Voices Amp'd

BODIES AMP'D: A MOVING ANTHOLOGY premieres May 14th at the Pam Miller Downtown Arts Center in Lexington, KY at 6:30pm. Tickets are pay what you can! Listen as the leaders of the project share about their seven (7) month journey with ten (10) women from across the country. Celebrating stories of inheritance, legacies and being haunted by the past with some Burlesque, Broadway, Ballet and West African Dance - we celebrate our journey and share about the process!

Bodies Amp'd: A Moving Anthology - Vanessa and Ellie continue interviews with the artists involved in Bodies Amp'd including Emma Becker, Rowen Haigh, and Emma Grace Imes about their experiences creating over the past 7 months, how they found their way to the project, and what they are looking forward to most in their final performance. Bodies Amp'd: A Moving Anthology premieres in Lexington, KY in May at the Downtown Arts Center.

Bodies Amp'd - Vanessa Becker Weig and Ellie Clark interview Lydia Guillot and Margaret McGladrey about their experience with Bodies Amp'd, a sneak peek into their devised solo pieces, and what it means to share virtual space together. Bodies Amp'd is devising original material created and developed with ten (10) women from around the country who have been writing, dancing, and moving together for the last six (6) months. An intergenerational creation exploring the legacy of the feminine body, Bodies Amp'd: A Moving Anthology will be shared in May 2022. We will continue to publish short interviews with all of the participants. Listen to learn more!

Bodies Amp'd - Vanessa Becker Weig and Ellie Clark interview Jess Reese and Lora Wilson about finding their way to the Bodies Amp'd project and a few of their favorite moments throughout. Bodies Amp'd is in the middle of devising an original piece created and developed with ten (10) women from around the country who have been taking workshops for 6 months in writing, dance, theatre movement, and devised creation. The piece will be shared in the Spring of 2022. We will continue to publish short interviews with all of the participants leading up to the final sharing. Listen to learn more!

Lauren Buglioli - On her work in the film and TV industry, persevering through the impact America Media Culture had on her at a young age, how her work in early childhood education and special education inspires her work as an actress, her "go to" mindset leaders, daily routines and habits that can serve you in 2022, and so much more.

Scout Larken - In her own words, Scout is a "collaborator and loner; learned and intuitive; practical and a dreamer; educator and respecter of folkways; entrepreneur and work-averse; politics enthusiast and artist; rural and urban; a musician who can't dance; seriously funny."

Lora Wilson - In our first in person interview, Lora shares about her work as a Movement Therapist, healing through dance, her work with our current project, Bodies Amp'd, and her many adventures in mountain climbing.

Ellie & Vanessa - We are back and can't wait to share out Season Two guests! In this short introductory episode we give a shout out to our Season One guests as well as reflect on the continued effects of the pandemic including burn out, grief, taking space for self care and finding the motivation to keep fighting the good fight as we move forward with Voices Amp'd Season Two into 2022.

Voices Amp'd is back for Season 2 with Ellie Clark and Vanessa Becker Weig. Throughout the season they will be joined by special guests and the Voices Amplified Team. Visit us at www.VoicesAmplified.net.

Vanessa Davis - On her musical influences, coaching and teaching young artists in Kentucky, the best piece of advice she's ever been given and where you can search and listen to her new extended play album, Pretty Little Cabin: A Quarantine EP. Jumping from piano to guitar, Vanessa shares several of her songs to wrap up Voices Amp'd Season One including the Voices Amp'd theme song I'm Doing Okay. Follow her @songwritervanessa

Tanyqua and Lexie - On their writing process, how their writing is informed by the trauma they have experienced in their lives, and other techniques outside of their writing that they use for self care when it all gets to be too much. Both Lexie and Tanyqua share their writing in our campfire segment.

Jen Joplin - On her upcoming one-woman show The Prime of Miss Jen Joplin (premiering June 4 at the Cincy Fringe Festival), her 30 year career as an artist, the church she bought to transform into a creative community right before the pandemic hit, and how she navigates being an artist, a wife, and a parent who homeschooled her son and nephew throughout the pandemic...and still managed to write a show! Online and live, you can buy tickets to The Prime of Miss Jen Joplin at CINCYFRINGE.COM.

ACTivate - ACTivate students share about the premiere of their upcoming show Cabaret for Change, fundraising for partner organizations in the community, their student led podcast ACTivate On Air, navigating being young artists throughout the pandemic, as well as their creative writing centered around Amanda Gorman's inauguration day speech The Hill We Climb. Rylie Sudduth, Sophie Hill, Maeve Denton, and Brodie Blair

Jessica Greene - On her work with TEACH (Theatre for Equity, Accountability, Community, and Healing), being Artistic Director of Distilled Theatre Company, administrating the all girls Rise STEAM Academy in Lexington, KY during a pandemic, and her journey with infertility and the community support that gave her Lucas, her beautiful baby boy.

Rena Childers - On her work in the political arena with the Jon Osoff campaign (Georgia) and the Charles Booker campaign (Kentucky), her volunteer work with Planned Parenthood, the challenges of transitioning from high school to college to entering the workforce in a pandemic, as well as insight into the importance of mental and physical health and why she prioritizes relationships over everything.

