Hearts For Haiti: A Luna Stage Production

For the children, the show was a tapestry of remembrance, imagination, terror and hope. On Friday night, July 30, a group of Haitian kids aged 11-17 illuminated a darkened theater at Luna Stage with Hearts for Haiti, a series of artistic vignettes about the Port-au-Prince earthquake in January.  

Because the young actors are all recent immigrants from Haiti, the theatrical project had particular resonance. Though most of their families did not flee Haiti as a result of the earthquake, many of the children knew people who were killed or injured in it, and all have friends and family still living there.

For this reason, Friday night's performance was as much a healing process as a creative endeavor. One by one, the children stood up and offered something that expressed how they felt about the earthquake. The audience, gathered round-robin in the theater, was riveted by the children's outpouring of creativity: re-enactments of the moment the earthquake hit, powerful dance moves, heartfelt poetry, and songs sung with a simple, clear beauty. The performances were sometimes imbued with quiet sorrow, but always expressed hope for the future.

"They're all here (in US) as a result of a personal tragedy," said Anne Timmins, co-director of the Haitian project and a playwright and Broadway actress herself.  "Some have been here only a year or two. One of the children's siblings and parents were murdered, one had a kidnapping in the family." She stressed that for children whose lives have been so profoundly affected by tragedy, having a creative outlet is essential to their emotional growth. "This is the first time these kids have been able to be creative. To be free and be children," she said. "There's a touching innocence about them." 

Jane Mandel, founder and artistic director of Luna Stage, agrees: "Their spirits are great and their lives are not easy. This kind of program changes kids' lives. They find strength from building new friendships. They find a place to belong."

According to Mandel, the Hearts for Haiti Theater Workshop was originally the brainchild of community organizer Molly Rose Kaufman and her mother, Mindy Thompson Fullilove, a professor of clinical psychiatry and public health at Columbia University's New York State Psychiatric Institute. "Mindy Fullilove came to us," Mandel said, "because she wanted to help Haitian kids heal from the trauma of the earthquake." Collaborating with Luna Stage, the Haitian Summer Theater Workshop was born. 

For the 17 child performers/teen interns, the project not only provided a framework to explore their feelings, it was just plain fun.

"My cousin was coming here," said Jameson Jean-Louis, 11, a rising sixth grader at Rosa Parks School in Orange, New Jersey. "I was jealous. I was sitting around bored at home. So I decided to come, too. My favorite part was the dancing." Jean-Louis, a talented dancer and creative writer, talked about his grandmother in Haiti and family members who were killed by the quake. "I used to watch it on TV. I felt bad inside," he said quietly.

Houston Cherizier, 17, a local artist involved with the West Orange Valley Arts District, said he was recruited for his translation ability. "These guys needed a translator for Creole. I would do it again as long as I could help. The kids are fun.  They're energetic little beans." Cherizier, who worked as both a program intern and participated in the live performance, said the show wasn't formally scripted. "It was cool. It came together perfectly."

"I was just amazed how (the kids) were able to blossom and create something new, because they had the chance to channel their creative energy," raved Montclair resident Melissa Grace Hallock. Along with her husband Jim, Hallock, a small business owner in Orange, was in the audience to support both the children and Luna Stage itself. "Kids really want to belong and feel validated," she said. "There's a feeling of love in this community." 

Formerly of Montclair, Luna Stage is a now a jewel in the crown of the emerging arts scene in Orange/West Orange, known as The Valley Arts District. For Jane Mandel and other community arts organizations, providing quality theater programs in the current tight economy is a continual challenge. "We hope and pray these kind of programs can continue at Luna Stage," said Mandel. "We had been teaching (theater) through the Montclair Arts Initiative and we found out we got our funding cut. So it won't be happening this coming season." 

But affordable arts programs like the ones Luna offers are "more important than ever," she maintains. "A lot of (low income) kids don't get the opportunity to participate in them. It's important to provide them in ways parents can afford.  It shouldn't be exclusive." In fact, because it was funded by a generous grant from the Kenworthy Swift Foundation,"Hearts for Haiti" was offered to the participants at zero cost to their families.

Luna Stage offers pilot programs for all ages, from adults to children as young as 4 years old ("Little Luna") as well as innovative programs provided by artists-in-residence like Dania Ramos and Michael Aquino. Ramos, the creative director of "The Literary Lounge" describes her program as a showcase for both emerging and established authors. Aquino's program, the "Indie Music Circus" is a monthly music night featuring independent artists who perform original music for a live audience.   "It's interactive; the creative process leads to a dialogue between the artist and the audience." The next Indie Music Circus will take place August 8 at 2 p.m. For more information on these and upcoming Literary Lounge events, please contact www.lunastage.org.

Following the performance of Hearts for Haiti, audience members were encouraged to write comments about the show on the "Tower of Power", a blank structure set up alongside a wall of colorful masks made by the children. Most of the comments were unsigned, but all praised the performers and Luna Stage and many expressed hope for Haiti.

"It was so inspiring to hear their stories in their own voices."

"I was so impressed by this honest, charming show."

"Spirit enables the weakest man to persevere."

"The creativity, intellect and beauty of the children speak volumes for the future of Haiti."

"God Power and People Power will give rise to a new Haiti."

"Hearts for Haiti" was made possible by a grant from The Marion E. Kenworthy-Sarah H. Swift Foundation. The purpose of this foundation is to support innovative programs that advance the mental health of young people under age 21 through social work, psychiatry, preventive psychiatry and community mental health.