‘Same Moon’ 

‘Same Moon’ was a documentary play I was privileged to work on in January of 2020. It was in partnership with the Telling Project which is an organization that helps veterans tell their story on the main stage. We put a little twist on it by focusing on the stories of eight Vermonters from eight different countries, some immigrants and some refugees. I was able to co-direct, (my first directorial role), as well as perform in the play. My co-director was Ariel Zevon and the play was produced and conceived of by Jay Craven of Kingdom County Productions. My cast members hailed from Sudan, Madagascar, Jamaica, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, and Nepal. We were also very fortunate to have Marcie Hernandez, a Puerto Rican Singer-Songwriter read the story of Virgin, an undocumented dairy farm worker in Vermont who has been subjected to deportation. The second night we had a young African group, A2VT based in Winooski VT, open for us. Their energy was incredible to follow. 

We aimed to make the invisible visible by sharing these stories of resettlement in a real, and human way. We were heavily sponsored by VPR and toured Vermont for three nights in January. It was an amazing experience to be apart of; so many Vermonters raved about how powerful and moving it was to hear their neighbors. I, myself was blown away by the support and those who showed up on a Saturday night even in the midst of a snowstorm! The project was quite ambitious from the start but it came together beautifully. Vermont is a small state with a lot of heart; it struggles with diversity but it is steps like this, stories like these, that are impactful and crucial to implementing the aspiration of inclusivity.

More projects like this are surely to come. See below for some photos.