The first review of "Voices of Nashville" is in, and the critical response is in complete sync with the audience response. At every step in its development, this is PRECISELY the effect we wanted "Voices" to have. How often does a commissioning company get exactly the play it was hoping for?! We are simply over the moon!"
The Tennessee Women's Theatre Project
Voices of Nashville
For several months, Sara and Christine conducted outreach and research interviews with new Americans. From these sessions emerges a narrative of the immigration experience. We have gotten to know some wonderful people, and although audiences will not know the names, their stories bring clarity and empathy to a topic most people know only from headlines. At all points of the process – research, creation, outreach and performance – we worked in partnership with such organizations as the Nashville International Center for Empowerment, Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, Conexión Américas, Scarritt-Bennett Center, American Center for Outreach and the Coalition for Education about Immigration. Our aim is to reach, teach and inspire audiences to see themselves and their new neighbors in new ways. Voices features David Chattam, Colette Divine, Keri Pisapia and Becky Wahlstrom, playing characters from around the globe. An official Artober event, Voices of Nashville is sponsored by HCA/TriStar Health and funded in part by Nissan Foundation, Tennessee Arts Commission and Metro Nashville Arts Commission. (From the TWTP website.)
"What really strikes me is the way this earnest production balances heavier themes with humor. Amidst horrific tales of violence, brutality and broken families, we find amusing bits of culture shock ranging from the weather to the wonders of peanut butter. And through it all, we hear the voices of these new Americans, ringing out with strength, resilience and courage."
The Tennessean
"Authors Mather and Sharpe make a passing acknowledgment of the harsher social challenges that might confront immigrants, but, wisely, their script sticks to its central point: that this part of the world has generally proved to be a welcoming port of call for many, and that the Nashville area — and by extension, the U.S. as a whole — has greatly benefited from its expanding cultural diversity."
The Nashville Scene
THIS IS A MUST SEE SHOW!! I was ABSOLUTELY blown away … What you did in sharing STORY with us was life-changing! I wish every person in higher education as well as every administrator of elementary, middle and high school would see this play. They would NEVER be the same again!! Thank you for telling these stories and bringing HONOR and TRUTH to the beautiful journey. I am a fan for life!"