sweet guilt. From up in the very last row of the auditorium where Dougal Fraser would always sit during auditions, I heard the sound of one man clapping. As I wiped away the beads of sweat from my forehead, Mr. Fraser later told me that it was the first time he had ever clapped in an audition. Those words, I will never forget. Your theatre production is not a traditional one. How did you come up with the idea of marrying developmental work with theatre and what do you hope to achieve? When Andrew Garrod originally set up Youth Bridge Global three years ago, he articulated a vision for using theatre for the purposes of reconciliation and development. In 2007, I joined him again when he took the Shakespeare model to the Balkans in order to promote mutual understanding across the dangerous ethnic and religious divides that threaten the fragile peace in the region. The first production in Mostar featured a Muslim Romeo and a Croat Juliet, forged a number of inter-ethnic friendships, and generated immense communal support in a city divided by deep-seated nationalism. In the Marshall Islands, the program grew out of the Dartmouth College volunteer teaching program, but was rooted in Andrew’s passion for theatre and what he saw as its potential to help adolescents develop self-confidence, public-speaking skills, and what many psychologists now refer to as emotional intelligence. Soft skills, that is, the ability to communicate, to work in a group, to be able to take on the perspective of another person and consider situations of conflict from different points of view, cannot be learned from a textbook. These are the skills that are absolutely essential to develop a generation of young leaders who are empowered to create change. Unfortunately, they also happen to be the skills that are not traditionally emphasized in the Marshallese education system. In
order to address these issues, this year we have developed a youth leadership program to accompany the theatre production. The end goal of this new combined program is to nurture creative and theatrical skills and build long-term leadership capacities among the young generation. We hope we are planting the seed for a sustainable youth-led creative Arts movement. To me, theatre is about a celebration of what it means to be human. Whether we are moved emotionally by a character’s tragic misfortune or are able to laugh at a misunderstanding that mirrors an experience in our own lives, the theatre experience is, in effect, a process of coming to terms with the struggles we all share in common. I see the end result as strengthening the bonds and ties within a community and a step toward human progress and development. Given your unique situation and your love of theatre production, can you describe the process and challenges of putting together a play? There are really three major steps: building a team, fundraising, and producing the show. In some ways, one could argue it is analogous to any major venture. I guess if you look at the challenges I faced when working in the Marshall Islands, it helps to put it in a socio-historical perspective. From 1946 to 1958, a number of locations were used as nuclear testing sites by the US government, killing many islanders and forcing others to relocate due to unexpectedly high levels of nuclear fallout. Today, US aid accounts for over 60 per cent of the country’s GDP, making the Marshall Islands, per capita, the largest recipient of foreign aid in the world. The legacy of destruction and aid has rendered the country one of the poorest in Micronesia and school dropouts face little opportunity in the work place. This disaffection and the decline in traditional
values has created problems of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and suicide among the population and especially so among those under 30 years of age. The vast dispersal of islands presents challenges for the delivery of health care and messages of good practice, causing high birth rates and childhood mortality. Provided they are able to recapture some sense of their traditional identity, I really see the greatest hope for the Marshallese lying with the next generation to move their communities forward towards a self-reliant and prosperous future. There is no doubt it is a challenge. This is a place where “on time” means showing up for rehearsal half an hour late. Or, students will promise you to turn up, but will not, because they were too ashamed to tell you that they could not afford to take public transportation into town. That said, four years ago, we completely blew away people’s expectations of what was possible and we are confident that we’ll continue to do so this year. Your story about helping the Marshallese is truly inspiring. What, if any advice, would you like to share with your fellow Georgians? Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche once said: “And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music.” I suppose another way to put it could be that we all have expectations of society, of our peer group, or of our parents to be or to act in a certain way. However, those who dare not only to dream, but also who act on those dreams are the ones truly listening to their own music. Although it may sometimes feel like everyone is watching and thinking that you are crazy, if you are hearing the music perhaps the only thing to do is to keep on dancing.
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