PHAMALY's Board of Directors -- to create, produce, and direct a new educational musical that would promote "inclusion" of the disabled while simultaneously inspiring people to participate in the democratic process. With the Democratic National Convention (DNC) coming to Denver in August 2008, we hoped to use that event to highlight PHAMALY's talented ensemble and increase national awareness of its exceptional work. We also hoped that schools and community groups would be attracted to democracy-related educational entertainment as the election drew near. The Board approved the proposal and in 2007 we began creating what would become "Show Up for Democracy." Show Up for Democracy is an original nonpartisan one-act musical that dramatizes the importance of "inclusion" to the future of democracy. The story follows a theatre ensemble, founded in 1776, as it struggles to keep the "Show of Democracy" going. When a new troupe member from a new generation challenges the troupe with fresh ideas for the next act, the "democratic ensemble" has to learn new ways to keep the show going. I began full time work on this project after graduating and moving back to Denver in early June '08, working over fifty hours a week on all aspects of the production. Because PHAMALY's full-time staff of two was already overextended, I was largely on my own making this show happen. Creating, producing, and directing a stage production (even a small, one-act show) is no small task. I wore many different hats over the summer: As script coordinator and editor, I led the development of the play and mediated between the playwright and composer/lyricist, who often had different ideas. I had to approach the script from many different angles: as a producer (imagining what the audience would respond to); as a director (imagining how it would play on stage); as an educator (imagining what students could learn from it); and as a PHAMALY representative (imagining how disability issues would intersect with the production in different ways -- actor needs, message, accessibility, etc.). As director and stage manager, I cast the show and rehearsed it through opening night. I also worked with the costume and lighting designers to refine the look of the show. Because the set and props were minimal, I designed and built those myself. As producer and tour manager, I organized the premieres at the DNC, booked tour performances, and worked as stage manager. I created brochures, postcards, printed programs and a logo for the show. Our showcase performances (August 21 & 23, during the DNC) played to nearly sold-out houses, giving many new audience members their first look at a PHAMALY production. In our whirlwind local tour we then did six performances in five days during the Convention; venues included a private fundraising party, the SeaChange Forum, Denver's City Park, and singing the national anthem at a media welcoming party. After the DNC, our show began a regional tour, performing for local schools, businesses, and community groups. One of the most moving moments for me was when PHAMALY performed the closing song of our show, entitled "We the People," at Colorado's largest naturalization ceremony -- nearly one thousand new US citizens were sworn in that day. It was truly an inspirational event, and I left it with a new-found energy for the project and hope for our country. The tour ended on October 31 and, by its end, the show had reached thousands of people, many of them students. Over the summer I enjoyed helping so many people through this project. At the same time, I improved my artistic, organizational, and leadership skills. This experience further confirmed my desire to work in the nonprofit sector and furthered my belief in art as a means of positive social change. I am so grateful that I had this wonderful opportunity, and thank the RMHUC for its generosity. Some links about PHAMALY and the show: |