Micah: Awesome. All right, well we are back, uh, another day, another evening with Any Other Anythings with Grey Box Collective. We've come full circle. I am back with our amazing founder, Molly, whom I'm sure we all know by this point. The beautiful mastermind behind this collective of great individuals that I've gotten to chat with over the last few weeks.
And yeah, super happy to, to be chatting with you again. I guess what I kind of wanna kick the conversation off with really is just. Where did the idea for Grey Box Collective come from?
Molly: What an excellent question. Yeah, so like, kind of, this is great. So kind of the origin story of Grey Box Collective.
I think in many ways it started. At least a decade before I actually founded Grey Box Collective. And so that comes out of my own experience. My own, like Me Too experience before Me Too was a thing. And in 2007 I happened to get a job on campus in undergrad where I was asked to combine the mission of the organization with the areas that I was studying.
And so it was a victim's advocacy, for lack of a better way to say it, department that I was working for. And I was studying dance and theater. And so I made a dance theater performance about sexual violence on college campuses. And that's really where like this whole journey started.
And that followed me into my Master's in Education program where I looked more deeply at the connection between the performer experience or the creatives experience and the audience experience, and started to be able to, from a research standpoint, draw parallels. And then like cut to 2016 when I was finishing my MFA in dance at ASU, that's where I kind of formalized all of this work and created a, an umbrella of Grey Box Collective, uh, for it to exist under.
So, yeah. Those are kinda like the clues that that led to it over about a decade.
Micah: Yeah. Yeah. That's wild. And I do love that. I feel like sometimes we have a experience that just kickstart something or you know, this, these seeds that are just kind of planted in our hearts or souls throughout the course of time.
And then, As things continue to develop and as people continue to pour into us, like more opportunities arise and then somethings actually established that, or something seen, I guess is what we should really be saying, right? Like, we can finally breach the surface and like we're like, we are able to share something with others, which is, yeah.
Great. It's beautiful. What, what has been built here. Do you remember the first like Grey Box Collective project or? Yeah. What, what was that experience like for you?
Molly: Yeah, I mean, technically in many ways what kind of like pushed forward the formalization of an organization around this work was that ASU wanted to hire us for sexual assault awareness this month, in April, 2016.
So it was like, Ooh, shenanigans, I gotta get, like, I gotta get a bank account, I gotta get like everything in order. And so that was really, in many ways the first project, I call it like our half season
Micah: Sure.
Molly: Cause it wasn't really like a season, it was like, hey, we were gonna get paid.
And I wanted to find a way to make sure that happened. And like it was in the works already, but it definitely was kind accelerated because of the opportunity. And then our first real performance was at the Phoenix Center for the Arts with a {nueBOX} residency summer 2016. The piece was called I Am Enough. And that actually grew out of the previous performance where one of the performers was writing, I Am Enough on a Mirror.
And it was like, oh, like that kind of feeds into it. And that performance was focused on like shame culture mostly around like being in a female body and what it is to be in the US and, and live, live through all of that. It eventually became, so this kind of circles back to what we were talking about prior to we're hitting record tonight.
I am enough, became fool me once, fool me twice, which we had as an iteration in 2017, and then in 2018 we took that to Boulder Fringe Festival. So back to what we were talking about before.
Micah: Yeah. Yeah.
Molly: We just happened to discover those, those photos that I, I don't think I've shared with anyone, so I should do that. yeah.
Micah: Yeah. I love that. I love that. It's, it's kind of funny that, you know, you mentioned the Fringe festival and just that experience at Boulder and now like, you know, maybe you know, looking... Well, it's, it's interesting cuz obviously everything kind of really got established in Arizona, built through the community in Arizona, and now especially with Covid, that reach has been extended through these digital platforms kind of across the US and a little bit of an international reach now, which is amazing.
And yeah, it is, it is really cool how, like you said, it was almost like you were kind of propelled into this rather suddenly. Which is... Yeah, it's like both exciting but also like, like you said, it's kind of like a no sh*t moment. Like, yeah, alright, let's, this is real, this is happening now. And sometimes that kickstart, that jumpstart is what we need as artists or individuals to just really take those next steps that we've maybe been sitting on, but just haven't quite indulged in yet.
Molly: Yeah. I feel Covid was very much that in so many ways. I think we would've reached this point of reconnecting with those of you who had left Arizona at some point. But I don't think it would've happened, you know, by season seven. Like that would be, I don't, I don't know that, that feels like it would not have happened if it wasn't for a global pandemic.
And I think as we've kind of been emerging, I feel like more and more artists are talking about, like, I actually kind of needed like the world to shut down for a little bit and I, I'm getting more comfortable saying that as well. Like, yeah, I needed the world to shut down. And I think in many ways it, your word, propelled us forward even, even more once again.
Micah: Yeah. Yeah. That's, that's amazing. I, I really do love that. So, I'm actually gonna back up a little bit here. I don't think I knew you had a background in dance. I don't think I personally knew that you had a background in theater. Is there like a show that you've done, like back in your theater days that like still is close to your heart. Are you like, do you consider yourself a theater nerd? Are you more of a dance person? Like I am a little curious about that.
