Houses on the Moon

When Students at the Bronx High School for the Visual Arts looked around their school, they had a bad case of the "blahs." It was an art school without art, they said. They dreamed of making change but felt powerless and stuck until an idea long hindered began to bloom. In this episode, they discuss how they worked with school administrators to develop a special art project and start a new tradition. This bonus episode of the Houses on The Moon podcast is part of HOTM & History UnErased’s Youth Equity Podcast program. The program is funded by the New York City Council Committee on Education, and was developed by History UnErased in partnership with Houses on the Moon Theater Company.To learn more, visit https://unerased.org/resource/nycdoe-youth-equity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Don't Say Gay?" We don't think so! In response to Florida's new legislation banning classroom discussions of LGBTQ+ issues and lives, students from PRISM, Aviation High School's Gender and Sexuality Alliance, spoke to Brandon Wolf and Pat Padilla from Equality Florida about the fight against this controversial bill. Learn more in this special feature interview from HOTM & History UnErased's Youth Equity Podcast program. The Youth Equity Podcast Program is funded by the New York City Council, and developed by History UnErased and Houses on the Moon in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. To learn more, visit https://unerased.org/resource/nycdoe-youth-equity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode 8 of the Houses on the Moon Podcast spotlights another true tale from gUN COUNTRY, our storytelling workshops with people whose lives have been touched by guns. In “Luck of the Draw” Antonius Wiriadjaja recounts how art and storytelling helped him survive a shooting and how he was forever changed by the love and violence he encountered that day. We'll also speak with Carolyn Dixon of Where Do We Go From Here, Inc., an organization dedicated to helping families navigate grief and trauma in the wake of gun violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode, we share true tales from Houses on the Moon’s international LGBTQ+ story-sharing project The “Q Story Stream.” We have 2 stories about teachers learning very different lessons.  When our own Jeffrey Solomon tries to help a bullied student in the drama class he teaches on Staten Island, the adult discovers you never really leave junior high school behind.  And across the globe in Mumbai, India, Sachin Jain tries to teach his Spanish class while nervously awaiting the verdict from the Indian Supreme Court on whether, as a gay man, he will remain a criminal in his country.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Episode 6 of the Houses on the Moon Podcast, we share Zudaydah Rivera's true tale from Houses on the Moon’s SHARED SENTENCES, a storytelling project with people who have incarcerated loved ones. Zudaydah was just 4 years old when she first visited her father in a maximum security prison. In her story, “Zudaydah with a Backwards Z”, she struggles to help her young son deal with the imprisonment of his father, and face her own complicated relationship with mass incarceration. We also speak with Zudaydah and Prison Families Anonymous co-founder Barbara Allan about their lives, work, and involvement in SHARED SENTENCES. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the Houses on the Moon Podcast, we spotlight another true tale from our cross-cultural LGBTQ story-sharing project, “Q Story Stream.” In "Certificate of Fluency," Cori Bratby-Rudd describes the realization of her lifelong dream to study in a foreign exchange program, and the fear of judgement from her host family over her two moms. Her story explores the tension between the desire to belong and the need to be true to family and oneself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode 4 of the Houses on the Moon Podcast, we share a true tale from our cross-cultural LGBTQ+ story-sharing project “Q Story Stream:" Jesús Daniel Cruz discovers first love in a country where he is doubly closeted, as a young gay man to his immigrant Mexican family, and as an undocumented young person in Trump's America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Highlighting America’s fraught relationship with guns, this episode features true stories from Houses on the Moon’s gUN COUNTRY, based on the accounts of those whose lives have been impacted by guns. In “I Did Not Kill Brian,” Brenda Currin shares how a late night home intrusion and her decision whether or not to pick up the loaded shotgun in the dresser drawer ties into her own dark family history. Ajia Gibson’s story “The Hollow” (told by Emily Joy Weiner), recalls how the hunger for answers and accountability in the wake of her mother’s accidental gun-related death divided Ajia and her family. Jeff joins Aija and Brenda in conversation about crafting their stories and considers how art might play an invaluable role in America’s struggle with gun violence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When their son wants to dress up as Princess Elsa, of course, these two gay dads from New York City are cool with it, right? In “Luca’s Journey,” Carlos Encinias tells the true story of parenting a gender-expansive child with his husband, and the resistance they encounter from surprising places. Jeffrey Solomon chats with Carlos about his family’s journey and the process of developing this story with Houses as part of “TRANSformation,” a series of storytelling workshops and performances exploring gender identity and family. We then speak with Judy Sennesh of PFLAG’S NYC TransFamilies project, a key community partner in the development of “TRANSformation.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our pilot episode highlights Houses on the Moon Theater Company’s 2014 storytelling piece gUN COUNTRY. HOTM artist Ian Eaton performs “STEVE”​: ​​​Having lost his teenage brother to the violence of the street, Ian reckons with the proper remedy to deal with his own fifth grade tormentor in 1980's Harlem.​ ​Host Jeffrey Solomon facilitates a discussion with Ian and Elaine Lane, the founder of David’s Shoes, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing teen violence through youth empowerment, education, and community engagement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Houses on the Moon Podcast is an original eight episode storytelling series dedicated to amplifying the unheard voice. Each episode features a remarkable true story (or two) curated from over twenty years of Houses on the Moon Theater Company’s unique development process of storytelling workshops and interviews with real people. The first season spotlights tales from individuals whose lives have been touched by guns; parents of gender-expansive children; families with incarcerated loved ones; a global conversation between LGBTQ+ storytellers in the U.S. and India; and undocumented youth. These stories, adapted for audio, will be followed by in-depth conversations with host Jeffrey Solomon, the storytellers, and featured community partners. The podcast also features original music by multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator Raliegh Neal II. A proud member of the Broadway Podcast Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices