Mouthful

Philadelphia Young Playwrights
  • 4.9 (37)
  • PERFORMING ARTS

Mouthful places teens and youth at the center of important conversations, adding their voices and perspectives to the discussions that surround our daily lives at home, in the workplace, and in the community. From sexuality and gender to policing and addiction, each episode focuses on a new topic inspired by a student-written dramatic monologue. We listen to the monologue performed by a professional actor, talk to the teen about why they wrote it, and then journey out into the community to broaden the conversation.

  1. Meet the Writers: "Buckle Up."

    02/26/2019 · BONUS

    Meet the Writers: "Buckle Up."

    For Season Three of Mouthful, we'll be talking to ten student playwrights who are bringing their monologues to life for the 2019 Mouthful Monologue Festival. In this episode, we meet the 18 winning writers whose monologues will premiere for public audiences in just a few days. RESERVE YOUR TICKETS! If you're in the Philly area, you can catch all 18 monologues at a performance February 28-March 9 at the Louis Bluver Theater at the Drake. All performances are Pay What You Decide. Music: "Wavy Glass" and "Blossoming" by Podington Bear is licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0

    10 min
  2. Behind the Scenes: "I want kids to get this message..."

    02/19/2019 · BONUS

    Behind the Scenes: "I want kids to get this message..."

    For Season Three of Mouthful, we'll be talking to ten student playwrights who are bringing their monologues to life for the 2019 Mouthful Monologue Festival. In this episode, we take a peek behind the curtain to see how a selection committee chooses the 18 winning monologues from more than 660 submissions. On the next episode, we meet the writers. With just two weeks until the performance run, they are working hard to perfect their monologues for audiences. Their monologues will become the centerpiece of our third season conversations on the podcast. RESERVE YOUR TICKETS! If you're in the Philly area, you can catch all 18 monologues at a performance February 28-March 9 at the Louis Bluver Theater at the Drake. All performances are Pay What You Decide. Music: "Squirrel Commotion" by Podington Bear is licensed under CC BY-NC 3.0

    4 min
  3. Restore My Brotherly Love LIVE

    06/08/2018

    Restore My Brotherly Love LIVE

    A monologue written from the perspective of Philadelphia imploring its citizens to put down the guns starts a conversation about gun violence. Featuring conversations with Tyler Riddick , a senior at the U School who wrote the monologue after her friend was killed by a stray bullet; Jose Ferran , a peer intervention specialist at Healing Hurt People who survived a gunshot to the arm in 2011; Leonard Chester , founder of The Overcame Foundation; and Jerrick Medrano , who performs the monologue and opens up about his own experiences with gun violence. Recorded LIVE at The U School in North Philly. “Use your voice to stand for equality and peace among each other. Your voice is greater than the gun. I know that this solution may not be easy and it will take some time but time is not on your side. You have to stand up now. ” — from "Restore My Brotherly Love" by Tyler Riddick ![Restore Album.png](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a484743e00be2284446832/t/5b1973dd575d1f1b68c3b240/1528394735424/Restore+Album.png?format=1000w) * * * Connections The U School readies ALL young people for college and careers by supporting students to accept challenges and opportunities through: student agency, real-world problem-solving, developing engaging high-quality products with the purpose of demonstrating mastery , and to push the boundaries of seat time through asynchronous learning.   Recognizing that victims of violence too often have symptoms of trauma that go untreated, Healing Hurt People (HHP) offers a hospital-based intervention to address the psychological and physical wounds of trauma. HHP is a program for people ages 8-30 who have been shot, stabbed, or assaulted and are seen in a hospital for treatment. The ultimate goals of the program are to help victims heal from their physical and emotion wounds in order to break the cycle of violence, by connecting them to needed behavioral health, physical health and life skills resources. HHP is supported by the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services and Drexel University. The Overcame Foundation, Inc. (OVC) was founded in October 2015. Founder, Leonard Chester had a vision to help the youth and young adults in underprivileged environments and together he and co-founder Jade Harper brought that vision to life. Currently, The Foundation is serving communities in Philadelphia and Baltimore. Creating platforms for talented youth across the two cities, The Overcame Foundation strives to teach young people how to be leaders through education, service, wellness and visual arts. Ultimately the organization is striving to provide scholarships and book awards to youth who work hard to overcome adversity. Further Reading & Resources FOLLOW @NoGunZone on Instagram. READ this article featuring episode guest Jose Ferran, via Philly.com. LEARN about the gun violence statistics quoted in Tyler's monologue and in the episode. About the Performer JERRICK MEDRANO Jerrick is a Philadelphia-based actor, a 2015 graduate from Esperanza Academy Charter High School where he majored in Theater, and currently a Theater major at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is a writer - his play For a Good Investment won first place and was produced as at Temple University. He has been a featured actor in the Mouthful Monologue Festival in 2017 and 2018, and also worked on Marty Pottenger's #Phillysavesearth at Painted Bride.   "Restore My Brotherly Love" was directed by Mitchell Bloom.

