We’re not done building the best Cast yet!  We are still looking for a few amazing teens to join us for our 17^th season Cast. Try-outs are taking place every Wednesday at 4:30pm and every Saturday at 10:30am for the next few weeks.  All you need to do is come and bring yourself and maybe a friend!  No experience with theater or non-violence education necessary.  Or we can come directly to your school in person and hold try-outs for you and your friends! To learn more, contact either Shae Washington, Assistant Arts Director at shae@cityatpeacedc.org or Sandi Holloway, Artistic Director at sholloway@cityatpeacedc.org or call us at 202.399.7993 ext. 156 to schedule time.

Also, because so much is happening in October with City at Peace we had to make you a handy list!

20^th, Thursday | Performance at the Young Education Professionals-DC Arts in Education Event
Young Education Professionals-DC (YEP-DC) is partnering with the Phillips Collection for an evening focused on arts in education. Held at the Auditorium of the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st Street (Accessible via Dupont Metro), the evening will highlight the importance of arts education for youth through a selection of performances by local students, a panel discussion and Q&A from 6:00pm-8:00pm. In a time when budgets are tight and arts programs are often first on the chopping block, this event will provide YEP-DC members with an opportunity to explore the important role that the arts play in student success.  Two City at Peace alumni (Brandon Douglas and LaQuesha Barnes) will be performing a 10-minute short play developed by the young actors.  To RSVP: http://bit.ly/artsineducation

22nd, Saturday | What is Tolerance?’ Workshop (for ages 13 and up)
Ford’s Theater is running a performance  “Parade,”  a musical about the 1913 trial and lynching of Jewish factory manager Leo Frank.  During the run of this show, Ford’s Theater has designed The Lincoln Legacy Project (http://www.fords.org/lincoln-legacy-project ), a series of discussions on the themes of the play. Working with several artistic, historic and civil rights organizations, the theater is promoting events that will focus on diversity, race relations, tolerance and activism.

City at Peace is participating with our “What is Tolerance?” Workshop, designed to explore and question what “tolerance” means in our lives and communities through hands-on theater-based exercises and improvisations.   Ideal for teens, teachers, counselors — anyone intrigued by the power of the arts to resolve conflict, prevent violence and build understanding. Please visit here to order tickets: https://www.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=f8cb9b65aa4286a1fbe455d5eec8bd30

26th, Wednesday | Open Rehearsal (reservations required)
Interested in witnessing and experiencing how City at Peace transforms young people’s lives during our out-of-school time program?  Then contact us to reserve a spot to join us from 5:30-7:00pm for one our monthly Open Rehearsal.  You’ll have an exciting opportunity to see the program in action, meet some of our staff and Cast members followed by a discussion with a Board member & staff over some coffee & pie, from our friends next door, Dangerously Delicious Pies. To make reservations, please contact Ben Bisbee, Managing Director at bbisbee@cityatpeacedc.org

29th, Saturday | Friends & Family Orientation
Are you a current friend or family member of one of our 17th Season Cast members? Then join us on Saturday, October 15th from 4:30-6:00pm at our Atlas Performing Arts Studio for our Friends & Family Orientation session.  This event is hosted by our staff and board members and is designed to educate you about who City at Peace is, what we do and your teen’s involvement.  For questions or additional information, please contact Shae Washington, Assistant Artistic Director at shae@cityatpeacedc.org

31^st, Monday | Cast Fundraiser – Treats for Peace (Cast member event)
Trick or treat? No, Treats for Peace!  Cheer on our current 17^th Season Cast members as they take it to the streets on Halloween night and ask for donations instead of candy in a few local neighborhoods. Part of our annual Cast outreach to help raise funds, Treats for Peace is a multi-day event where we connect door to door with potential donors a few days in advance about who City at Peace is and what we do and then connect back with potential donors on Halloween night and collect donations in costume and City at Peace t-shirts.  It’s a fun night filled with the spirit of giving treats in a whole new way!

3 dates to choose from to participate in our tryout process.  Join us for one of the dates below, at 4:30pm in our studio at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE, DC 20002

1. Thursday, September 1st
2. Monday, September 12th or
3. Friday, September 16th.

Spread the word and bring a friend!

Looking for more information? Give us a call or click here

Interested to hear directly from an alum of City at Peace what her audition experience was like?  Click here!

