GIFF JOHNSON
Four Marshallese young people are featured in a new book published last month.
I Talk of Dreams is the latest book of Dartmouth Professor Emeritus Andrew Garrod, who after 20 years of directing theater productions in Majuro needs little introduction.
The book features a collection of articles by people whose lives he has touched through his theater work for many decades.
Among 22 essays included in the book are commentaries by Yolanie Jurelang, Selina Leem, Wilmer Joel and Jobod Silk about their experiences acting in Shakespeare plays and musicals directed by Garrod through his Youth Bridge Global organization. Other essays are from people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Canada and Rwanda.
“A dream is like a blank piece of paper, and you are the pen,” wrote Marshall Islands High School graduate Yolanie, who acted in seven Garrod productions. “You can make your dreams become a reality if you commit to making them happen.”
“After acting in Fiddler on the Roof, I felt a new surge of confidence,” wrote Selina, who acted in several stage productions while at MIHS. “I was less intimidated by the private school students and found that they actually could be nice, chill and cool people. My circle of friends opened up to include more than just my classmates and others in my school.”
Lessons learned acting in Garrod’s plays continue to impact Selina in many ways. “Years later, as a poet, writer, climate warrior, and anti-nuclear advocate, I have to be on stage often to deliver a speech, give a presentation or perform a poem,” she said. “When I miss a line or a slide, my training from the play with Professor Garrod or form my theater classes is my saving grave. I hear Professor Garrod telling me, ‘Even if you make a mistake, only you and your team knows about it. No one in the audience will know.’ And that enables me to keep the flow going…I must slip my game face on. It’s like having a suit of army ready for the stage, and I could not feel more blessed, more grateful for it.”
“Being in these plays has been the highlight of my life…it has transformed many of our lives for the better,” said Wilmer of his experience acting in The Music Man and Carousel. “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that I would be part of something this life-changing.”
Wilmer pointed out that Marshallese youth are often seen as a problem, “perceived as baby-makers, juvenile delinquents and drug dealers. However, having programs like theater breaks these biases and unleashes the participating youths’ potential so they can become people who will contribute to the welfare of society.”
Jobod commented, after playing a leading role in Oklahoma!: “I was officially addicted to the stage. I enjoyed the rush I got from performing — being on stage, the costumes, the acting, and working with a case of other students who were much like me. I believe on benefit of developing that cast was that a new community was formed — a community composed of talented Marshallese kids with unsupported dreams who wish to demonstrate the importance of sharing art with our community.”
Jobod also writes about a group of Marshallese teaming up in 2022, without the benefit of Professor Garrod during the Covid border lockdown, to write a script, produce and direct a play about the nuclear test legacy for the March 1 national holiday in remembrance of the Bravo hydrogen bomb test. He ended up doing much of this work overseeing development of the play.
“Although I did not feel confident about the play, I was hopeful that the cast and crew would pull through and be able to shine on stage,” he said. “And boy, did they SHINE!…The audience was so touched by the performance that we were invited to perform again.”