Dr. Chamara Jewel Kwakye - A womanist scholar-educator with interdisciplinary interests at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, ethnography, performance and pedagogy, Dr. Chamara Jewel Kwakye, talks about her work of elevating stories of Black women and girls that examines their power and agency in oppressive spaces, her work on Wish To Live: The Hip-hop Feminism Pedagogy Reader and (SOLHOT) Saving Our Lives, Hear Our Truths. Chamara inspires us with her stories of family, resilience and claiming your creative self.

JaMeeka Holloway and Johannah Maynard Edwards discuss the Women's Theatre Festival's upcoming live virtual production of Othello by William Shakespeare in a modern verse translation by MFONISO UDOFIA. Udofia seeks to pull no punches with her translation of Othello that starkly illuminates the overt anti-Black racist language within Shakespeare's text. Director JaMeeka Holloway talks about her approach to directing Udofia's translation, key themes being uncovered, challenges her team has faced throughout the process and how she is navigating caring for her artists who have taken on this incredibly challenging material. Tickets are available at WomensTheatreFestival.com - @wtfestivalnc. Follow Director JaMeeka Holloway @jdhdirectedit.

Raiffa Syamil - On navigating the complexities of being a strong woman in male dominated spaces, being born and raised in America as the daughter of Indonesian immigrants, her research in Computer graphics and virtual reality, managing her anxiety, skateboarding, heels classes, being an alumna, mentor and PhDiva of The Girl Project and so much more. Follow her on Instagram @raiffantastic.

Vanessa Becker Weig Celebrates Turning 50 - For her milestone birthday Vanessa invited the Voices Amplified leadership team and friends Aby lawson and Carmen Keels to come together for some "girl talk." Listen, laugh and be enlightened (perhaps) as we talk adaptability, ageism, sex, menopause and advice for young women as they navigate their futures. In every episode guests share their own work or something that is currently inspiring them. To celebrate Vanessa, Aby Lawson shares a LifeStory poem inspired by The Girl Project and Jeni Benavides shares a poem celebrating growth. This episode is rated PG-13. To donate to Voices Amplified for Vanessa's 50th birthday visit VoicesAmpified.net.

Ellen Hagan - On creating a sustainable life as an artist, her work with the DreamYard Project, her go to recommended reading, and how she navigates raising two radical young daughters. In every episode guests share their own work or something that is currently inspiring them and they undergo a series of rapid response questions. Ellen shares two poems from her new book of poetry Blooming Fiascoes and several short segments from her forthcoming book Reckless, Glorious, Girl which is available for preorder at ellenhagan.com. Follow her @ellenhagan

Tanya Torp - On her work as Executive Director of Step by Step Lexington, serving 250+ single moms ages 12-24, her personal mission of Radical Hospitality, and her consulting work with non-profits on strategic planning, diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. In every episode guests share their own work or something that is currently inspiring them and they undergo a series of rapid response questions. Tanya shares an excerpt from her forthcoming book - “Justice House: An Everyday Guide to Radical Hospitality”. A giant in the Lexington, KY community, we know you will be as inspired by her as we are! Tanya Torp, @TanyaTorpConsultant

Kennedy Johnson - On being a participant of The Girl Project, her advocacy work, self-care, being a college student amidst a pandemic, who inspires her and more. In every episode guests share their own work or something that is currently inspiring them and undergo a series of rapid response questions to close out the show. Voices Amplified, @kennedy.johnson15

Dr. Margaret McGladrey - On her research and advocacy work with The Girl Project, mindfulness and meditation, obtaining her PhD in a male dominated field and much more. In every episode guests share their own work or something that is currently inspiring them and undergo a series of rapid response questions to close out the show. Voices Amplified, @mcg.phd

Ellie Clark - On founding The Girl Project (TGP), what it means to be a role model and leader, her relationship with her mother, what makes her feel vulnerable, the thing that makes her laugh uncontrollably and much more. In every episode guests share their own work or something that is currently inspiring them, their superpower, and undergo a series of rapid response questions to close out the show. Voices Amplified, @aka_ellieclark

Jeni Benavides - On joining The Girl Project (TGP) team in 2015, bringing documentary theatre to TGP, how rock climbing changed her life, measuring success for herself, and much more. In every episode guests share their own work or something that is currently inspiring them, their superpower, and undergo a series of rapid response questions to close out the show. Voices Amplified, @jeni_benavides

Vanessa Becker Weig - On founding The Girl Project (TGP), her career in theatre, what makes her feel vulnerable, positive changes she's made during the pandemic, the things that keep her up at night, and much more. In every episode guests share their own work or something that is currently inspiring them, their superpower, and undergo a series of rapid response questions to close out the show. Voices Amplified, @vanessawhatisinsta

Welcome to voices Amp'd! Our first featured guest – friend, entrepreneur, activist and community leader, Tanya Torp – will air February 17, 2021 wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, you can meet the Voices Amp'd team in our introductory podcast interviews starting January 27. Follow us for updates and information! Learn more at www.VoicesAmplified.net. Underscore music "I'm Doing Okay," is by artist Vanessa Davis. Podcast art by Lauren Roark. This podcast is generously supported, in part, by a grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women!