‘Dramatic curation’ culminates in ‘Baseball Dreams’
Journalist-turned-novelist Ana Menéndez first achieved literary acclaim in 2001 with her short story collection, “In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd.” “Baseball
Dreams,” one of the stories in that breakout book, has now become the linchpin of a project that will culminate in middle school students seeing their own short stories turned into brief plays and films by high school students.
What if Works, a notfor-profit company dedicated to providing a bridge between academic and professional performance for young artists interested in social change, has used what artistic director Phillip M. Church calls “dramatic curation” to create a production of “Baseball Dreams” that presents Menéndez’s story wordfor-word.
Set for two performances at 8 p.m. Sept. 13-14 at the Seminole Theatre in Homestead, the show incorporates actors, film, music and movement to tell the stories of two young Cubans whose dreams revolve around baseball.
The first part, set in 1935, concerns a Boy (Anthony Quintana) determined to become his country’s greatest baseball player, with the story told as a memory of his now-grown Daughter (Nicole Quintana, who happens to be Anthony’s real-life mom). In the second part, set in 1965, a nurturing Mother (Madelin Marchant) encourages the baseball dreams of her daughter; the Girl (Gabi Bechtinger) has a vision of girls and boys existing on “an even playing field.”
Developed in part with a grant from the Homestead Center for the Arts, “Baseball Dreams” is the first piece of a project that will culminate in a Miami Literary Stage & Screen Youth Festival” in May 2020, a collaboration of What if Works, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the Adrienne
helped me understand how their methodology could be attractive for the busy and harried — pretty much everyone these days.
Airtable, for example, prides itself on its ability to link related concepts and relationships between different groups. Notion describes itself as an all-inone workspace for notetaking, project management and task management. Now imagine your friends and acquaintances as one big mass that needs to be massaged into a logical structure. Helpful, no?
Well, maybe. I’m an old-fashioned friendship maker who believes relationships grow organically, over time and with nurturing. The older I get, the more I treasure the close alliances I’ve made with others at school, at playdates, at work. But I also understand the appeal of organization and maximation. After all, friendships (like love) can be messy and muddled, hard to maintain when we can barely keep our heads above water at work and home.
While I’m fortunate to have several circles of friends, this doesn’t mean I can throw them together in a room willy-nilly. Food preferences, political affiliations, conflicting interests and unusual personality traits can make for a chaotic event. But ... just imagine how easy it would be to draw up an invitation list — or put together seating arrangements for a wedding — if one could toggle among columns and rows.
I know this all sounds kind of nerdy, but there was a piece on NPR recently that suggested organizing your friendships will help you make new friends and keep old ones. Among other recommendations: write a list of conversation topics, take notes during a hangout, make a recurring calendar to send invites for future meetings.
An Irish startup called Monaru, which bills itself as a virtual assistant for personal relationships, works along those lines. It helps you keep tabs on your 10 to 15 closest relationships by providing “regular suggestions and reminders that help users be more thoughtful and intentional with their close family and friends.”
It’s a little creepy to think that your BFF is reaching out because an app reminded her, but the advantages of Monaru outweigh the awkwardness. That’s because Monaru also gives you suggestions for gifts and restaurants. No more forgetting your mother’s birthday. Or your wife’s dress size.
It’s comforting to know that algorithms are ironing out the wrinkles of our rumpled lives. What a boon for families everywhere!
Nevertheless, there are some relationships that are best left to wither on the vine. Will the next big idea be a breakup app that uses a mathematical equation to figure out the friend not worth keeping?