(upbeat dramatic music) (dramatic music) - [Matt] Paint a mural at the Connect Center with Amplified Voice.

Chat theater with Creative Action Unlimited founder Michael Kennedy.

♪ Is to keep things loud ♪ - [Matt] And catch a performance from Will Pedicone.

It's all had on this episode of "AHA!

A House for Arts."

♪ Been charging ♪ - [Announcer] Funding for "AHA!"

has been provided by your contribution and by contributions to the WMHT Venture Fund.

Contributors include the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, Chet and Karen Opalka, Robert and Doris Fischer Malesardi, and The Robison Family Foundation.

- At M&T Bank, we understand that the vitality of our communities is crucial to our continued success.

That's why we take an active role in our community.

M&T Bank is pleased to support WMHT programming that highlights the arts, and we invite you to do the same.

(dramatic music) (singers vocalizing) (air whooshing) - Hi, I'm Matt Rogowicz, and this is "AHA!

A House for Arts," a place for all things creative.

A few weeks ago on the show, I interviewed Jade Warrick to learn more about what she's been up to with her community art organization, Amplified Voices, and since then, I had the chance to visit the Connect Center for Youth in Cohoes to see Amplified Voices in action.

(ethereal music) - Amplified Voices is an art and wellness program.

Its mission is to be able to amplify the voice of emerging artists and youth to be able to teach them how do you use art as self advocacy, how do you use art for healing, and how do we combine art and wellness together?

(ethereal music) We're mostly focused on murals right now, and currently, we're doing a mural program with Connect Center for Youth, and our theme for that mural is gaming, and specifically diversity in gaming.

(lighthearted music) So this project is a week program.

We're working with students from the local area.

We start every day with a wellness lesson, you know, whether it's sound bowl or journal writing.

- [Eugene] I'm shaking.

We're getting good warmups.

Anyone starting to warm up?

- The first three days, we actually begin with introductions like slides into, like, okay, well, what is muraling?

What is being a mural artist?

Who are we?

And then, it's like, okay, well, what does diversity in gaming really mean?

Is it just race?

Is it just gender?

Like, what is that?

Like, diversity can mean so many things down to even storytelling, and then we just workshop for two days, and we, like, sketch, and we, like, collabbed, and we found our characters, and we customized them for fan art.

And yeah, and today is our second painting day.

(lighthearted music) - All of the characters have been developed.

The concept has been composed properly.

The wall is very filled, and now, yesterday, they started painting their characters, so now, today is about finishing some of those initial characters, moving on to their secondary characters, and making our task list a lot smaller.

The beauty of today is that it's really gonna come together.

The colors are gonna pop on the wall, and you guys are gonna have an amazing time collaborating with us today.

- I will say Eugene's definitely a goofball.

He's a, you know, silly guy, and I've always liked that about him because he definitely keeps me laughing day to day.

I don't think there's a day where we're not, like, laughing outside.

(gentle music) We met in 2020, the start of when I kicked off Amplified Voices, and I was like, "This guy knows his education programming and knows his curriculum development and is a pretty amazing artist himself," so it kinda just made sense that we kind of partnered up.

- I was like, "All right, well, if I'm gonna do this program with you, I really need to know what you're about," and we had a really close heart-to-heart about what truly matters, and that's the youth and their development and their voice and their ability to express themselves freely.

And once I knew that Jade was exactly in alignment with who I am, I was like, "We have to do this program together."

- You know, it's not just a camp.

It's not just a oh, you send your kids here to be babysat or any of that.

It's like, I'm very, very intentional about the mentorship, the community, the team building and making sure people and youth can advocate their voices through art and feel seen, and he matched my mission in that.

We saw eye to eye.

(ethereal music) And light, yeah.

(hinge creaking) - Ah!

- Perfect, (door shutting) or you can go around the collar as well.

We just have, like, interior house paint.

We have the artist brushes.

We just go up to the wall.

You know, we teach them what's the proper way to line, what's the proper way to fill, what's the proper way to blend, and then, we kinda just let 'em go free.

We kinda just let 'em have their own, you know, individuality and just kind of lead themselves, but we're more of, like, the mentors and, like, being the foundation, but we want them to feel comfortable with, like, being their own tools and being their own selves.

(lighthearted music) I think Amplified Voices is important because I think right now, more than ever, we're in a climate where I feel like kindness and connection and empathy is lacking, and I think our school systems right now, they're trying their hardest, but they're not really structured to foster those pieces in youth.

