When the Impossible Becomes Possible
After landing in Los Angeles, a troupe of high schoolers from a mountain town south of Beijing, China had four days to acclimate, rehearse, act, sing, and dance for an audience of award-winning American chorale students.
Dr. Sherry J. Kerr, the fearless writer/director of Brainstorm: Teenage Brain in Action, led the way to this performance.
Dr. Kerr's recent educational residency in China had inspired a local philanthropist to fund the educational exchange between the Beijing troupe and the students of Michael Hayden at Mira Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, California.
I served as producer, stage manager, and prop maker on the creative team with Robin Lithgow, former head of the Los Angeles County Arts Education branch and choreographer Margaret Boersma.
A thrilling experience full of surprises and moving performances.
There's a flickering spark in all of us, which, if struck at the right age...can light the rest of our lives, elevating our ideals, deepening our tolerance, and sharpening our appetite for knowledge about the rest of the world. Educational and cultural exchanges...provide a perfect opportunity for this precious spark to grow, making us more sensitive and international citizens...
Ronald Reagan