Everyone has a story. The Orpheum Theatre Group values all stories and believes in making space for those stories to be shared. When we share stories and listen deeply to one another, we are able to question, reflect, grow, learn, and lean into the future with a more shared human understanding. We are able to transform ourselves, our communities, and our world.
All of our ACTs of Engagement Programs are offered completely FREE. These programs are constantly in development throughout the year, so be sure to check this page often! For more information about ACTs of Engagement, email education@orpheum-memphis.com.
UPCOMING
Storyfest- Real people. Real stories. Join us for a two-day festival showcasing the voices of Memphians. An intergenerational group of participants from across the city have collaborated with the Orpheum Theatre Group to create original theatrical performances sharing their stories in their own words.
Storyfest features FREE live performances, engagement activities, and community reflections at the Halloran Centre at the Orpheum.
All performances will be interpreted in sign language by BridgesWEST.
RSVP Here
Storyfest was made in partnership with the following organizations: Refugee Empowerment Program, Orange Mound Arts Council, Bickford Community Center (through Creative Aging), and Middle College High School.
Please note that Storyfest is created and shared by the participants you see, in their own words and voices, from their own points of view and the Orpheum embraces all stories. Some material contains mature themes.
Ongoing
From Where I Stand: Refugee Portraits (PODCAST)
Youth refugees perform stories about how they grapple with identity, belief, and displacement from their homelands. Do our differences provide a point of conflict or are they part of a uniquely American experience? What does it mean to discover who you are in a place so different from where you came? This podcast asks us to look beyond the headlines and see the real people behind them. In March 2020, youth from the Refugee Empowerment Program were rehearsing a live storytelling performance with the Orpheum Theatre Group in Memphis, TN. But when the pandemic hit, their performance was postponed…until now. Meet Natasha, Kowsar, Solange, Eunice, Bertrand, Layla, Ache, Hibo, and Nasteho as they share their real-life stories in their own words.
All 10 episodes are now available! Stream on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Our current ACTs of Engagement programs include:
From Where I Stand
In From Where I Stand, the Orpheum Theatre Group undergoes deep collaboration with participants from a community or school organization who share their personal stories from their point of view. By collaborating in an artistic process, participants bring their individual perspectives together to create an original performance to share. By providing a platform and resources, we seek to elevate stories in our community and encourage dialogue and transformation through the power of the arts. Learn More >
Our previous ACTs of Engagement have also included:
History Around Memphis Poetry Workshops and Slam
These free workshops, facilitated by a roster of Orpheum Teaching Artists, explore themes from HAMILTON through the lens of history around Memphis. During the program, participants experimented with poetic techniques and openly shared the original creations developed in the workshops. History Around Memphis culminated in a free poetry slam event on the historic Orpheum stage.
Listen Up! Finding Acceptance
In the Listen Up! program, participants collaborate in storytelling by making documentary films. Listen Up! engages participants from partnering organizations in a journey of self-discovery by using a variety of creative activities and artistic mediums. Listen Up! makes space for participants to speak openly, to listen deeply, to operate equipment, to perform post-production editing, and to create soundtrack recordings, exposing students to various aspects of filming, both on and off camera. Learn More >
2019: History Around Memphis Poetry Slam
A live poetry event to engage the entire community in the lead up to Memphis performances of the revolutionary Broadway Musical HAMILTON.