I am currently developing a script titled Still Small Voices. Growing up Jewish in America, I became deeply troubled by the othering of Palestinians. In traveling and working in both Israel and Palestine, I was shocked by the differences between the information presented by Western media and the truth I saw on the ground.This experience inspired Still Small Voices; all characters and dialogue are based on first hand accounts. My goal is to create a starting point for discussions about the events taking place in Palestine. Still Small Voices creates a common vocabulary; rather than talking about countries, viewers can discuss characters, and explore the human cost of occupation and colonialism.This play will empower Palestinian voices through the cast and crew, and provide the audience an opportunity to speak directly with Palestinian and non-Zionist Jews who were involved in the production, encouraging an immediate humanization of the Palestinian experience.I would like to turn this script into a piece that can be performed by one or two people maximum. I would love to have the financial freedom to commission theater professionals Rohina Malik and Kim Schultz, both of whom are successful theater artists in Chicago. They have both written and toured one woman shows about complex subjects like islamophobia, refugees in Iraq, etc. Having worked with both of them, I know how much they can offer my piece.
I would like to rent the space for several hours of workshopping and development. Our goal is to create a virtual event for Uprising Theater, allowing audience members to watch as the script is updated and developed. This space needs to be large enough to hold the actors, technical crew, and script development members while keeping safe and remaining socially distanced. We would like to showcase the outcomes of script development in a professional and polished way, all while providing paid work for our artists.
Peerspace is on a mission to bring people together. We believe it is impossible to achieve that goal unless we also fight for equality and access to resources in the communities we serve.
Having a space to gather, create, and exchange ideas is an important part of any movement. In order to magnify voices that are often quieted, Peerspace will sponsor venues for people who challenge prejudice and fight for social justice and equality.
Each quarter, we will sponsor space for three projects that are relevant to our community. These projects can range from fundraisers and educational initiatives to art exhibits and photo series.
