Episode Overview: Molly speaks broadly about the Positive Ruminations process, goes into detail about each show, and talks about how it relates to Grey Box as a whole. Special Note about Season 5 of Any Other Anythings: In this season, we are focused on the latest project being produced by Grey Box Collective titled “Positive Ruminations”. This event will feature four new(ish) works and this season of Any Other Anythings features conversations from the creative teams developing the work. We are aiming to capture the process and share out the things we find interesting along the way. We highly recommend listening to this season of Any Other Anythings in chronological order …unless you want a more non-linear experience in which case, feel free to hop around. Project Context: "Positive Ruminations" will feature four new(ish) multidisciplinary performances that address the following topics: mental health, climate change's impact on the bodymind, transformative grief, busy culture, and empathy and compassion fatigue. The “new(ish)” refers to the iterative nature of how we develop performances and how we are returning to pieces in development that were set aside during COVID. With the overarching title being “Positive Ruminations” each new work will not only address the stark reality of these topics but also offer ways to engage in responsible action, cognitive restructuring, radical hope, and reframing to encourage audiences and artists to stay connected to how these topics directly impact our humanity. GBC believes engaging in positive rumination practices around common ground topics will foster a sense of belonging, connecting with dignity, and standing in our integrity as a community. For more information about this project and other upcoming event please visit https://www.greyboxcollective.com/events Producing Company Bio: Grey Box Collective is an arts organization that produces projects on social emotional wellbeing (i.e. we make weird art about tough stuff). GBC was founded in 2016 by Molly W. Schenck. GBC’s work is interdisciplinary, experimental, and post-dramatic. We work primarily at the intersection of performing arts, visual arts, educational psychology, somatics (body and mind connection), and feminist theory. We aim to explore brand new forms of expression and make choices to rebel against the “norms”. Our work prioritizes investigating broad ideas (ex. hate, othering, shame, mental health and sexual violence) and typically steps away from traditional plot lines or characters. Since forming, we have been in residency and performed with nue[BOX], the Phoenix Center for the Arts, the Boulder Fringe Festival, and the Network of Ensemble Theatre’s annual conference. We have partnered with the Artist’s Box, Z-Room, The Movement Project, The Phoenix Hostel and Cultural Center, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Prison Law Office, the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, and Take Back the Night Phoenix, and La Frontera (EMPACT)'s Trauma Healing Services Division. For more information, check out the links below. More links to GBC: https://www.greyboxcollective.com/ https://www.facebook.com/GreyBoxCollective https://www.instagram.com/greyboxcollective/ Host’s Bio: Molly W. Schenck is fascinated with human movement and what interrupts its full expression. This has guided the evolution of her studies and career. She specializes in the intersection of creativity and trauma. She is the creator of Trauma-Informed Creative Practices and author of Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices for Dance Educators. She has presented workshops and trainings for individuals, organizations, and arts leaders on the intersection of trauma and creativity locally, nationally, and internationally. For more information or to contact Molly regarding trainings, workshops and consultations, please visit mollywschenck.com This episode was edited by Erika Valdez