Molly: Okay. So I definitely love musicals. That was definitely a part of my life of, I think from probably like, what was it, sophomore year of high school to through undergrad, like yes, musicals were my thing. I still have a key chain of like all the different musicals and that's was, yeah. So musicals were definitely one of 'em. I feel like. So I went to the University of Maine and partially I studied theater in undergrad because I wanted to stay in Maine and I wanted to study dance and that actually was not possible.
I couldn't major in dance in the state of Maine. And I was like, eh, theater's close. So, that's how I chose my major.
Micah: That's funny.
Molly: And I was always kind of, the theater kid that was like, oh, I'm just gonna have like a 20 minute dance break in the middle of the show. And that was how I kinda like ended up in dance theater was because I just kept sneaking in my dance studies into my theater work.
And like that's where Finger Painting from grownups or for Grown-ups came from. And if, oh, a favorite show. Actually what I was thinking of recently, it was just like a 10 minute, we had the underdog shows, which is like your intro to directing. I was in one of those, it's actually in a few of 'em, but one was called, I think Mental Reservation.
And so it was basically about like lying without lying. It's like, oh, I'm just gonna say I did this with the mental reservation that I actually did this other thing. So like, kind of manipulative. It was also one of those scripts that is like kind of your classic, like you just get the words, you really don't get a setting, you don't get characters.
So I don't know, I find those really kind of the exciting scripts where it's like, what if we put this in like, I don't know, a hair salon versus like, you know, in a park or like, where, how does that really change it by putting it into a new environment? So yeah, I think that it was a very, uh, comedic piece. And I think it was probably the first real comedic piece I'd been a part of.
Micah: Yeah. Yeah. I love that. I love that. I, it's, it's, it's funny, it's interesting like hearing how, you know, wanna explore and like revel in dance. How do I do it? I guess. Theater, musical theater. Let's go. I love that. That's great. That's great. I, my story coming into theater myself was actually a little sad.
I loved basketball. I still love basketball. I like ran track growing up. I played a little basketball growing up, played a little volleyball growing up. And I remember trying out for the basketball team when I was a freshman. Was the only kid that didn't make the freshman basketball team. And, and my mom so sweet was friends with the theater teacher from like our church community and like, was like, oh, go try out for a show.
I think you'll really like it, blah, blah, blah. And, you know, I moped over and auditioned and did the thing and then fell in love and yeah. And then just like, just kept going with it for some reason.
I think art is a, is an interesting, I feel like you kind of alluded to it and just the way that you were talking about like your favorite show and, just some of the experiences of how, you know, Grey Box was kind of built.
Art is a very like, interestingly, vulnerable sector of like humanity. I think that's why like we're so drawn to it. I think I was talking to someone else about just the idea of like how the most human thing a human could be is emotional. Which is, so funny and so interesting because sometimes we are like encouraged or, you know, discouraged, I should say, from feeling or showing emotion or being vulnerable or being expressive in that way.
But then we're so drawn to art because that gives us the space or the room to express that freely. And people want to engage with that. I think it's especially important just the way that you've, I'm a really big fan of when people have real intention and specificity behind the mission.
And I, I do love the phrasing of, you know, Grey Cox Collective's mission, which is, and, and just the concept itself, which is this creating trauma-informed dance, like the, the awareness. And also, yeah, just spreading that awareness of what does it mean to experience trauma and what does it mean to process it?
What does it mean to deal with it? What does it mean to move through it? And I think just that recurring theme and that specificity, is really important. When it comes to anyone like approaching any initiative. Do you feel, I wonder like when you are, you know, approaching a new project... I really do admire how you've kind of, you know, self-admittedly taken a step back and like really kind of let others share their, their stories as well and kind of create even a further collaborative process then, and, and what I'm interested in is, with the shows that you've helped curate over the years, do you feel as though they've become less and less stories that you've personally resonated with, or are they, do they resonate in different ways? Like how do you feel it's evolved over time?
Molly: Yeah. Oh, there are so many ways I could take that question. I'll, I guess I'll start by just kind of tying it back into having listened to all the interviews that happened prior to us having this conversation tonight.
It's amazing to me, just like my own brain function, I guess, of like, like I think it was John, your, your talk with John. Where they were bringing up, like some of the, the processes, processes that they've been through. And it was like, oh, I forgot we did that. And it, it's interesting like how it has evolved, and like every step of the way, it, it, it has been very intentional of just like this subtle little shifting, how to adapt.
Well subtle shifting, and like COVID definitely was a bigger shift. But, yeah, it, it's interesting looking back, like I got quite nostalgic listening to everyone's conversations. And just thinking of all that we have done, like season seven to me is like, like, d*mn, that's like a solid amount of time.
Like we're closer to 10 than we are to anything else. And that's like... And so in terms of like, how has it evolved? I think when, when it started, for me it was more about like semi devised dance theater. So starting with a bit more of a solid piece like Finger Painting {for grownups} and even, It's Not that Simple. Like there were preexisting scripts that existed like, that were collaborations of the ensembles that I worked with prior to.