I've worked in schools.

I was like, "How can this foster empathy, love, kindness, or any of those things?"

So I really want Amplified Voices and its mission to be focusing on those things and making sure that how can I just be that person that I think I wanted when I was younger and that I needed when I was younger?

(lighthearted music) - The main thing they need is confidence because they're already amazing.

They have so many skillsets.

They have so many interests, and they don't realize that that's the thing.

You know, it's like, "Well, what's the answer here?"

"Well, any answer you give us is the right answer," and it's about freedom.

It's about self expression.

So I love doing the programming with youth because the most important thing is that they express themselves, and where in school all the time, they're constantly just in this retention of, "Did you understand the material?"

Where how often are they ever asked how they feel during the day?

So to be able to provide programming that allows them to express themselves and then feel safe and open and carefree, it's just a delight because they come up with such creative ideas.

They have such a strong view of the world already because of the internet, and they actually have, like, probable solutions.

They just need the right support to say, like, "Hey, you are correct.

You are powerful.

You are smart, and you can do anything you want."

(lighthearted music) - Creative Action Unlimited produces original theater and film productions focusing on stories about social issues.

Jade Warrick sat down with Creative Action Unlimited's founder and artistic director, Michael Kennedy, to learn more.

(air whooshing) - Hi, Michael.

Welcome to "A House for Arts."

- Hi.

Thanks for inviting me.

- Of course; I'm ready to talk all things theater and all things you love.

So to begin- - Wow.

- I know, right?

Before we dive into the theater work that you do, I wanna get a little bit of your creative background.

- I'm primarily a director.

I'm a playwright.

I'm a producer now, an artistic director of Creative Action Unlimited, and a sometimes actor.

(Jade laughing) So yeah, I think that kinda sums it up.

- Awesome, and how did you get into this creative world with, like, theater and acting and production?

- Oh, man, probably the way a lot of theater people did.

I started in high school.

My high school had a really awful theater department.

I've heard it's improved, (Jade laughing) but it was sort of four of us who were trying to do everything, but I got to act a little bit, and I got to student direct when I was 15.

And then I started in community theater right around the same time, and they were letting me direct all kinds of stuff at that age.

The place that I worked first in the community was called Slingaling's Players, which doesn't exist anymore, but full of really great, talented, inspiring people.

I got lucky, and they encouraged me to keep doing it and see what was possible for me.

- Yeah, and here you are today.

- And here I am.

- With your amazing theater production company, Creative Action Unlimited.

So let's talk a little bit about that.

How would you describe CAU, and what's your missions and goals?

- Well, Creative Action Unlimited is a theater and film, because of COVID, production company that's dedicated to creating original, collaboratively written productions about social issues, and our mission is to educate and inspire social change, and our vision, right, the broader you get, and our vision, of course, is to actually move our audiences to take action in their communities about social injustice.

- Awesome; is that something you see as, like, a need within the theater world here locally?

- Yeah, I mean, you know, the theater community here is vibrant and varied, and there's a lot of cool stuff going on, but there's not a lot of places that are doing original work or work that's specifically designed to look at social issues in all of their complexity and to offer audience members specific actions they can take at a small level, a medium level, or a large level, depending on how much they're moved to take action.

So they leave with that in their hand, usually, because it's in the program, "Here's what you can do."

- Yeah, now, when you say, "Take action," at these levels, what does that mean?

- Well, let's see.

It depends on what the theme is, right?

So for our recent production of "POV," which addressed AI and poverty, a small thing was, "Here's where you can donate stuff to that will then go to people who are living in poverty.

Here's the phone number.

Here are the dates," you know, "the times that they're open.

Here's what they'll take.

Here's what they won't."

Medium was more about sort of volunteering someplace, putting in some actual time, personal time, and large was, "Here's how you can advocate for change in economic policy at a state and national level."

- Oh, wow, so very call to action.

It's, like, really gets you going.

- It's all about the call to action.

Yes, yeah.

- That's amazing.

So I know you have a background in community psychology.

- I do.

- So how does that reflect in your work, whether it's with your directing, you creating initiatives, strategies?

How does this, you know, educational background kind of reflect in your work?

- That's a big question.

- I know.

(Jade laughs) - Yeah, thanks for that.

So I could've been a social worker, but I decided to study community psychology because I believed in that sort of grassroots activism approach to change.

