52 PickUp
Winter/Spring 2017
Current events in our fragmented country have prompted many of us to define (or redefine) who we are, what we believe, and what we want for this world.
At BrickaBrack, we're asking: How are our fellow Americans’ perspectives so different from our own? How can we bridge the divide of understanding and engage in meaningful conversation?
Current events in our fragmented country have prompted many of us to define (or redefine) who we are, what we believe, and what we want for this world.
At BrickaBrack, we're asking: How are our fellow Americans’ perspectives so different from our own? How can we bridge the divide of understanding and engage in meaningful conversation?
Rachel and David at a BrickaBrack Jam
Technology, as much as it has allowed us to be globally connected, also plays a huge role in dividing us. Our news is filtered to our preferences, typically reflecting back and re-confirming our established viewpoints. Often, online conversations or debates allow little opportunity for nuanced discussion or personal connection. When’s the last time you called an acquaintance on the phone just to have a conversation? When’s the last time you’ve spoken with someone whose perspective is significantly different from your own?
Jamil in Conversation
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BrickaBrack conducted a series of conversations with people across the country called The 52 PickUp Project (named for fifty states and two territories we attempted to contact). In these conversations, we posed questions such as, "What brings you joy?” "What are you afraid of?” and "What do you think happens after you die?” We hoped to capture a portrait of America from these interviews: a collage that would illuminate our diversity of cultures, religions, dreams, perspectives, and identities. We really wanted to reach people in this country we don’t normally engage with, and to move outside our comfort zones as NYC-based theatre practitioners. Based on these 52 PickUp conversations, BrickaBrack created
Lights Across the Field. |
BrickaBrack Open Jam
Sample Questions
- How would you describe your life?
- Would you say your life is similar to most of the people you know, or different?
- Who is your community?
- What has been the best moment of your life? Why?
- What's the hardest thing you've ever done?
- What makes you feel most alive?
- What are you most afraid of?
- What do you believe happens after we die?
- How would you describe America?
- How did you come to your points of view on: Science, Evolution, the Environment, Women’s Rights / Reproductive Rights, Race, Religion
- What do you believe as truth? How do you decide?
- What do you dream about?
Ensemble photos by BrickaBrack & Joana Cardozo
