Devising Hope

Communities come together to devise a theatre piece using scenes, monologues & movement pieces which are based on their own experiences. Projects are with homeless populations and teens or Arlington orgs to discuss racial inequity and create change.

Devising Hope started in 2015 as an intergenerational theatre program in partnership with Street Sense Media to bring together adults who have experienced homelessness and local high school students to collaborate on a devised theatre piece.

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Devising Hope: Street Sense

Devising Hope: Racial Equity

In 2021 ETC began a new partnership with Challenging Racism to create Devising Hope - The Stories that Bind Us: Race, Reflections and Resilience. This new partnership launched in 2022 with its first performance in March 2023.

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Upcoming Partnerships

We continue to expand our Devising Hope program with new partnerships and in new communities. Through the course of a Devising Hope project, participants build connections and camaraderie through theatre exercises and the creation of new material based on a chosen theme. In seeking to build a common understanding of the human experience, Devising Hope participants share personal narratives that inspire an original theatre piece, performed for a public audience.

If your community or organization is interested in partnering with ETC for a Devising Hope program, please reach out.

Devising Hope: TJ Middle School 2025

ETC's newest partnership for Devising Hope is with students at Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington, VA. This is the first time Devising Hope has been run for and with middle schoolers expressly and we're excited to hear the voices of this group & to help amplify them through the work we'll create together.

Students of Thomas Jefferson Middle School can register for the session by filling out this form. We can't wait to hear their stories around themes of friendship, belonging, and racial inequity.