After 5 weeks of working with a new cast of young people to build an original musical based on their life experiences, 4 amazing audiences for performances around the city of this timely work; a work which included a string trio, 2 fairies and 1 pop star diva, it’s safe to say that City at Peace had a fast paced, creative, awesome summer, inspiring young people to press forward until they get the support and answers they need to graduate high school and attend college.  YOUniversity was a powerful experience for us from start to finish and we are so proud of this work and of all the people who worked to make this happen. We were even featured on NPR!

Sooo, you’re probably thinking time for a rest right?  Nope, the important work of empowering young people to make positive social change continues on.  We’ll keep you updated on what’s ahead, but I’ll give you a hint right now, auditions!!

Our amazing Trio

Our wonderful faries

Our pop star Diva

peace,
Shae

City at Peace announces auditions for the summer STREET THEATRE program, this Friday!

Spend your summer singing, dancing, acting, working backstage as Stage Managers, Wardrobe, Sets and Properties designers/builders, Sound Engineers, Theatre Technicians and make a difference in your life and the lives of other teens in the DMV!

This is a six week summer program that allows participants to examine some of the issues facing young people in the DMV and gives them tools for creating steps toward positive change.   Youth ages 14-21 are eligible.  Youth will also receive training from adult professionals in the areas of acting, singing, dancing, stage management, sound design, wardrobe and costumes, set and properties design, marketing and promotions and leadership development.  The program will culminate in an original musical written and performed by the participants for audiences, outside and in recreation centers across the city.  This program runs Monday thru Friday from 10am until 4pm.  It begins Monday, June 27, 2011 and ends Friday, August 5, 2011.  It is open to young people from DC, Maryland and Virginia.  There is no cost to participate.

The audition process is simple.  There is nothing to prepare.  There are survey forms to fill out, theatre games, a simple dance combination and some singing.  We supply all of the work.  We don’t accept applicants based on talent alone.  We are looking for young people who are interested in working together to find solutions to the problems facing our society and their lives.  All your young people need do is be willing to go through the process and be able to commit.  We are a very diverse cast and accept all ethnicities.

Location

City at Peace is located inside the Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H Street NE, Washington, DC 20002.  Call us at 202.399.7993 ext. 156 or email us at sholloway@cityatpeacedc.org or check out our website, www.cityatpeace.org.

Audition Dates and Times: This Friday, June 17^th at 4:30pm

Check back for additional audition dates.  Hope to see you soon!

It’s been almost three weeks since the last performance of the 2011 cast orginial musical, Breaking Ground. I think I’ve only just begun to understand what it means to really break ground. This year being in the City at Peace cast has been one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever faced. In every way, I have had to stretch myself farther, push myself more, and go places I was certain weren’t within my reach. This process hasn’t been pretty or easy or glamorous and, much like our show, it doesn’t have a fairytale ending. What this show and this process do have are tools, lessons and hope.

Over these past few weeks, after catching up on some sleep and homework, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to Break Ground. Have I been “breaking any ground” in my life? How invested am I in making change in my life? Where do I even begin?

Finally it’s clicked for me; breaking ground is actually something pretty simple. It’s about doing something different. It’s about taking control of my life and deciding how I want to live. It doesn’t have to be something big; it can be about the little choices I make. Instead of passing every girl in the school hallway and berating myself for not having what she has- her thinness, her grades, her social ease- I’m making the choice to stop. I don’t want to live my life based on what everyone else is doing. I want to live my life based on what I want to do. Now, of course it’s not that easy. Just because I’ve suddenly acknowledged my unhealthy behaviors doesn’t mean they’re going to stop. But that’s just it; I’ve broken ground.  I’ve stepped into a different way of thinking about myself and I am only just beginning the process of changing how I think, feel, and act towards myself. This is my third year in the cast and while every show has inspired me, this year’s performance has pushed me to honestly examine myself and to make change for real. I’ve broken ground. Now the question is- what am I going to do with it?

Jordana

Please Join Us!

