I attended Stagebridge for the first time during a Performing Arts Camp session, and I stumbled into the wrong class: solo auditioning. Eventually, I began taking more and more classes around storytelling and performance. I kept returning because I realized I could tell stories, and I had a lot to share!
My instructors were so positive and talented that I felt encouraged all along the way—even making my way to perform in larger performance spaces like The Marsh, alongside other students. It was very much a high point for me.
As we moved to Zoom and video classes, I felt a bit intimidated at first. Soon, I got used to it with some help from our staff members, family and friends—finding myself in a clowning class of all things! As my interests evolved from storytelling to general writing, I was able to take classes in memoir writing. I have learned and experienced so much, and I even began taking a class in poetry during this year’s Performing Arts Camp.
As the President of the Board of Directors, I believe that the entire Stagebridge experience is one of being part of a community proving that we can continue to develop as human beings, despite our age. Through working with these various art forms, it brings out things we might have never explored.
I never thought that I’d write memoirs or poems, and I was surprised to create new works that were profound, honest, and true—stories that people could respond to and connect with!
Even this summer, I was able to take a personal experience, create a poem out of it, and heal from the validation of my fellow students. And it wouldn’t have happened without Stagebridge, a place for everyone to learn and grow.
~Claire Wahrhaftig, President of the Stagebridge Board of Directors