    35 min
  4. Adam

    06/05/2018

    Adam

    A monologue about a young man who is turned away from his first job interview starts a conversation about how we treat individuals on the autism spectrum and how we prepare them for work and independence. Featuring conversations with Dylan Henry , a sophomore at the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, whose younger brother inspired the monologue; and three individuals from Project SEARCH , a program that offers vocational training and internships to young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. “I daydreamed that one day I would be a cashier or even a manager. The name tag securely pinned on my right side would say manager, Adam. I would ride my bike everyday from my big red house, bright and early, so the cans would be stacked just right.” — from "Adam" by Dylan Henry ![Adam Album.png](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a484743e00be2284446832/t/5b1182b6758d467595f39d02/1528394178176/Adam+Album.png?format=1000w) * * * Connections PROJECT SEARCH : Project SEARCH at Drexel University offers vocational training and internships to young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and/or an intellectual disability with the goal of competitive integrated employment. Young adults in their last year of high school are eligible to participate in a vocational training program that takes place entirely at Drexel University. Drexel is the first university setting in the country to offer a licensed version of the new autism-specific variation of Project SEARCH. The program is a partnership with the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR), Community Integrated Services, Pennsylvania Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services, Philadelphia School District, and the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute Life Course Outcomes Program – Transition Pathways.   Further Reading & Resources WATCH this feature of Project SEARCH from NBC10. WATCH this video from CBS News: "Hiring Autistic Workers" LEARN about another Philadelphia program, Neurodiversity in the Workplace Initiative from The Arc of Philadelphia, which supports job seekers with Autism and connects them to potential employment. About the Performer JERRICK MEDRANO Jerrick is a Philadelphia-based actor, a 2015 graduate from Esperanza Academy Charter High School where he majored in Theater, and currently a Theater major at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is a writer - his play For a Good Investment won first place and was produced as at Temple University. He has been a featured actor in the Mouthful Monologue Festival in 2017 and 2018, and also worked on Marty Pottenger's #Phillysavesearth at Painted Bride.   "Adam" was directed by Steve Gravelle for the 2018 Mouthful Monologue Festival. Accompaniment by Daniel De Jesus. Additional music for this episode is by Lee Rosevere, used under the Creative Commons license.

    20 min
  5. Who Am I?

    05/31/2018

    Who Am I?

