So all of a sudden, in the middle of the prep for our Inaugural Anniversary Reading—more news to come—I find myself in Indianapolis, with a group of dancers, a composer/musician, actors, directors, and singers. We are the 2nd annual Indy Convergence, a collection of artists who conduct workshops for each other & the community, work together on an Umbrella Project and workshop side projects as well.
My side project is twofold: turning the 10-character version of VOICES FROM CHORNOBYL into a 6-character version, in order to create more accesibility for smaller groups to participate in the reading; as well as reimagine the script for a special co-production with Deaf West Theater in North Hollywood. We will integrate ASL (American Sign Language) and hearing-impaired actors into our ensemble for a special performance.
Considering how lucky I’ve been to have many of the same actors workshop this script with me over the years, I’m pretty intrigued by the thought of hearing the script with new voices and introducing the project to a whole new set of ears.
I am blogging about the entire experience here http://cindymariejenkins.wordpress.com and will focus on the Chornobyl process in this blog.
I already worked out which of the ten characters can be absorbed into each other, and actually found many places where the script gets repetitive. I’m hoping to truly work out the kinks over these next two weeks!
The challenge after that—-turning it into a 2-person, tour-able piece for schools.
Until tomorrow,
Cindy
Link to video
Tributes to heroism of Chernobyl firefighters
By Eoin English
THOUSANDS of firefighters who lost their lives in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster were remembered at ceremonies in Cork and Dublin yesterday to mark the 19th anniversary of the accident. They gave their lives to prevent an atomic explosion at the plant which would have made Europe uninhabitable, the Chernobyl Children’s Project said.
Director Adi Roche said fires at the plant could have triggered a nuclear explosion 50 to 80 times the force of Hiroshima.
She paid tribute to the 25,000 “liquidators” who died and the 70,000 who are permanently disabled as a result of making the reactor safe.
While people had a “searing image” of the firefighters in 9/11, nobody had a similar understanding of the heroism of the “liquidators”, she said. She was speaking in Dublin where 19 children, each with a candle and a photograph of a worker, commemorated the men who died.
The Belarussian Ambassador to Britain, Dr Alyaksei Mazhukhou, said 1.5 million people, including 420,000 children, were still living in affected areas.
“Chernobyl remains a great burden for our people and our economy,” he said.
However, the future of recuperation visits to Ireland of children from the affected region remains uncertain.
In Cork, two white doves were released from City Hall during an ecumenical service attended by lord mayor Sean Martin and Ukrainian Ambassador Yevhen Perelygin.
The Greater Chernobyl Cause also announced it is sending an aid convoy to the Ukraine tomorrow. Included is an ultrasound machine that can detect early cancer in patients.
Meanwhile, Ms Roche warned that the consequences of the disaster would not be fully felt for another five decades.
Congenital birth defects have increased by 250% since the disaster, while one-in-four children in Belarus will develop thyroid abnormalities including cancer, she said. Environmentalist Duncan Stewart said the cement sarcophagus that covers the damaged reactor and which contains 97% of the plant’s lethal material is in need of repair, at a cost of €758 million. The Children’s Project called for the international community to help make the reactor safe and rebuild lives.