WEBVTT 00:00:06.767 --> 00:00:08.767 Hello, and welcome everybody. 00:00:12.000 --> 00:00:15.567 I am Madeline Cohen, Education Director and Director of the 00:00:15.700 --> 00:00:20.683 All Write! Program. All Write! is always a special occasion, 00:00:20.683 --> 00:00:23.883 but today is extra special because it is All Write's 00:00:24.017 --> 00:00:27.233 25th Anniversary. 00:00:31.550 --> 00:00:34.867 For 25 years Symphony Space has been thrilled to present 00:00:34.867 --> 00:00:38.217 original stories and poems by students like you 00:00:38.300 --> 00:00:42.317 performed by wonderful actors like the ones here tonight. 00:00:43.167 --> 00:00:46.967 It has meant so much to me and everyone here to be able to 00:00:46.967 --> 00:00:50.433 bring together students and teachers from all around 00:00:50.433 --> 00:00:54.817 New York City to share the creativity, the honesty, 00:00:54.950 --> 00:01:00.400 the beauty, the laughter, the tears in your stories and poems. 00:01:00.700 --> 00:01:03.867 The All Write Committee and I have been honored to read 00:01:03.867 --> 00:01:08.367 every single story and poem submitted every year 00:01:09.467 --> 00:01:14.400 and we've been honored to get to know something about so many 00:01:14.450 --> 00:01:17.417 so many interesting lives, so many different backgrounds 00:01:17.417 --> 00:01:18.867 and so many unique imaginations. 00:01:18.867 --> 00:01:22.050 We loved reading them and wish we could present all of them 00:01:23.183 --> 00:01:27.800 but then we would be here until 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. 00:01:29.450 --> 00:01:36.100 So - we had to make a choice, and it was hard. 00:01:36.783 --> 00:01:42.167 I'm so excited tonight to present stories and poems by you 00:01:42.167 --> 00:01:44.650 read by our wonderful actors. 00:01:44.667 --> 00:01:47.650 This is a night we all look forward to at Symphony Space 00:01:47.767 --> 00:01:52.617 all year. We received over 150 stories and poems 00:01:52.883 --> 00:01:57.017 from classes all around the city, and it was so tough 00:01:57.167 --> 00:02:00.000 choosing the 34 that we will perform tonight 00:02:01.917 --> 00:02:07.717 I said to the actors, these 34 fantastic stories are not 00:02:08.100 --> 00:02:12.117 necessarily the 34 best stories. There were so many great stories 00:02:12.867 --> 00:02:17.833 so we had to make decisions about how to get serious stories 00:02:17.867 --> 00:02:22.017 funny stories, stories from this school, stories from that school 00:02:22.017 --> 00:02:25.233 it's a really hard job but one we love to do because we get to 00:02:25.233 --> 00:02:27.000 read all of them 00:02:28.200 --> 00:02:32.217 I want to thank the teachers for all the hard work they did 00:02:32.367 --> 00:02:34.367 overseeing and submitting the writing because I know 00:02:34.400 --> 00:02:36.400 it's a huge job. Thank you teachers. 00:02:42.367 --> 00:02:44.983 I think you are going to really enjoy hearing these stories 00:02:44.983 --> 00:02:49.717 and poems. Some are funny, some are sad, serious, angry, scary, 00:02:49.733 --> 00:02:54.100 you name it. Some are long, some are short, some might remind you 00:02:54.250 --> 00:02:56.717 of the postcards you may have seen in class or the stories 00:02:56.867 --> 00:03:00.533 and poems that were read here in February if you were here in 00:03:00.550 --> 00:03:05.550 February. Those stories were called Agouti, Abandoned Farm 00:03:05.550 --> 00:03:12.067 House, Vision Out of the Corner of One Eye, Homage to my Hips 00:03:12.100 --> 00:03:18.267 Indian Education, Still Life With the Accent, and The Bells. 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:22.067 Some of your stories are based on real life, some are 00:03:22.083 --> 00:03:25.033 completely made up. All are wonderful. 00:03:25.183 --> 00:03:31.233 So, before we sit back and listen to the fantastic stories 00:03:31.250 --> 00:03:33.250 and poems written by you and your peers, 00:03:33.383 --> 00:03:37.167 I'm going to ask you to turn off all cell phones, or anything 00:03:37.433 --> 00:03:41.933 else that makes noise or light. So, if you brought your blender 00:03:41.950 --> 00:03:45.883 or your motorcycle, please turn it completely off 00:03:45.883 --> 00:03:50.867 and, of course your cell phones - I mean OFF. No texting 00:03:51.117 --> 00:03:55.250 no nothing because we're listening to stories tonight. 