A Total Trip: Reflecting on "Our Home"
“Our Home” Promotional Poster
This past weekend I wrapped up on the production of a new, online play called “Our Home” written and directed by Juliana Spinola. And… wow.
First and foremost, I have to say how lucky I was to even be asked by Juliana to be a part of this project.
Juliana and I worked together on the Alpha NYC Christmas shows in December of 2021 and I remember watching her work and seeing something special there. Because of this, when she reached out about a project that she was writing and asked me to be a part of it, I felt so honored and was happy to jump on board.
Juliana’s aim was to bring together women from a variety of backgrounds and facilitate a conversation around women’s rights and feminism with her play. I did have some doubts in the very beginning because sometimes media intended to talk about feminism often takes a cookie-cutter, superficial view of the word and I wanted to delve deeper. However, very quickly my concerns dissipated. In writing the play, Juliana met with each one of us individually to discuss who we were, what our values were, and what we thought of when we talked about women’s rights. This, in turn, brought a level of nuance and subtly to the play.
Additionally, the women I worked with were AMAZING.
We created such a loving, empowering space together which allowed each one of us to bloom. We laughed together, we cried together, we talked for hours on end not only about feminism but about racism, diversity, our own stories, etc. So, to these wonderful women, I say: I freaking love you guys, and I hope we work together again very soon!
Meet Euterpe…
Lastly, at the end of each of our shows, we invited the audience to unmute themselves and share any questions or any feedback they may have. I was struck by how many of them said they’d gotten emotional and how the message of the work really touched them. This is why we actors do what we do. To connect. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be able to do this.
“Our Home” was a trip. It was chaotic in the most beautiful of ways. I sincerely hope this isn’t the last involvement I have with it.
xx Selma