This was not your average summer theatre camp. There was no playwright, no script, and no director. And yet, in less than a month, 16 teens and young adults hailing from Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley would perform an entirely original piece using their own stories and experiences as inspiration.

    This form of theatre, called devised theatre, was defined by Brittney Harris, co-facilitator of the program, this way: “a collaborative form of performance-making where participants create original work from their own stories and experiences rather than starting with a traditional script.”  Harris, assistant professor of applied theatre and co-director of research for the Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech, worked with Rachel Rhoades, assistant professor of theatre education at James Madison University, to guide participants through the 3-week program, Voices Unbound: Reclaiming Youth Identity, Expression, and Belonging in a Post-COVID World. The idea for Voices Unbound came after an advisory by the U.S. Surgeon General in 2023 named loneliness and isolation as a public health epidemic.

    “We wanted to explore how creative expression and ensemble work could help young people feel more connected to themselves, to one another, and to their communities,” explained Harris.

    The project became a reality after securing funding from 4-VA, a collaborative research program that aims to create partnerships among nine universities in Virginia. Because the grant covered all stipends, materials, and use of the Lucy F. Simms Continuing Education Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Harris said, “it became possible for every participant to show up fully and focus on the experience.”

    "Voices Unbound exemplifies the community-engaged, socially responsive work that defines Virginia Tech's School of Performing Arts’ evolving Applied Theatre focus,” said Patty Raun, director of the Center for Communicating Science.

Participants and both co-directors pose for a group photo on the stage.
The 'Voices Unbound' ensemble, with facilitators Rachel Rhoades (far left) and Brittney Harris (center, in blue). Photo courtesy of Brittney Harris.

    Each day, Voices Unbound participants started with a check-in and an invitation to get comfortable, connect, and prepare to create together, using exercises such as Breaths of Purpose, Harris said.

    “Everyone took three shared breaths: one for history, one for the future, and one for the present moment,” allowing them to “connect breath to history, hope, and presence,” she explained.

    Participants then transitioned into warm-ups that incorporated sound, movement, and theatre games, often using gestures and physical movements to embody ideas such as “home” and “freedom.” By mid-day, participants channeled their creativity into different forms by journaling, sharing memories, and writing poetry about their experiences in grappling with belonging and identity. Finally, participants reflected on what they learned that day before heading home.

Four participants gather to add words on a large notepad that contains various words, such as harmony, community, and acceptance.
Participants created a shared word map of themes and ideas to be explored through embodied storytelling. Photo courtesy of Brittney Harris.

    This reflective ritual allowed participants to settle into the process of self-reflection, storytelling, and collective creation, which are all key components of devised theatre. Not only did this process of group reflection allow for connections to form between strangers, but it also gave them practice in sharing stories — often containing their most vulnerable moments — with others.

    Harris noted that many of the participants in the program spoke English as a second language, which can often create barriers to communication.

    “But in this space, words weren’t the focus,” she said. Instead, participants used gesture, rhythm, and imagery to communicate, often drawing from their own backgrounds and heritage to connect with others.

    “One moment that really stood out to me this summer came from a participant who said, ‘I finally feel like I can be understood without having to find the right words,’” she recalled.

Participants are staggered across the stage, facing an empty audience, each posing with their arms to the side.
In the final tableaux, the ensemble stands together in truth and quiet resolve. Photo courtesy of Brittney Harris.

    At the end of the program, friends, family, and community members gathered to experience the original piece in its entirety: Escape the Death Spiral: The Time Is Now. As audience members filled the room, they were invited to write their answers to a single prompt: What do you need from a community, and what do you bring to it?

    The piece began with “I am” statements from each participant, firmly establishing their roles and identities in the performance.

    “From there, the performance moved through a series of choreographed moments that captured the fears, pressures, and hopes shaping our current world,” said Harris. Near the end of the piece, the participants collected audience responses to the initial prompt and read them aloud along with their own responses.

    “It became a shared experience — a reminder that we’re all connected and that each of us has a role to play in building a more caring, creative world,” explained Harris. “[We used] art to bring people together, strengthen community bonds, and inspire empathy within the local community.”

Facing an empty audience, participants line up across the front of the stage, arms across each other's shoulders, creating a final scene.
Lined across the stage during their final tableaux creation, participants connect with each other in silent solidarity. Photo courtesy of Brittney Harris.

    Although the one-time summer program is long over, the work continues.

    “We’re now reviewing the participants’ reflections along with audience feedback to understand the deeper impact of this experience,” said Harris. The project and its impact was shared at the Association for Theatre in Higher Education conference this year, serving as an example of how performance can unite communities and amplify voices within them, she said.

    “This program embodies the Center for Communicating Science's commitment to the spirit of our subtitle: ‘the art of connecting across difference,’” Raun commented. “Just as the CCS seeks to connect scientists and diverse publics, Voices Unbound created a space where young people could communicate across difference – through experiential creative expression. This aligns with our mission to develop more accessible approaches to sharing knowledge and igniting understanding across communities."

    The program’s work will continue among participants, too.

    “I think the big lesson [for them] was realizing that their voice exists in many forms and that self-expression doesn’t have to depend on words,” said Harris. “For me, it was a reminder of why I do this work: to create spaces where people can feel seen, heard, and understood exactly as they are.”

By Sara Teemer Richards, Center for Communicating Science editorial specialist