Authenticity, Belonging, Community

Lusanda Mayikana is the Dean of Pluralism and Multicultural Affairs at Lake Forest Academy. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Education and Social Justice from Lancaster University (U.K.), a Master of Arts in English Education from the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), and a Master of Arts in English from Middlebury College. Lusanda came to Lake Forest Academy in 2003 after spending a year as a Harvard-South Africa fellow in the African American Studies department and the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University. As the Dean of Equity, Pluralism, Inclusion, and Community, Lusanda is committed to fostering an inclusive culture and community where all members enjoy belonging, agency, and support. Her focus on bridging by listening, engaging, and intentionally organizing emphasizes connectedness, understanding, and learning about our varied lived experiences.

Key Takeaways:

• “I am because of those around me”
• Meet people where they are
• Be curious
• Play to the strengths of you and those around you
• Slow down
• Take the time to listen to others, even those you disagree with
• Authenticity comes from self-knowledge, self-awareness, and sincerity
• Trust who you are
• Create spaces where people can take risks and, in doing so, be their authentic selves

Guest’s Media Recommendations:

• Learning to Disagree by John Inazu (book)

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Find Guest’s work:

• Lake Forest Academy: https://www.lfanet.org/

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For more of Michael’s work, visit our website www.incognitotheplay.com or follow us on Instagram @incognitotheplay

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Thanks to Ned Doheny for providing our podcast music! You can find him and his music on Spotify.

Editing and co-production of this podcast by Nina Kissinger.

Email [email protected] with questions or comments about the show!

Laura Schellhardt is a Chicago based playwright and adapter. Her original works include Air Guitar High, Auctioning the Ainsleys, The Apothecary's Daughter, The K of D, Courting Vampires, and Shapeshifters, among many others. Adaptations include The Phantom Tollbooth, The Outfit, and Creole Folktales. She is also the author of Screenwriting for Dummies. She’s a two-time Jeff Award nominee and recipient of the AATE Distinguished Play Award, the New Play Frontier’s residency, the TCG National Playwriting Residency, the Jerome Fellowship, the New Play Award from ACT in Seattle, and a Dramatist Guild Playwriting Fellowship. She has participated in the SoHo Rep Writer/Director Lab, the Women Playwrights Festival at SRC, the Kennedy Center's New Voices/New Visions Festival, the Bonderman TYA Symposium, the Ojai New Play Conference, the Denver Center New Play Summit, the Bay Area Theatre Festival, and the O'Neill National Playwright's Festival, among others. She received her graduate degree from Brown University, under Paula Vogel. She’s a former Victory Gardens Resident Playwright and current member of Walkabout Playwrights Collective and she oversees the undergraduate play Schellhardt oversees the undergraduate playwriting program in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University.

Key Takeaways

• We all hold many identities and their salience changes with time and context
• Privilege can be an obstacle when you’re not aware of it but it can be a tool to empower others
• What you practice grows stronger, especially with how you talk to yourself and others
• What and how you give your attention is one of your most powerful tools
• Effort > outcome and process > product
• There’s a difference between safety and comfort and it is important to learn and grow in discomfort
• Authenticity is a series of choices based on your values and intentions
• Take yourself seriously but hold yourself lightly
• Make connections not impressions

Guest’s Media Recommendations:

• The Anti-Racist Writing Workshop: How To Decolonize the Creative Classroom by Felicia Rose Chavez (book)
• Creative Acts for Curious People by Sarah Stein Greenberg (book)

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Find Guest’s work:

• https://communication.northwestern.edu/faculty/laura-schellhardt.html

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For more of Michael’s work, visit our website www.incognitotheplay.com or follow us on Instagram @incognitotheplay

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Thanks to Ned Doheny for providing our podcast music! You can find him and his music on Spotify.

Editing and co-production of this podcast by Emma Yarger.

Email [email protected] with questions or comments about the show!

Michael Rohd is a theatre-maker, educator, process designer, writer and facilitator. His research and creative practice is focused on civic imagination. He has a 30+ year history of projects across sectors bringing cultural activity to the work of public engagement, community planning and cross-sector coalition building. In 1992 in Washington DC he co-founded Hope Is Vital, an arts & public health program that, over 8 years, helped start up theatre-based public engagement/HIV prevention coalitions in over 80 communities around the US. In 1999, he co-founded Sojourn Theatre and served as artistic director for 20 years, co creating and directing nearly 30 devised often site specific and participatory theatre works. In 2012, he co-founded Center for Performance and Civic Practice, a collective of nine artists/facilitators who work with organizations and agencies around the country on community research, transformational process and system change. He is currently Civic Collaborations Director for One Nation One Project, a national arts/municipality/public health project & research cohort in partnership with National League of Cities; he is co-designer/co-facilitator for Art-Train, a virtual national technical assistance program in partnership with Springboard for the Arts. He recently founded the Co-Lab for Civic Imagination at the University of Montana, and he is author of the book Theatre for Community, Conflict and Dialogue.

