Hello, reader! As the production date moves closer, you’ll be hearing a lot from me, so I thought it would be a good idea for me to tell you a little bit about myself and my interest in the Telling Project.
My name is Schandra Madha. I’m a Junior Undergraduate student studying Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin. My academic focus is in Creative Writing, Philosophy, and Comparative Literature. My long-term career goal is to write several novels and poetry anthologies. I’m also interested in developing innovative creative writing programs for education and therapy, programs much like the Telling Project.
Last Spring, I attended Austin Community College for a semester to study Playwriting and Sociology. During that time, I became involved with ACC’s annual In2theWest production, an Austin original writing and acting workshop inspired by the iconic realism found in the photography of Richard Avedon. I was able to write two monologues for the show, and even had my first real acting experience. One of my monologues was inspired by my own feelings growing up in a military family and witnessing the indifference and ignorance many civilians have towards veterans. In my Playwriting course and during the production, I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Charlotte Gullick. When Charlotte told me later about her work with the Telling Project, I knew I had to be a part of it.
Daniel Zuniga in my monologue “Peaceful Protest”
Charlotte introduced me to the director of the project, Jonathan Wei, and the rest is, as they say, history. So, I will be your devoted intern and blogger from now through showtime. I can’t wait to get started on the project. I am so excited to be helping veterans and their families tell their stories and, in many cases, experience their own first time acting as well. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. I look forward to hearing from all of you!
Update 02/08/13: And if you’re interested in seeing Daniel’s and all the other In2theWesters’ performances, the videos from the production are all available online here.
The Telling Project 