18
I n c i t e /I ns i ght
five brains won’t always agree
on a single vision. The effects of
trusting the script, our guts and
each other is felt throughout
every performance.
LC: The beauty of building this
play physically was in sharing
the ideas and inspiration across
many minds. In our initial
dramaturgy work for this play,
we visited a class of middle
school girls from an Austin
public school and asked them
to workshop several scenes.
Working with young people -
the intended audience for this
piece - helped us clarify our
aesthetic choices and informed
the visual and physical world
of the play. Suddenly, a dishrag
could be the giant ocean; a
cake box could be the puppeted
head of our stepmother; a step-
ladder turned on its side could
be a giant sideways lighthouse;
three apple crates could be
three war horses.
SP: I could offer my worst idea
and not have that offer be a
reflection of my artistry or value
and worth, but actually just a
brick to try in building the path
of the play. This level of trust
came quickly in the room but
was built towards over several
years as we’ve done multiple
projects together.
AT: Our ensemble’s trust and
commitment to collaboration
transferred to our institutional
partner, ZACH Theatre. It took
some finessing to define and
balance responsibilities, but
our ensemble reinforced that
all of us were decision-makers
on every aspect of the project.
ZACH was responsive to this
redistribution in communication
and decision-making and
asked us all for our input
and approval on marking
W i n te r 20 1 9
This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing with
Lina Chambers, Kriston Woodreaux, Sam Provenzano and Ally Tufenkjian.
Photo Credit: Lawrence Peart
educational materials and
production.
JC: My favorite thing about
this show, honestly, has been
the people. I have gotten
the opportunity to create
something like nothing else I
have created prior AND perform
it alongside people I admire so.
It has been a learning process,
a loving process and also a true
testament to the meaning of
organic collaboration.
Jada Cadena is an integrated sound designer working in
and around Austin to create theatre for young audiences. She
graduated from The University of Texas at Austin’s Theatre and
Dance program with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2015.
Lina Chambers is a theatre-maker, performer and educator.
She is an MFA candidate in the University of Texas at Austin’s
Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities (DTYC) program.
Her research and practice centers young and very young people
and she strives to build engaging theatrical experiences through
collaborative devising.
Sam Provenzano is from Las Vegas and graduated with her
MFA in Drama and Theatre for Youth and Communities from UT
Austin in 2018. She is currently the inaugural UT Austin Theatre
for Youth Fellow at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia where
she focuses on Theatre for the Very Young, Theatre for Young
Audiences, and Museum Theatre.
Ally Tufenkjian is an artist, educator and activist. Through her
research and artistry, she aims to forward youth voice and agency
through school-based arts opportunities and create theatre with
and for young people.
Kriston Woodreaux is an actor/director based in Austin, TX. His
next collaborative project is a solo performance adaptation of
Cornelius Eady’s Brutal Imagination in the 2019 Cohen New Works
Festival in April.