    A monologue about a young woman grappling with her identity after a friend is attacked starts a conversation about being Muslim in America. Featuring conversations with the writer Ruya Erkut, a freshman at George Washington Carver, and her mother, Ebru Erkut, who works as a paralegal at an immigration firm. This is a personal episode about growing up and parenting as a Muslim in the current, fraught political climate.  “Do not tell me I should cover my hair up or change, I will not. Do not tell me how pale I am or that I look like you. I am not you. I am a mixture of my parents’ heritage and my American upbringing.” — from "Who Am I?" by Ruya Erkut ![Who Am I Album.png](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a484743e00be2284446832/t/5b0d9dac0e2e722ca27a0eae/1527873262487/Who+Am+I+Album.png?format=1000w) * * *   Further Reading & Resources WATCH: A video from the Pew Research Center offers a look inside the beliefs and attitudes of Muslims in America, featuring data from Pew Research Center's 2017 survey, as well as the personal stories of Muslims from across the United States. Check out this multimedia piece from NPR: "America's Next Generation of Muslims Insists on Crafting Its Own Story" About the Performer SHAHANA JAN Shahana is a Pakistani actress based in New York City. Originally from Islamabad, Shahana began her career in the Theatre in the country’s capital at the age of 16 when she signed on her first commercial theatrical role as ‘Lucy’ in the adaptation of ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Since then she has worked in acclaimed stage productions such as ‘Grease’, ‘The Producers’, ‘The Lion King’, and ‘Moulin Rouge’ to name a few. Shahana joined the sketch group ‘The Insolent Knights’ for which she wrote and performed live shows as a regular member for TinyTwo Productions Her film debut  was in the internationally acclaimed ‘Slackistan’ (Dir. Hammad Khan) which premiered at the Abu Dhabi Film Festival. Amongst her other artistic pursuits, she also hosted the primetime radio show ‘The Rush Hour’ for Pakistan’s premier english radio network CityFM89. During this time, she produced various web sketches and shorts which eventually led her to study Film & Television Production in Cape Town, South Africa. Upon its completion, Shahana trained at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City. With her career in the Entertainment Industry spanning over a decade, she has worked in various production capacities in countries such as Pakistan, Turkey, Serbia, Italy, South Africa, Thailand, Kazakhstan and the United States. Her work has been televised in both Pakistan and the United States.   "Who Am I?" was performed by Shahana Jan under the direction of David O'Connor for the 2018 Mouthful Monologue Festival. Accompaniment by Daniel De Jesus.

    27 min
  6. Breaking Barriers

    05/22/2018

    Breaking Barriers

    A monologue about a young man sharing some news with his mother starts a conversation about coming out. Featuring conversations with Lisbet Espinal , a sophomore at the Philadelphia Military Academy, who wrote “Breaking Barriers” to address a problem she perceives in her community, and with Francisco Cortes , Interim Executive Director or GALAEI , a queer Latinx social justice organization. “Hey mom, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve thought about doing something. I have a feeling that what I’m going to tell you is something that you aren’t going to like.” — from "Breaking Barriers" by Lisbet Espinal ![Breaking Barriers Album.png](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a484743e00be2284446832/t/5b033157575d1f9eea09a464/1527618461353/Breaking+Barriers+Album.png?format=1000w) * * * CONNECTIONS GALAEI Galaei is a queer Latin@ social justice organization. Queer acknowledges and represents the mosaic of sexual and gender identities within our communities. Latin@ represents the multiracial, multicultural experience of Latinidad. Galaei embodies the common history of resistance and resilience of Latin@ and queer people. Galaei is unwavering in its commitment to the advancement de nuestra familia through leadership and economic development, sexual empowerment, and grassroots organizing.   Further Reading & Resources Sign up for GALAEI'smailing list to stay up on their programs and activities, including the upcoming 23rd annual alternative prom. Check out I'm From Driftwood, an LGBTQ story archive of first-person narratives told by all variety of queer individuals from all variety of communities and backgrounds. The stories on I'm From Driftwood "send a simple yet powerful message to LGBTQ people everywhere: You are not alone." About the Performer JERRICK MEDRANO Jerrick is a Philadelphia-based actor, a 2015 graduate from Esperanza Academy Charter High School where he majored in Theater, and currently a Theater major at the Community College of Philadelphia. He is a writer - his play For a Good Investment won first place and was produced as at Temple University. He has been a featured actor in the Mouthful Monologue Festival in 2017 and 2018, and also worked on Marty Pottenger's #Phillysavesearth at Painted Bride.   "Breaking Barriers" was directed by Steve Gravelle for the 2018 Mouthful Monologue Festival. Accompaniment by Daniel De Jesus.