I worked in human services my whole adult life.

So for 35 years, I worked in substance use and domestic violence and grief support and coalition building and all that sorta thing.

So working in the field like that, providing direct care, managing staff, designing and directing programs, you don't do that for 35 years without becoming aware of the systemic nature of all the issues that you're addressing and becoming aware of how the system is not necessarily broken but is working in the way it was designed to work, and the way it was designed to work often is to keep people in the situations that they're in to benefit more privileged folks.

So when we're looking at an issue, we're not just looking at an issue.

We're looking at the intersectionality of all the issues and how, you know, how it's all set up to maintain itself, right, 'cause systems work to maintain sameness, and it's very hard to find the way in to start to create change, and I think my background with that has been really helpful in what we write and how we present the material.

- Yeah, it's really beautiful.

- Yeah, thanks.

- And I know when I was researching about CAU, lots of social activism, lots of inclusiveness, lots of really putting marginalized communities at the forefront to be in control of their own voice.

- Yes.

- How do you foster that environment?

What makes you be able to foster this environment within CAU?

- Yeah, so one thing is to create a sense of safety and a sense of welcome, and I have been asked by other theater companies how we do this, and my answer is multilayered, and it took years to, you know, to create a safe space for marginalized communities, you know, for people to feel like, "Okay, I'll give this place a shot and see how it goes."

And some theater companies have heard my answer and said, "Wow, we didn't know there was all that much to it."

So we- - A lotta work.

(Jade laughing) - Yeah, it's a lotta work, but you need representation at all levels.

We actively invited local actors and other folks, tech folks, from marginalized populations to come and work with us because people don't just show up if they don't, right, it's not safe, but then, it has to be safe when you get there as well.

So for example, "Whitewashed: The Racism Project," which is one of the productions we're known for, required me to, you know, that was a yearlong project, all Black cast.

It required me to not step forward into a leadership position like I would normally, but to step back and to create a space, to hold the space, for the folks who were there who decided what they wanted to say and how they wanted to say it.

- Yeah, and that's what you need to succeed sometimes.

- Yeah, and- - Way to get that allyship.

- Yes, it is allyship, and I, you know, I think I define success a little differently than other theater companies.

I mean, would I love to have a full house?

Absolutely.

I'd love that, and we're still striving toward that, but it's more important to me that the people that work with us and the people that come to our productions, that everyone feels safe and challenged just enough to take action.

If you challenge people too much, they're just gonna shut down or run screaming from the place, so finding that sweet spot where people feel like, "Yes, I can do this.

I can make a difference," or the performers, "Yes, I can take a risk as a performer here, and it's going to be okay."

- Yeah, and sometimes as a creative like myself, those are the people and the organizations that help me succeed, so it's really great to see that you're putting that out there.

- Yeah, thanks.

- So what are some future productions and current shows that we can look forward to?

- Oh, good.

Can I pull up my cheat sheet?

- Yeah, go ahead.

- Oh, good.

(Jade laughing) 'Cause, you know, of course, I don't have my glasses.

- Oh, let's talk about your current season.

- Okay.

(paper rustling) So we have two main stage productions a year.

This year, we're the resident theater company at The Arts Center of the Capital Region, which is very cool.

You already know about our first production, which is "Psalm 91: Releasing Religion."

It was written, and it's primarily performed by D. Colin.

Part memoir, part poetry, all theater production.

It was a difficult piece for her to write, and it's gonna be difficult for her to perform, and so we're creating a lotta safety in the rehearsal room around that.

So that's our fall show, and our spring show is co-directed by Siobhan Shea and Stephanie Remmert, and it's called "Thinking Too Loud," and it's focusing on mental health.

- Wow, okay.

- So they're co-writing and co-directing that piece.

- Well, thank you.

You heard that, audience.

Try to show up at some of these beautiful, amazing plays and productions, and I will definitely show up myself.

- Great.

- You'll likely see me there, front row.

(laughs) - Good, yeah.

Thanks so much.

- Thank you so much, Michael.

- Please welcome Will Pedicone.