00:03:55.283 --> 00:03:57.283 Please don't take any pictures 00:03:57.300 --> 00:04:00.600 until the end of the show. The actors will stay on stage 00:04:00.700 --> 00:04:04.267 during the bows. You can take pictures then and if you shoot 00:04:04.317 --> 00:04:07.500 a picture, a photo with a flash it's very distracting. 00:04:07.650 --> 00:04:12.267 At the end of the show, the ushers will be handing out 00:04:12.417 --> 00:04:16.800 a booklet, one per person, with the names of everybody who 00:04:16.933 --> 00:04:19.450 submitted any stories or poems. 00:04:19.450 --> 00:04:23.533 So tonight we have five fantastic actors 00:04:25.333 --> 00:04:29.333 Nathan Hinton began his professional career at the 00:04:29.333 --> 00:04:32.100 Public Theater and most recently performed with the 00:04:32.100 --> 00:04:35.050 Mosaic Theater Company in Washington D.C. 00:04:35.050 --> 00:04:36.967 Let's welcome Nathan. 00:04:37.133 --> 00:04:39.650 [Applause] 00:04:39.733 --> 00:04:43.117 We are thrilled that Dylan Carusona is back with us 00:04:43.200 --> 00:04:48.050 since February. He just appeared in a play called Mangled Beams 00:04:48.050 --> 00:04:51.350 produced by American Indian Artists Inc. 00:04:51.350 --> 00:04:53.267 [Applause] 00:04:53.267 --> 00:04:55.617 Sonia Manzano is known to millions as Maria on 00:04:55.867 --> 00:05:01.517 on Sesame Street, a character she played from 1971 to 2015. 00:05:01.583 --> 00:05:04.450 [Applause] She is also an author. 00:05:05.233 --> 00:05:09.500 Crystal Dickinson is an actress of stage and screen. She returns 00:05:09.733 --> 00:05:12.517 to All Write! after recently appearing in The Low Road 00:05:12.517 --> 00:05:14.517 at the Public Theater. 00:05:14.767 --> 00:05:18.150 [Applause] 00:05:18.750 --> 00:05:21.533 And you will remember Dawn Akemi Saito from our 00:05:21.533 --> 00:05:25.167 February performance. She is an actress, writer, 00:05:25.167 --> 00:05:30.983 movement artist, and director. [Applause] 00:05:31.067 --> 00:05:34.967 You can read more about our wonderful cast in your program. 00:05:35.233 --> 00:05:40.350 Before I say another word, I am going to apologize in advance. 00:05:40.550 --> 00:05:44.283 I'm going to do my best, but I know I am going to mispronounce 00:05:44.383 --> 00:05:47.417 some names. So if I mispronounce your name, just tell me later 00:05:47.567 --> 00:05:49.567 how to do it. 00:05:49.633 --> 00:05:51.633 But now we are in for a wonderful evening of stories and 00:05:51.883 --> 00:05:53.883 poems, so let's get started. 00:05:54.483 --> 00:05:58.217 Every one here has memories of home, whether home is up the 00:05:58.467 --> 00:06:02.367 street or across the ocean. Many of you wrote about where you 00:06:02.467 --> 00:06:04.983 were from and brought your experience to life with 00:06:05.067 --> 00:06:09.150 your words. Let's welcome Sonia Monzano to the mic to read 00:06:09.400 --> 00:06:12.617 Where I'm From by Nancy Bentancourth. 00:06:13.217 --> 00:06:15.217 [Applause] 00:06:16.867 --> 00:06:18.867 Where I'm From 00:06:18.917 --> 00:06:20.900 I'm from South America, 00:06:20.900 --> 00:06:23.717 Cali, Colombia, a beautiful country. 00:06:23.817 --> 00:06:26.283 My country has many traditions 00:06:26.617 --> 00:06:29.783 like eating delicious food, especially at holidays 00:06:30.233 --> 00:06:32.817 My whole family makes different dishes. 00:06:33.150 --> 00:06:39.117 Bandeja has arroz, frijoles, carne asada, huevos 00:06:39.200 --> 00:06:43.417 platoon maduro, aquacate and this is a wonderful plate. 00:06:43.750 --> 00:06:46.800 My family sings loudly at Midnight Mass 00:06:46.900 --> 00:06:48.900 on the 24th of December. 00:06:49.233 --> 00:06:54.033 I am from Mama and Papa and feeling very happy. 00:06:54.117 --> 00:06:59.967 I am from Colombia and I am from laughter and this story. 00:07:00.733 --> 00:07:06.383 [Applause]