The sound of change…

There’s a moment when the room “hums”. As teachers, facilitators, performers, public speakers - we can sense the change in the room when the audience (students/ participants/ community/ congregation) is with us. This shift is somatic and feels as though we are all breathing together. 

In that “hum”, something else becomes possible: imagination, connection, collective humanity, reflection, vision, and the possibility for change. And that “hum” is ephemeral, unlike policy.

Throughout our time in Bethlehem we felt the “hum” multiple times. Sure, the show starts with a line dance that leaves everyone, including the actors, a wee bit winded. (That’s one way to get everyone to breathe together!) And we’ve had dozens of conversations, workshops, and interviews about the housing challenges of the Lehigh Valley that led to connection, imagination, and vision.

We learned that there is consensus on many issues: 

1.There is a significant housing problem.

2. There is uncertainty about political will to audaciously vision and solve the problems.

3. Change is hard and many people don’t like it. 

4. The zoning and housing system is opaque and confusing. 

5. There has to be a coordinated collective effort between public, private, and philanthropic interests across the region.

After a year of programming and deep partnership with Touchstone Theatre we can sense that things are shifting. We heard folks saying things like: “I’m going to go to a zoning meeting,” and “How can I become a host home for a young adult?“ These can feel ephemeral, and yet this type of culture shift leads to policy shifts. You can’t have one without the other. 

As artists we are learning how to listen for a different type of “hum.” One that sounds like the murmur of civic imagination. If you happen to be hanging out in the Community Development and Housing Office this week in Bethlehem, let us know what it sounds like. Our hope is that it’s the sound of civil servants humming “Home, Home, Build-A-Home.”