♪ It started when she told me ♪ ♪ I think we should take a break ♪ ♪ Whatever that means, I think that maybe ♪ ♪ I have been replaced ♪ ♪ I thought that there was something special then ♪ ♪ But it was fake ♪ ♪ Coulda been forever, but instead ♪ ♪ I was thrown back in the lake ♪ ♪ But I'm not ♪ ♪ The wallowing kind ♪ ♪ I need to shake you ♪ ♪ From my mind ♪ ♪ Was it my mistakes ♪ ♪ Or are you just unkind ♪ ♪ Either way ♪ ♪ This is goodbye ♪ ♪ The only way to know to drown out the pain ♪ ♪ To keep the loneliness from swallowing my brain ♪ ♪ Is to keep things loud and at a breakneck pace ♪ ♪ And leave no time for the feelings to bake ♪ ♪ I been charging hard ♪ ♪ For a while now ♪ ♪ But I'd love ♪ ♪ To finally come down ♪ ♪ So I went back to school ♪ ♪ Got a degree I didn't want ♪ ♪ So I could find employment finally ♪ ♪ In a good spot ♪ ♪ I think that it was worth my time ♪ ♪ But I won't know till it all unwinds ♪ ♪ I moved away, then I came back ♪ ♪ Bought an old house and rebuilt it from scratch ♪ ♪ I'm feeling all right when I'm busting my back ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'm not ♪ ♪ The wallowing kind ♪ ♪ I need to shake you ♪ ♪ From my mind ♪ ♪ Was it my mistakes ♪ ♪ Or are you just unkind ♪ ♪ Either way ♪ ♪ This is goodbye ♪ ♪ The only way I know to drown out the pain ♪ ♪ To keep the loneliness from swallowing my brain ♪ ♪ Is to keep things loud and at a breakneck pace ♪ ♪ And leave no time for the feelings to bake ♪ ♪ I been charging hard ♪ ♪ For a while now ♪ ♪ But I'd love ♪ ♪ To finally come down ♪ ♪ But I'm not ♪ ♪ The wallowing kind ♪ ♪ I need to shake you ♪ ♪ From my mind ♪ ♪ Was it my mistakes ♪ ♪ Or are you just unkind ♪ ♪ Either way ♪ ♪ This is goodbye ♪ ♪ Either way ♪ ♪ This is goodbye ♪ (Will grunting) (guitar strings squeaking) (fingers thumping) (contemplative guitar music) ♪ Every now and then ♪ ♪ I get sucked in ♪ ♪ Away from my friends ♪ ♪ And the life I live ♪ ♪ Put down my guitar ♪ ♪ And I won't sing ♪ ♪ Yeah, I'm fine alone ♪ ♪ Just hanging by myself and what I know ♪ ♪ No, I won't think about all the good times ♪ ♪ And I won't look beyond the door ♪ ♪ Just do what I did before ♪ ♪ Do that some more ♪ ♪ And wonder do I really need more ♪ (contemplative guitar music) ♪ Now, you may not have noticed ♪ ♪ But this is not my natural state ♪ ♪ If you don't pay attention ♪ ♪ I'm still comfortable that way ♪ ♪ Yeah, 'cause I'm just the same ♪ ♪ In a room by myself ♪ ♪ I don't need you to love me ♪ ♪ But I'm sure it could help ♪ ♪ Thought I was fine before ♪ ♪ Even though I know I need more ♪ ♪ Yeah, 'cause I'm just the same ♪ ♪ In a room by myself ♪ ♪ I don't need you to love me ♪ ♪ But I'm sure it could help ♪ ♪ Thought I was fine before ♪ ♪ Even though I know I need more ♪ ♪ Every now and then ♪ ♪ I get sucked in ♪ ♪ Away from my friends ♪ ♪ And the life I live ♪ ♪ Put down my guitar ♪ ♪ And I won't sing ♪ ♪ Yeah, I'm fine alone ♪ ♪ Just hanging by myself and what I know ♪ (contemplative guitar music) (ethereal music) - Thanks for joining us.

For more arts, visit wmht.org/AHA, and be sure to connect with us on social.

I'm Matt Rogowicz.

Thanks for watching.

(relaxed mysterious music) - [Announcer] Funding for "AHA!"

has been provided by your contribution and by contributions to the WMHT Venture Fund.

Contributors include the Leo Cox Beach Philanthropic Foundation, Chet and Karen Opalka, Robert and Doris Fischer Malesardi, and The Robison Family Foundation.

- At M&T Bank, we understand that the vitality of our communities is crucial to our continued success.

That's why we take an active role in our community.

M&T Bank is pleased to support WMHT programming that highlights the arts, and we invite you to do the same.