Singing at City at Peace is a different kind of learning experience. I am faced with a group of kids, a variety of voices, and an anxiousness that permeates through the room every time we begin singing rehearsal. Having only started singing outside of the shower last year, I am a bona fide rookie when it comes to music. Under the direction of our wonderful music director, the one and only e’Marcus Harper, I can say that an immense feeling of pride has swelled in my heart. In only a few short sessions, we have developed and refined our opening number, but not without inevitable struggles along the way. Not one to accept any less than perfect, e’Marcus has pushed us to be the best we can be and taught us valuable life lessons along the way when it comes to ambition, dedication, and responsibility.I now count myself as a singer and the thing I enjoy the most out of our sessions is how much I have learned about music. I joined my school’s a cappella group this year and I found that there’s a lot more to singing than being able to hit a few notes. I had to speed learn crescendo, forte, and staccato, train in how to breathe from my abdomen and not my chest, and perfect my major and minor arpeggios.

Outside the technique, vocal exercises and the diction I have gained in school and at City at Peace, I have learned how music can live and evolve as an exceptional art on its own. From simple things like adding a crescendo to a line of a song to dropping the note down an octave to add depth and intensity, I can see the songs from our CAP musical metamorphose and mature before my eyes- or to say it more appropriately, before my ears. What started out as a few nervous voices is growing into songs that I sing to myself as I walk the hallways of my school or the sidewalks of my community. Our song is more than just a catchy tune; it’s a song with beauty and musicality. It tells a story that I can relate to on the deepest levels. It is a song about me and my struggles and my experiences. It is a song from my City at Peace show.

Hope to see you at the show,
Alice

Hey, My name is Alice and I am 16 years old. I am an eleventh grader at Montgomery Blair High School and I am in the Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet Program. This is my second year at City at Peace, and it has to be one of the most amazing things I have ever done. I am in love with music, my iPod being one of my most prized possessions. I also like movies, love good books, and have an uncanny abillity to make moments either hilarious or awkward.I hope to be fluent in Spanish one day, it will be a neccessary talent for when I retire and move to Barcelona. And as cliché as this may sound, I hope that I do something with my life that makes a difference.

At three in the afternoon on a Saturday, the City at Peace space resembles some sort of lounge to an outsider. Clumps of young adults are grouped in different areas of the room. Some sit on the couch, a few chatter in the kitchen, and others are dispersed throughout the rest of the Atlas Performing Arts Center. What an outsider doesn’t know is that most of the chatter is cast members creating a musical  from scratch. A seemingly confrontational conversation is an honest talk about racism and prejudice. Two girls fumbling for their words is an attempt to improvise a scene about one of their best friends.

Whenever we are reminded of the looming date of our show, we are horrified. Only twenty five more rehearsals? Only thirteen? We scramble to get to know our characters and understand their thoughts, their actions, what they have buried and why. We spend hours building scenes that are completely scrambled and changed once we have meetings with our directors. The directors want to make sure that our casts’ stories are told right and will change our scene around until they find the best combination of people, the line that really explains the story, and the scene that shows the truth of our experiences. To an outsider, our musical, which consists of a few short beginning scenes, one opening song, and a whole lot of raw materials, seems undeveloped for a piece that is to be performed in a little less than a month. What an outsider doesn’t know is that the most crucial part of this show is internal; we build the foundations of our scene through our own personal experience and knowledge of our character’s experience. But it is a true group effort, and we’re getting there. Even now, through our singing, acting,  and dancing work; cast members’ stories are being told. What they have buried is resurfacing.

My name is Avital  and I’m a fifteen year old sophomore student at Montgomery Blair High School.  I joined City at Peace last year because after having heard such intense things about it from my best friend, I had to see for myself what t was about. I thought it would be an amazing opportunity to have an exit world from school and home life, which can both drive me crazy. I also believed that I would be able o improve my acting and social skills. I love traveling and writing; two things that I have the privilege to be able to do often. As I grow older, I hope to organize and participate in many service trips and fundraiser/charity events (and travel a whole lot while doing so).

If Sunday’s  “sneak preview” performance by the cast of City at Peace during the INTERSECTIONS: A New America Arts Festival was any indication of how potent CAP DC’s April show will be, then I should buy tickets for folks now—just to make sure they see it. It’s beautiful to watch the young people move with each other in harmony, focused on one mission: Telling their stories to find positive outcomes. After the performance, the cast and staff answered questions. It was good to hear about the process, how the cast members learned to trust each other, and accept each other. And how sometimes that wasn’t easy.

Though I shouldn’t be, I am continually amazed by the power of their voices. Under the guidance of Shae and Sandi (big ups!), the cast put into words and actions and music a host of experiences and emotions that are disturbing, familiar and funny.

I’m so proud to a part of this organization.

Monette