Any Other Anythings?

Episode Overview: This episode really kicks off season two as Molly interviews our host for season 2: Micah. In this episode, Micah and Molly discuss the creative process throughout the pandemic, the 2017 version of Understanding Otherness, what it means to be a full time artist, and allowing ourselves to be poured into.

More about the speakers:

A US-born transplant and newly ecstatic resident of Ottawa, Micah Jondel DeShazer (micahjondel.com), over the last 15 years (between New York, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago and Madison) has developed into an accomplished actor, director, musician, artistic leader and educator. He had quickly immersed himself in the Ottawa theater community, acting in several local works, musical directing at Orpheus Theatre (Memphis), and directing independent works (Puzzles, Ottawa Fringe Festival 2022.), while staying plugged into his roots in Phoenix through his continued work with GBC. Always seeking the unexpected and drawn to passionate artists, Micah is honored to have been an ever growing list of so many. Notable projects include: The Tempest (Torchlight Theater - Company of Fools), Matilda (CTM), Passing Strange (iTheatre Collaborative) & Native Son (ariZoni, Best Actor).

The body of work by Molly W. Schenck (MFA, MEd.) is rooted in a quest to understand humans. She is fascinated with human movement - whether that is a social justice movement, individuals persisting through systems, or how a body moves through space and time. She is also interested in what interrupts the full expression of movement (stress, trauma, burnout, injuries, chronic pain, etc.). This has guided the evolution of her studies and career path. She worked in higher education as an adjunct professor and administrator for ten years. She taught mind body and group fitness classes for twelve years. She specializes in the intersection of creativity and trauma and is the creator of Trauma-Informed Creative Practices. She is the founder of Grey Box Collective (an interdisciplinary, experimental, post-dramatic, trauma-informed arts organization that devises original performances around topics of social and emotional wellbeing i.e. makes weird art about tough stuff). She is the author of ‘Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices for Dance Educators’. She is a certified Trauma Support Specialist, Personal Trainer, a 500-hour experienced yoga teacher (focused on asana, pranayama, and meditation), Certified Teacher of BodyMind Dancing™, a registered somatic dance educator and a Dynamic Embodiment™ Practitioner. For more information visit: mollywschenck.com

Links to more about Grey Box Collective:

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/podcast

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/shop

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/product-page/introduction-to-trauma-informed-creative-practices

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/newsletter

https://www.facebook.com/GreyBoxCollective/

https://www.instagram.com/grey_box_collective/

https://www.instagram.com/traumainformedcreativepractice/

Episode Overview: This episode is a bridge from season 1 to season 2. In this wicked quick episode Molly shares what you can expect in season 2 of Any Other Anythings..

More about the speaker: The body of work by Molly W. Schenck (MFA, MEd.) is rooted in a quest to understand humans. She is fascinated with human movement - whether that is a social justice movement, individuals persisting through systems, or how a body moves through space and time. She is also interested in what interrupts the full expression of movement (stress, trauma, burnout, injuries, chronic pain, etc.). This has guided the evolution of her studies and career path. She worked in higher education as an adjunct professor and administrator for ten years. She taught mind body and group fitness classes for twelve years. She specializes in the intersection of creativity and trauma and is the creator of Trauma-Informed Creative Practices. She is the founder of Grey Box Collective (an interdisciplinary, experimental, post-dramatic, trauma-informed arts organization that devises original performances around topics of social and emotional wellbeing i.e. makes weird art about tough stuff). She is the author of ‘Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices for Dance Educators’. She is a certified Trauma Support Specialist, Personal Trainer, a 500-hour experienced yoga teacher (focused on asana, pranayama, and meditation), Certified Teacher of BodyMind Dancing™, a registered somatic dance educator and a Dynamic Embodiment™ Practitioner. For more information visit: mollywschenck.com

Producing Company Bio: Grey Box Collective (GBC) devises interdisciplinary, experimental, and post-dramatic work about social and emotional wellbeing (i.e. we make weird art about tough stuff). GBC finds innovative ways of exploring, challenging, and igniting difficult conversations. This is achieved by living in the messy grey areas of life and tackling socially relevant topics such as hate, shame, sexual violence, depression, and anxiety. GBC was founded in 2016 by Molly W. Schenck. Since then, GBC has produced over 20 new works, created by nearly 100 artists, and partnered with a dozen local organizations. GBC has presented work at the Boulder Fringe Festival, the Network of Ensemble Theaters’ annual conference, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, and at the Phoenix Center of the Arts while in residency with nue[BOX]. In response to the pandemic, GBC expanded it’s digital offerings by hosting virtual workshops on Trauma-Informed Creative Practices, opening an online store with devising tools, and launching a podcast. For more information, sign up for GBC’s newsletter, check out GBC’s website, and follow GBC on social media.

Links to more about Grey Box Collective:

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/podcast

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/shop

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/product-page/introduction-to-trauma-informed-creative-practices

https://www.greyboxcollective.com/newsletter

https://www.facebook.com/GreyBoxCollective/

https://www.instagram.com/grey_box_collective/

https://www.instagram.com/traumainformedcreativepractice/

This episode is from a portion of the Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference round table featuring Jisun, Sarah, Lizbett, Chris, and Molly discussing trauma-informed creative practices.

A wicked brief wrap-up of Season 1 with Molly where she answers her own rapid fire questions and shares what will be coming up in Season 2.

In this episode, Fox shares their experience as a sound creative and performer within GBC in the digital and pre-COVID world and talks about their journey to sustaining their artistry.

This episode is from a panel discussion held near the start of the pandemic and features collective members Fox, Chelsea, and Briana as they unpack their experiences of care and creativity in digital rehearsal spaces. This panel was moderated by Sarah and features some familiar GBC voices in the Q&A at the end.

In this episode - recorded near the beginning of the COVID - John shares their experience as a zoom performer and recent graduate navigating the new pandemic theater environment.

This episode is an excerpt from GBC's workshop on Interoception within the Arts featuring Molly, Sarah, and Chris. You can purchase the workshop in its entirety in our shop from now until the end of 2021. Visit greyboxcollective.com/shop for more details.

Surveillance. Queer. Public/Private. In this episode, Dienae shares their process of developing performance art, working with technology (pre-COVID and during COVID), and how the monitoring of ambiguous bodies informed the content of their shows with GBC.

In this episode, Sarah and Molly discuss devising with young people and the transferability of trauma-informed creative practices.