How I Got Over 2014
Distributed by The Video Project, PO Box 411376, San Francisco, CA 94141-1376; 800-475-2638
Produced by Tim Rockwood, Nicole Boxer
Directed by Nicole Boxer
DVD , color, 87 min.
High School - General Adult
African Americans, Drama, Homelessness, Poverty, Women
Date Entered: 06/03/2015
Reviewed by Jessica Isler, Academic Librarian, University of Maine at AugustaHow I Got Over traces the story of 15 formerly homeless women undertaking a daunting project: to collaboratively prepare an original dramatic production featuring their own stories of poverty, homelessness, addiction, abuse, broken families, and ultimately, recovery, and redemption. To this challenge add a scant 12 weeks to prepare the play for a sold out public performance at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. At the heart of the play are the real life stories of the women who reside at N Street Village, a “community of respect, recovery, and hope” for low income, and formerly homeless women in D.C. Through the lessons they experience during rehearsals: from acting training, to singing lessons, to Q&A sessions with members of a professional musical theater production, we see the power of creative storytelling to exorcise shame, and we witness the transformative power of art as therapy. Once the pre-performance jitters subside, viewers will be left with the conviction of the lasting human connection, restored dignity, and new found pride the actresses will share long after the Kennedy Center curtains close.
Awards
- Best Documentary, Audience Award, Virginia Film Festival