What We Are Doing...and What We Want From You!

Here's our "official" project description, which we handed out at last Thursday's Culture Stroll, and it includes the challenge we posed to the attendees to think about and respond to. Feel free to drop us a line or post something in the comments...

THE PROJECT
The theatrical project A Good Neighborhood is based on the hope that dialogue and cultural currency will allow Upper Manhattan (Inwood and Washington Heights) to maintain its vibrant character and friendly demeanor through the changing tide. It is a collaboration between playwright J Holtham, director Wendy McClellan and producer Lonnie Cooper that explores the transitions in their northern Manhattan neighborhood. It delves into the tensions and hopes of the geographic community of Upper Manhattan and seeks to answer the question, “What makes this place home?”

HOW
A Good Neighborhood will develop out of community dialog with various Upper Manhattan neighborhood groups—church congregations, business owners, bar flies, home owners, new immigrants, old residents, little-league teams, neighborhood councils, beauty salon patrons...

WHY
To raise awareness of the rich cultural community that lives in Upper Manhattan.
To engage an audience, engender healthy curiosity between neighbors and create constructive dialogue about the changes occurring on our streets and in our residences.

WHEN
A Good Neighborhood will develop into a full Pay What You Can performance event that will open in conjunction with the Uptown Arts Stroll in June 2008. The piece will then continue running after the close of the Arts Stroll to bring continued focus to the neighborhood.

WHERE
Parts of the piece may wind up as salsa dance between a dog owner and a park-lover or a duet between a World War II veteran and their foreign caretaker or a simple scene between two strangers on a subway platform.

HOW YOU CAN BECOME INVOLVED
This is community-based art at its finest—developed in dialogue with the community, by people that live in the community and performed by the professional artists that inhabit the community. Help us give voice to a neighborhood that is undergoing tremendous change and allow the community to celebrate its diversity together. Share a story, or suggestions to our website at www.agoodneighborhood.blogspot.com.

YOUR CHALLENGE
Consider the following question: “What do we own as a community?”
Write us a response and post it on our blog: www.agoodneighborhood.blogspot.com or e-mail us at agoodneighborhood@gmail.com.
Discuss the idea with a neighbor