Key Takeaways

• Groups of people share something, whether that is space, time, values or goals
• What is the harm of entering a space with the intention of persuading others at all costs?
• Bringing people together might require different tactics depending on their goals. Reflect and dialogue with community members before jumping in
• Working with a co-facilitator makes for better processes and better outcomes
• When things are off, be mindful. Pause and be transparent about what might be going wrong
• We all need to build our capacity for listening

Guest’s Media Recommendations:

• The Candy House by Jennifer Egan (book)
• Can’t Drink Salt Water by Kendra Mylnechuk Potter (play)

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Find Guest’s work:

• https://howlround.com/commons/michael-rohd

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For more of Michael’s work, visit our website www.incognitotheplay.com or follow us on Instagram @incognitotheplay

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Thanks to Ned Doheny for providing our podcast music! You can find him and his music on Spotify.

Editing and co-production of this podcast by Emma Yarger.

Email [email protected] with questions or comments about the show!

Emily McConnell is a collaborator, designer, educator, and researcher based in Chicago. She has been the resident costume designer at the CCPA Theatre Conservatory at Roosevelt University since 2007, designing almost 100 productions during that time all while managing the costume shop and teaching and supervising students. Starting in the fall of 2024, she will also be serving as the Program Director for Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies and the Curriculum Coordinator for Technical Theatre. She has been an Artistic Associate at Steep Theatre since 2011 and worked as a freelance designer in Chicago theatre since 1999 with credits including The House, Northlight, Oak Park Theatre Festival, Lifeline Theatre, and The Gift. Her research into collaborative methods in theatrical design has presented that research at conferences including the Association for Theatre in Higher Education and the American Theatrical Costume Association, and her writing has been published in HowlRound Theatrical Commons and Theatre Design and Technology Magazine. She holds a BA in Drama from Dartmouth College and an MA in Theatre Design from Northwestern.

Key Takeaways:

• Proximity is not enough – gaining new knowledge and expanding your awareness is essential to progress
• Be mindful of the identities present in the spaces you are in (including your own)
• Determine the priorities of everyone in the room – ask yourself how you can support these goals
• Transparency is key to resolving conflicts in the workplace
• Honesty should be the starting point
• Present the problem, not the solution
• Mutual investment in collaboration will bring about the best outcome
• Authenticity means being honest and open about your strengths, vulnerabilities, and limitations

Guest’s Media Recommendations:

• The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

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Find Guest’s work:

• Emily’s Website: https://www.emilymccdesign.com/
• Emily’s Blog: https://www.emilymccdesign.com/blog

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For more of Michael’s work, visit our website www.incognitotheplay.com or follow us on Instagram @incognitotheplay

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Thanks to Ned Doheny for providing our podcast music! You can find him and his music on Spotify.

Editing and co-production of this podcast by Nina Kissinger.

Email [email protected] with questions or comments about the show!

Sean DeMarco Garcia is the Founder/Coordinator of Astrochemistry Consulting LLC, which offers training and coaching sessions in de-escalation and crisis intervention for frontline workers. They teach individuals how to humanely deescalate those experiencing an emotional or mental wellness crisis both in personal and professional interactions. Sean has written a book on his de-escalation work throughout his life entitled “It Isn’t About You,” and has 30+ years of experience as a naval veteran, police officer, and head of the private security department for a hospital.

Key Takeaways

• We are all connected
• Curate a worldview that is based in culture
• Experience as much of the beauty of the world as you can
• Be careful of your perceptions of others and the way these can influence your own behavior
• Three things to live by: empathy, listening, and validating emotions
• It’s not about you – everyone is dealing with something
• Slow down – don’t rush to respond
• Prioritize self-care and encourage others to do the same
• Be curious – learn about the perspectives and cultures of others

Guest’s Media Recommendations:

• It Isn’t About You (book) by Sean DeMarco Garcia

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Find Guest’s work:

• AstroChemistry Consulting: https://actc11.com/home-page

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For more of Michael’s work, visit our website www.incognitotheplay.com or follow us on Instagram @incognitotheplay

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Thanks to Ned Doheny for providing our podcast music! You can find him and his music on Spotify.

Editing and co-production of this podcast by Nina Kissinger.

Email [email protected] with questions or comments about the show!