Paper short abstract:

I will discuss the experience of working with community and university partners to devise theatre/performance that explores issues of migration and placemaking in the Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus OH. I want to explore the limits and possibilities for advancing a social justice agenda.

Paper long abstract:

From 2016-2018, a multidisciplinary faculty/student group worked with five community groups in the economically distressed Hilltop neighborhood of Columbus Ohio to devise creative performances that explored migration and placemaking themes. Culminating in a Spring 2018 performance that was by, for, and in the community, the project showcased five creative pieces. Although participating groups had not worked together prior to the culminating event and were divided by age and language, the event offered a rare opportunity for shared engagement. As the first stage of a multi-year project, the university coordinating team judged it a success. Personally, participating for an entire semester in movement sessions with the Seniors group at the YMCA allowed me to explore my own creativity. It became a weekly obligation that I prioritized and enjoyed as a welcome relief from my hectic academic routine. As our connection with community participants was being forged through co-participation, mining the nostalgia of older residents as material for our final piece made sense as a safe and familiar move. However, I subsequently learned from our one African-American participant, Annette Jefferson, that neighborhood discord around issues of race and representation is increasing in the Hilltop. This dis-sonance between what one can practically do with a group of novice performers and the social justice claims that devised theatre proponents make for their work deserves additional reflection and creative action as we move to the next phase of the project. I offer this point of dissonance as a provocation for discussion and collective thinking.