Improvisation helps girls find their voices

The Recorder, July 18, 2011

“What tends to happen to girls when they hit adolescence is they lose confidence,” Brown-Waite said. In making the film in a collaborative process with other girls, the participants get to “see their contribution as important to the whole.” “The end product would not be the same if they weren’t there,” Brown-Waite said. Seeing the importance of their own contributions helps girls regain their voice that may have faded during their teenage years, she said. “And, of course, it’s fun.

Who doesn’t like to have fun?” Shayonna Cato, ACT NOW!’s intern, said she could see the difference in confidence in some of the participants already. “Just watching the change from yesterday to today is amazing,” Cato said. “Girls who wouldn’t talk yesterday are raising their hand all the time.” Girls lit up as they talked about the plot and characters of the movie they designed. It will be about five sisters who need to make money to support themselves after their mother abandons them. The girls voted on the theme of the movie, betrayal. “They picked our idea for the movie,” said Sara DiPaolo of Greenfield. Her friend, Ceridwyn Carlton of Turners Falls, continued: “and they added things.” The girls, both 13, said they might play older twin sisters in the movie. “I love movies,” said DiPaolo. “I love how they take you to another place.” You can reach Sarah Brown-Anson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (413) 772-0261 Ext. 263