SENIOR STORYTELLING

A bi-lingual weekly memoir workshop for community members in Bushwick/Ridgewood Senior Centers, run by Caitlin Ryan O'Connell and Danny Tejera with guest artists. Senior Storytelling uses writing and performance exercises to empower elders to share first-person narratives and perspectives. Participants have the chance to play, build community, express themselves, and have their oral histories recorded as we work together.

REST

a short film by Roundtable Senior Center Drama Club 

inspired by Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey

Featuring: 

Ivory Bowens
Yvonne Herbert
Cynthia Powell
Barbara L. Jackson
Linda S. Liverpool
Pamela Beckford
Lillie Mae Brown 
Beverly Carter
Natalie Pyle 
Victoria Lynch 
Doris Garibaldi
Ruby Batson 
Brenda Lawless
Henri Germain Pyran
Joanne Swain 
Maia Karo 
Jeana Scotti 
Danny Tejera 
Caitlin Ryan O’Connell

Co-Directed by Caitlin Ryan O’Connell & Hannah Myers
Produced by Hannah Myers & Caitlin Ryan O’Connell
Supported by The Bushwick Starr
Directors of Photography – Hannah Myers & John Sears
A Cam Operator – John Sears
B Cam Operator – Hannah Myers
Sound – John Sears
Edited by Hannah Myers

Rest poems were inspired by Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey

The Bushwick Starr currently offers our Senior Storytelling programs at Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Center and Roundtable Senior Center.

Senior Storytelling was created by affiliated artists Rachel Kauder Nalebuff and Caitlin Ryan O'Connell in 2018. The program was adapted into zoom and audio forms throughout the pandemic and now we are back in-person. Classes are taught in both English and Spanish weekly by Caitlin Ryan O'Connell and Danny Tejera with guest artists. Our classes consist of theater games, collaboration techniques, and memoir writing prompts to empower our participants to share their first-person narratives and perspectives.

Each class explores different themes such as: our teenage selves (first loves and first rebellions); all the places we’ve lived; caregivers and being cared for; our hopes and dreams for the future, etc. Participants have the chance to play, move their bodies, build community, express themselves, and have their oral histories recorded as we work together. Any and all physical exercises cater to every level of mobility.

We proudly create a collaborative, supportive intergenerational team, aiming to heal social isolation by engaging elders and artists alike in shared experiences. Our process is guided by our participants, and our performances are geared to reflect our collective curiosities, questions, and stories. 

The program culminates with public performances offered in English and Spanish at the senior centers. A primary goal of these workshops is to foster intergenerational relationships and share untold stories from Brooklyn's longtime residents with newer residents and younger generations. By engaging audiences from all backgrounds to hear the work, we intend to create an ongoing dialogue about the impact of changing dynamics on our community's long-term well-being. Some of our class work takes other forms like our recent short film, REST by Roundtable Senior Center and we hope to perform new work in the Starr's new theater space soon.

PROGRAM SUPPORT:

Senior Storytelling is made possible through the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs' Su-CASA Program and New York City Council members Jennifer Gutierrez and Sandy Nurse.

ROUNDTABLE TESTIMONIALS:

"I loved how we worked together and supported each other with positive feedback. My favorite part was how I could express myself as a person and also play characters like a tree." - Barbara, Roundtable Participant

"Everybody had input in the play, and we really expressed what we were feeling in that moment, with what's going on in the world. The play was an expression of how we were all feeling and it was great to share that with others. I got a lot out of this work, and I hope we can invite more people into the club next time." - Bill, Roundtable Participant

"Number one is... I'm grateful for all of you, who put it together and listened to our stories. You gave us so much love and affection and attention... to each individual. To show, to feel, to deliver. When I first came into the class, I just listened, and the professionalism of all of you was so captivating and energizing. I said, "oh, there's life here". Drama Club gave me life. You took our words and you put them all together and you said "This is all you! Everyone is here! and we must enjoy each others' story! and each story is bringing us together!" - Anne, Roundtable Participant

Roundtable photos by Somah Haaland

CYPRESS HILLS ZINE:

Zine created by Angelica Aranda