2.28.12 - Introduction

Hi, internet world!  My name is Elias Johansson-Miller and I am a senior at Amherst College.  I am an English and Theater & Dance double major and I am doing a senior thesis in Theater & Dance.  For this project, I am creating and acting in an original documentary theater play about public education in the United States based on interviews I have conducted.  The play is called “Going Public” and will be performed in Kirby Theater at Amherst College on April 12, 13, and 14, 2012.

I started working on this play in January 2011.  Starting last summer, I have been talking to people all over the country about education.  I have talked to principals, parents, veteran teachers, new teachers, administrators, teacher union representatives, education researchers, students, and other people connected to the world of public education.  In addition to talking to people, I have been reading newspaper articles, reading books, watching movies, listening to radio shows – anything to learn more about the education system and people’s opinions about it.

Many of the people I’ve talked to throughout this process ask me, “How are you going to create this play?”  I try to quickly explain it to them, but I do a poor job because it’s complex and it’s not your traditional play and it’s not your traditional creative process.  Because of that, many people have been confused as to what exactly I’m doing for this project.  With that in mind, this blog aims to explain (not quickly) the process of creating “Going Public.”  I will be posting my reflections, my questions, my discoveries after every rehearsal. 

Of course I’m not creating this play alone.  Here’s the team:

Director: Andy Paris

Cast: Madeline Burrows, Sam Congdon, Michelle Escobar, Jeffrey Moro, Esmé Vaandrager

Stage Manager: Jasia Kaulbach

Assistant Stage Manager: Madison Cortez

Costume Designer: Brooke Bishop

Script Wrangler: Karyn Louise Warren-Gregory

Set Designer: Jenney Shamash

Lighting Designer: Kathy Couch

Sound Designer: Stephanie Robinson

They might chime in, too.  Or they might not.  They are busy people.  We will all be experiencing this process differently, so I wanted a variety of voices included in the blog.  This also connects to one of the mission of the play: to express multiple voices and get people talking.

Enjoy!