A Day Like All the Rest, Global Dialogues theater presentation in Ohio

As a global society we do not often consider the voices of our young. Tough issues such as HIV/AIDS, violence against women and girls, and drug use are among subjects considered taboo in many communities.Atlanta and London-based Global Dialogues aims to promote social change through the voices of young people who offer creative perspectives on these issues through a worldwide narrative contest.On March 21 and 22, 2015 a free multimedia performance of Global Dialogues narratives written by Athens-area youth took place at ARTS/West in Athens, Ohio.This event was free and open to the public. The performer included local community theater actors as well as Ohio University theater students.The multimedia nature of the exhibit allowed people to approach the pieces they are drawn to and pass by the ones with content they find difficult to watch. Attendees were encouraged to engage in the dialogue started by the creative youth, and discussions were held on ways to support the Southeastern Ohio needs that the stories bring to light.The title for the performance was chosen from a 2014 entry by Hocking College students Josie Hand and Anthony Sisson. "A Day Like All the Rest" draws listeners into the world of a family struggling with an abusive husband and father who has lost touch with his family when consumed by Internet addiction.One featured piece in the performance was a film based on the works of four young people who wrote about childhood sexual abuse for the 2013 Global Dialogues competition. The film is based on the story "Tears of an Angel", written by Ndeye Penda Leye, an Ohio University student. Leye’s story placed in the top 20 out of more than 12,000 entries worldwide.Also included in "A Day Like All the Rest": A series of prints created by schoolchildren in Marietta transforms images of addiction into images of recovery. Each story, artwork or poem offers a powerful message of resilience, healing and hope.Tori Moyer of New Lexington led a group of five people to create "The Story of Ronnie", a transgender person’s development from early childhood to a happy young-adulthood. The story, which won third place in the international competition in 2014, was dramatized for the event, and attendees heard a recording of a song inspired by Ronnie’s journey.All contest narratives were adapted for live performance by Chris Coleman and Gary Molina.The Global Dialogues project was founded in 1997 by the Global Dialogues Trust (GDT, UK registered charity number 1071484). Representation, expansion and international coordination of Global Dialogues, as well as fundraising/resource mobilization for the project, are the exclusive prerogative of GDT.