Summer 2021 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Palefsky Collision Project. Over the past two decades, we’ve collaborated with nearly 400 teenagers transitioning from high school to adulthood. To celebrate this milestone, we’ve connected with past Collisioners (alumni) to illustrate the profound impact this program has on young adults’ lives.
Amy Drolet, 2001
My family was in the audience, including someone very special who is no longer with us: my uncle, Jimmy. He was visiting from Kentucky and I was especially nervous to perform in front of him. When I heard his full-belly laughter, I heard it over the entire audience. I'd never made him laugh like that before, and I hadn't known until then how much it meant to me. That moment remains one of the proudest of my life.
Keiko Green, 2003
There is a confidence in youth that I often look back on -- this time when a huge regional theatre supported me and gave me resources and told me they were interested in what I had to say. I remember performing. I remember how proud I was to feel some kind of "ownership" of the performance space and how the rehearsal space began to feel like home.
Beth Crowley, 2006
For me, the people were what really made The Collision Project so special. Rosemary brought a positive light and energy that made you want to give nothing less than one hundred percent. I also got to work with an amazing group of peers, many of whom I am still connected with through social media.
Leah Kuenzi, 2008
The text that we worked with demanded a kind of brutal honesty and boldness. I had always been someone who shied away from discomfort and differing opinions, and I remember Collision Project as being the first time that someone (our teaching artist) suggested that all of us lean into that discomfort to find out what was on the other side of it.
Kayla Sklar, 2008
I think a lot of times when you're a teen and you find yourself in a new environment, you end up trying to "play it cool" and feel out the situation before really engaging. But because we immediately grappled with topics of race, gender, and class, we all bonded right off the bat.
Chandler Converse, 2009
We utilized contact improv to create shapes, to physicalize memories, reflections. I don't know how, but I have a distinct memory of us ending up in the shape of a tree. What made this moment so unforgettable wasn't the shape itself. It was how we could reflect on our differences, economically, socially, racially and utilize those differences to create work, new work that reflected us, not what others wanted. We could all be branches of the same tree.
Mallory Nonnemaker, 2009
The Collision Project completely changed the way I looked at theatre as a collaborative art form. I had been a stage manager in college and was influenced by the ways we worked from one text or idea to create something new. Rosemary’s style of directing and community building taught me how to create and sustain a supportive environment.
Loren Wilson, 2009
One of the many skills I developed during the Collision Project was giving and receiving notes on my work. Sometimes art can appear like an individual undertaking, but in actuality, it’s a great collaboration. Everyone wants to see your work turn into the best that it can be. Together, you work towards this goal by lifting each other up through giving and receiving constructive notes.
Sean Law, 2010
Participating in the Collision Project inspired me to crave collaboration with my art and music, as I learned the importance and value of the minds and skills of others. I've also carried this with me through other aspects of my life. This idea of togetherness, collaboration--it's so important. While we may be great alone, together, we are better. Not just in art, but in life. We humans have made it this far because we work together. We need each other, whether we want to or not. Collision was more than just an artistic journey for me. It was also a spiritual one, and has inspired me in countless ways over the past decade.
Jacklyn Joy Byrd, 2011
Collision gave me the ability to network and get comfortable with practically anyone. The ability to ride MARTA like a pro. The ability to blend in, be invisible, stand out, and to step away. I have memories of moments of being the center of attention as well as choreographing a flashmob that the other participants performed at lunch. I remember watching them lovingly perform.
Aryee Amorette, 2012
I believe this program instilled confidence in me and my abilities. It showed me the importance of being authentic to yourself. It emphasizes the gravity of being honest and true in every aspect of life. I believe these skills and tools have enabled me to be a brave world traveler and to work hard to succeed.
Andie Weaver, 2012
Collision taught me to listen and to pay attention to the talent of those around me. It taught me that art (or any collaborative process) is much bigger than just what you see in your head. Learning to appreciate those around me has been a huge help in both my career and my interpersonal relationships.
Serena Gleklen, 2013
In a quieter moment in the black box... only a few were lingering, [and] we all held our flowers up to the lights and yelled SPLAT - a piece of our time with Mama YeYe, a call of love. [It was a totally] uncoordinated, spontaneous moment of togetherness at the end of the project.
Brianna Green-Horton, 2013
Collision is all about the family teamwork, everyone had to show up on time, be present and give 100% in order for us to have successful performance. Collision also taught me that I am responsible for what I bring to the table. Being an accountable team player is an important part of being on the team.
Chelsea Jackson, 2014
I attended Emory University as a Simon Scholar, became a 2017 Simon scholar and member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc, graduated with a BA/MA in political science in 2018. I moved to England as a Rhodes scholar in September 2018 and studied criminology and public policy at the University of Oxford.
Dequadray White, 2015
My fondest memory was the interconnectedness felt when we touched the stage. We became one. I was too young to notice that rehearsals were my safe space. I felt strong being vulnerable.
Laila Henderson, 2017
The Collision Project gave me hope. I’d forgotten the true power of my dreams, and I’d forgotten how to hold on to hope. Collision taught me that every day that we are alive and trying, we take one step towards victory and joy. You can make it out of your darkest times if you continue to hold your dreams and values close to your heart. Collision taught me to never stop pushing forward, no matter what that may look like.
Serenity S’rae, 2018
Collision invited us to experience our town, Atlanta, for ourselves and then be able to write and devise our own words and our own stories. That experience taught me to have ownership of my words, experiences, and art I make. I am forever thankful for the community I got out of this project.
Antonio Toussaint, 2018
The Collision Project helped me with my confidence as an artist. In an environment so supportive, it feels okay to make mistakes and accept them in your journey to better artistry. Having done so, I have gained the confidence to cultivate a career for myself that isn't anchored by fear of over-ambitiousness but rather driven by endless possibility.
Lauryn Charliah, 2019
I learned that the world is only going to get better if I and others begin to use our own tools to better it. I learned that everyone is the same, in which, we are all just trying to decipher the meaning to this world of clues, within ourselves and others. I learned how to better observe and feel how other people feel.
Arden Forrand, 2019
The most significant memory that I remember from Collision was our day with Lauri Stallings and the entire glo ATL team. I vividly remember the beginning of our workshop when all of us were looking around like, "What is happening?". We were all incredibly thrown out of our comfort zone. There were uncomfortable laughs and a few trips, but by the end we were all seamlessly working with one another.
Sara Francis, 2019
The Collision Project requires a lot of teamwork and interaction, being a better listener and learning how to incorporate others ideas. Collision helped me feel more comfortable participating with everyone and more confident in myself and my abilities.
Linda Oglesby, 2020
My fondest memories from collision are the moments when Mrs. Pearl Cleage would just speak. I would cling to every sentence! I had my notebook beside me, ready to write down the gems that came from her mouth. And it made me smile the biggest when she complimented my Afro EVERY morning on zoom.
Anna Zheng, 2020
Collision was such a confidence boost when I most needed one and has definitely given me the guts to consider myself as an artist and to reach for further opportunities in writing, music, and theatre. Moreover, I got to see where people my age could be. When I am struggling artistically, I still aspire to be a bit more like my various cast mates.