Shakespeare in Clark Park (SCP), a small nonprofit theater in Philadelphia, contracted me to co-create and direct, with the community of Germantown, Philadelphia, an artistic project to take place outdoors in Germantown’s iconic Vernon Park at the end of August 2021, utilizing Shakespeare’s Pericles as the launching point for creative query. The overall goal was to connect and nourish the soul of the people of Germantown.

I facilitated a six-month consensus organizing (CO) process beginning in March 2021, which prioritized the people and narratives of Germantown. Through this process, local residents and organizations co-created and named the project Germantown Plays Pericles, an all-ages fair where audience members perambulated through Vernon Park, interacting with nine 'islands,’ each reflecting a narrative moment in Pericles embodied through a contemporary Germantown activity that included interactive art installations, games, music, breakdancing, mutual aid and resources. The event culminated with an original 30-minute poetic play that refracted Pericles through a tale centering Black Germantown and the community's fight against gentrification. The play was written by Angela Bey and incorporated ideas and writings from community members that surfaced through the CO process.

The people of Germantown, Philadelphia transformed me. They taught me about solidarity economy, time banks, robust mutual aid, and what it can look like when neighbors truly help neighbors to build a just community. Read about the inspiring Co-Creators and partners of this project here.

Aloha,
Seema