    21 min
  7. War Paint

    05/08/2018

    War Paint

    A monologue about claiming and reclaiming power over one's body starts a conversation about sexual harassment. Featuring conversations with Dori Hoffman , a high school junior who wrote her monologue "War Paint" after four years of silence about her own experience of sexual harassment; and Nuala Cabral , a filmmaker, educator, and activist dedicated to teaching consent and confronting sexual harassment in all its forms. Read a transcript of this episode here. “So when I see you, I dip my hands into buckets filled with every color of the rainbow. I press my palms to my forehead, to my eyelids, and to my lips and only then, once every part of me has been protected, am I able to walk past you.” — from "War Paint" by Dori Hoffman ![War Paint album.png](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a484743e00be2284446832/t/5aec9e0c562fa72d07ac87c3/1526930597713/War+Paint+album.png?format=1000w) * * * Further Reading & Resources Watch Nuala Cabral's short film "Walking Home" below: Learn about Tarana Burke and the #MeToo movement's Philly origins, via Philly.com. Read about a new hotline set up by a University of the Arts student that responds to street harassers and gives some power back in a creative way. About the Performer DONOVAN LOCKETT Donovan is an Actor/Writer/Teaching Artist who proudly hails from New Orleans but has made Philly her artistic home. With PYP, Donovan has taught workshops and residencies, acted in the Young Voices Monologue Festival, in staged readings, and in classrooms, and has selected high school submissions for the 2017 Literary Committee.  She has performed regionally at Walnut St Theatre, Theatre Horizon, Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Revolution Shakespeare, Delaware Shakespeare, Scranton Shakespeare Festival, Hangar Theatre, New Orleans Fringe, and Philly Fringe, amongst others. BFA: Ithaca College. donovanlockett.com "War Paint" was directed by Hannah Van Sciver for the 2018 Mouthful Monologue Festival. Accompaniment by Daniel De Jesus. Music for this episode is by Lee Rosevere , used under the Creative Commons license.

    22 min
  8. The Initiation

    05/01/2018

    The Initiation

    A monologue about a girl getting her period for the first time starts a conversation about puberty, menstruation, and what it means to enter the next stage of your life. Featuring conversations with Kaltra Zabiku , whose monologue "The Initiation" inspired this episode; and with Nadya Okamoto , who has become a leading voice in the Menstrual Movement since she started PERIOD, an organization that provides feminine hygiene products to those in need. “ I know these things take time and I shouldn’t be so ready to grow up but, I want to grow up! I want to talk about stupid tampon discoveries... whatever tampons are. ” — from "The Initiation" by Kaltra Zabiku ![Initiation Album (1).png](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58a484743e00be2284446832/t/5ae874660e2e723c085f6c26/1525377619216/Initiation+Album+%281%29.png?format=1000w) * * * Further Reading & Resources Find out more about Nadya's organization PERIOD, including how you can start a chapter in your community. Get to know Nadya! Check out her "21 Under 21" feature on _Teen Vogue, _her TedTalk, or her new web series "Nadya Talks". About the Performer DONOVAN LOCKETT Donovan is an Actor/Writer/Teaching Artist who proudly hails from New Orleans but has made Philly her artistic home. With PYP, Donovan has taught workshops and residencies, acted in the Young Voices Monologue Festival, in staged readings, and in classrooms, and has selected high school submissions for the 2017 Literary Committee.  She has performed regionally at Walnut St Theatre, Theatre Horizon, Philadelphia Artists’ Collective, Revolution Shakespeare, Delaware Shakespeare, Scranton Shakespeare Festival, Hangar Theatre, New Orleans Fringe, and Philly Fringe, amongst others. BFA: Ithaca College. donovanlockett.com "The Initiation" was directed by Cat Ramirez for the 2018 Mouthful Monologue Festival. Monologue accompaniment by Daniel De Jesus. Music for this episode is by Lee Rosevere , used under the Creative Commons license.

    23 min
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4.9
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

Mouthful places teens and youth at the center of important conversations, adding their voices and perspectives to the discussions that surround our daily lives at home, in the workplace, and in the community. From sexuality and gender to policing and addiction, each episode focuses on a new topic inspired by a student-written dramatic monologue. We listen to the monologue performed by a professional actor, talk to the teen about why they wrote it, and then journey out into the community to broaden the conversation.

Information

  • Creator
    Philadelphia Young Playwrights
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2019
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Philadelphia Young Playwrights
  • Show Website
    Mouthful