reclaim conversation and curiosity

Where do folks in your community already get together? Diners? BBQ Joints? Gas Stations? We like to go to hang out where folks already get together, and do interesting stuff like play with remote control (RC) cars and have civilized conversations about complicated topics.

Conversations

The Good Old Boys Project was developed through dialogue. Conversations and interviews were critical to the process of developing the plays and giving folks context for the work.

Conversations and interviews involved “sittin’ a spell” in gas stations at 5am and mechanic shops after hours. We hung out in donut shops, race tracks, dive bars, and music jam sessions in rural communities. We were talking about race, gender, politics, grief, community identity, loss, and what should be done with the confederate monuments. We talk about ethics and hard work. We talk about law and justice.

The Good Old Boys script includes a dialogue guide that helps folks use different episodes from the play to facilitate complex conversations between individuals with different values.

Sittin' a spell usually means we talk about things like:

• What is your definition of a good old boy?

• What do you think it means to be southern? To be white? To be male?

• What is your experience with good old boys?

• What’s your advice for people who struggle with change? How do you cope with change? 

• What is your greatest fear about the changing demographics of the United States?

Workshops

ashley sparks is available to lead different types of devised theater workshops and workshops for groups of men of all ages that address the themes of the performance. Workshops are designed in collaboration with a local host and can be focused on the following themes:

• Exploring white identity

• Grief and masculinity

• Coping with change

• Stereotypes and archetypes in southern identity and history

• Story sharing as a tool for community building