Course Description:
In this four-part course, facilitator Sarah Plotkin will guide participants in exploring Jewish belonging, what it means to us, and how we can create a greater sense of belonging through various theatrical modalities. In the first session we will learn storytelling techniques and have the opportunity to share personal stories about experiences of belonging and not belonging in Jewish community. In the second session we’ll explore monologue writing, with space for participants to create monologues inspired by theirs or other’s experiences of belonging. In the third session we’ll explore our experiences of belonging through movement and gesture (movement will be participant-led and accessible for all bodies), and have the opportunity to integrate movement into our storytelling. And finally, in the fourth session we’ll share out the short theatrical pieces we’ve created.

No prior theatrical experience is needed! Just an openness to explore together.

All sessions will be recorded and made available to registrants.

Course Sessions:
Session #1: Storytelling Exploration
Session #2: Monologue Writing Exploration
Session #3: Movement and Gesture Exploration
Session #4: Class Sharing

Course Guiding Questions:

1. What does it mean to belong in Jewish community?

2. How does it feel to belong / not belong? Where does that feeling sit in our bodies and how can we express it?

3. How can we use theater to create more spaces of Jewish belonging in our lives

About the Instructor:  
Sarah Plotkin is a Jewish director, educator and cultural worker who uses theater to re-imagine what we want our culture to become. She co-creates liberatory, collaborative artistic spaces where we can vision a better future together and rehearse mutual aid. Previous projects with Jewish communities include: Kol Isha, a theater project with Jewish teens exploring the intersections of racial identity, gender identity and Jewish identity in their lives, produced in partnership with Temple Israel, Boston and co-facilitated by Dana Edel; The Coming Together Project, a virtual storytelling project exploring how we built Jewish community during the pandemic, co-facilitated by Rebecca Powell and Jesse Garlick; and Creating Our Stories, a production exploring what it means to be Jewish today with an intergenerational group of community artists.

Before moving to Upstate New York, Sarah lived in Boston, where she co-facilitated anti-racism workshops with Jewish communities through Kavod. She now lives in Ithaca, NY and teaches playwriting at Tompkins Cortland Community College as well as directing professional and educational productions across the region. Sarah holds an MA in Theatre Education and Applied Theatre from Emerson College.