THE SHAPE OF COURAGE
Every year, as we enter into a new season and consider the stories we wish to share, the events we wish to host, we ask ourselves: What does THIS moment need? What feels the most urgent to us, as artists, right now?
This year, we also asked ourselves: how might storytelling serve us—and our community—when the world feels uncertain and overwhelming, rife with both rupture and possibility? What is the utility of art making, when faced with such tragedy and chaos?
We came to the same conclusion as Toni Morrison, when she said. “This is precisely the time when artists go to work.” We have always believed that creating spaces where people can share real, personal stories—listening deeply, speaking honestly—is one of the most powerful tools we have as a society for empathy, healing, and change. Stories can offer comfort, community, and connection. Stories are a place we can turn when we need ideas, imagination, or inspiration. Stories are a tool for us to remember where we have been, remind us of what is important, and rewrite how we wish to be. Sharing stories with each other makes us brave.
So we are proud to welcome you to 2nd Story’s Season 27: The Shape of Courage.
The Shape of Courage is a season of storytelling that explores the many forms bravery can take—quiet or loud, public or personal. It includes shows, classes & workshops, our podcast, and a variety of public events, that all center 2nd Story’s values of Courage and Care.
Courage comes in all shapes and sizes: courage can be marching in a protest or speaking out at a meeting, it can be marshalling the resources to listen to a message or to just get out of bed. Courage can be having a hard conversation with a loved one, responding to an ask with a long-overdue “no,” or taking the first trembling steps into an unfamiliar experience. In a chaotic world, courage doesn’t always look the way we expect—but it always shows up. Having courage doesn’t mean that we are not afraid; it helps us do what must be done in spite of, and alongside, our fear. This season’s stories and events speak to the strength it takes to care deeply, to question boldly, and to face ourselves (individually and collectively) with honesty. In a threshold time like this one, The Shape of Courage invites us to listen, reflect, and recognize the everyday acts of bravery, both large and small, that shape who we are.
- Amanda Delheimer, Artistic Director