And so for me there is a lot of like carrying the stories of those who have been a part of these pieces prior to and kind of rolling it over. And then that kind of went out the window around 2018, which like, I feel like looking back on. Just four years ago, that's kind of when like everything went out the window in my life,
And so, that's where it started to be like, we're gonna start from scratch. And, you know, 2018 and then we barely started season 2019 before COVID hit. So then it definitely all went out the window. And I stepped back for, for my own reasons, just trying to kind of grapple with all that was going on.
I think we're kind of getting back to that though as we've got like the crumbs, nuggets, and muffins structure, which I'll talk about just a little bit cuz that will make no sense to anyone listening to this other than those in season seven. Yeah, So, kinda out of like thinking about what is your capacity for creativity at this point and thinking of how we've been going through this collective trauma and with trauma.
My lens,
Trauma-Informed Creative Practices like trauma and creativity do not inherently mix. They can work really well together, but it's not like a match made in heaven by any means. And so one of the ways to kind of address that, like, and also meet the needs, I think of an arts community where, we all are doing the gigging lifestyle and there are times when certain gigs are taking more of our time and we don't have the capacity for real devised work.
So crumbs, nuggets, and muffins as a structure is about tapping into that devising process at the point that makes the most sense for where you are at during this season. And so my parallel is to pumpkin muffins. Like are you roasting the pumpkin? Like are you really going to make this from scratch? Are you buying like the canned pureed pumpkin to make your pumpkin muffins or are you doing store bought and there's no judgment or shame on whichever part you are at.
It's about really being honest with yourself. What kind of capacity do you have for creativity? What kind of capacity do you have to engage with other humans? And where do you wanna plug into that process? And so I think that really does get back to kind of how it started of, at a certain point, like if you're coming in at that nuggets phase, there is already some kind of structure that has been developed.
So that that is in many ways circling back. But I think with a different intentionality around it. More about meeting the needs, meeting the needs of a community as opposed to, I don't know, just like having a thing and working off of it.
Micah: Yeah, like almost having a preset precedent versus saying, Hey, here are the phases.
Where would you like to slot in? And I actually really do. I personally love it. And I think, it, that format in a, in an artistic setting specifically, specifically within the world of devised works, is honestly really, really cool. I know for instance, like I am not a, I take it back. There are some phases in my life where I can create
seemingly from nothing. It's always from something, but like I can kind of like create something from the ground up. But there are most days as an artist where, when I am collaborating that I feel like I do my best work when I am like, coming in when there is some form of structure or like something that I can build off of.
I like describe myself as like a bee actor sometimes, because I can riff off of people all day. But when it comes to me having to like actually like. Establish and drive something. I'm like, oh that needs a little bit of wind up time. You're gonna have to bear with me. I'm gonna stumble through this.
It's not gonna be cute, for the first little while. But we'll try to make something work. So like, if I absolutely have to, I will. But like, no, I, I really do appreciate that because it does, give, it gives space for, like taking care of your community, which is exactly what you're, mentioning before.
Just like, you know, regardless of where you're at, no judgment, whether it's at point A, B, or C, that you enter the process. It's still a collective and collaborative process that we're, we're creating together. So yeah, I I I love that. That's great.
Molly: Yeah. Well, and I kind of think of like devised theater as like what happens when a dancer makes theater anyways, because.
Choreographers dancers. We walk in a studio with nothing anyways. Maybe there's a song that we like, yeah. But for the most part, we walk in with nothing. And so I think it's very natural for dancers to end up in devised theater. But that being said, if you're used to either choreographer or director or a script or something being there, it's another way to like start to
Kinda eek towards what it is from nothing.
Micah: Yeah. Yeah. Without a doubt. You know, that is, I, I like that, that, that idea of like, and I've never thought about it from a dancer's perspective, cuz like coming from a theater background myself, one thing that I actually don't like that much about the theater to community that I'm still navigating as an artist myself is like, once you get into a lane as an actor or a director or a stage manager or whatever your lane is, a lot of people are just like, Oh no, but that's where you're gonna stay and just be your whole career there. There's no room for exploration or growth. And I'm like, for a world that is boundless because it is art, why am I limited to this type of engaging in art? Which is, yeah. It's, it's so strange. Something I think COVID has shaken up a bit.
But yeah, I think working in the world of dance like that does make a lot of sense. You really do come in in a blank slate every time and just kinda keep building upon each time you come back to the space, which I I love that. Yeah. That's great.
Molly: Yeah. Well, and that kind of makes me think of what I feel has been maybe a common thread throughout half of the interviews y'all have had of like that professional exploration.
Yeah. And it's true. You, you have to like pick a lane and once you pick it, people are like, ah, that's your lane. And I think it's really interesting in, in our western society, I, I had a whole like, journal entry about this a few years ago when, I can't remember who it is, some celebrity had like passed away and they're like an author and a cookbook and a actor and a this and a that.
And then it's like, okay, cool. So celebrities are allowed to be like multi hyphenated artists and real entrepreneurs in all these ways. Like what about the rest of us? And I, I think we get pigeonholed or stereotyped or whatever. And it, it's really, it's something quite, I think, fascinating in many ways that we can't hold the idea that people might have multiple interests or, you know, when you're, when you're doing more onstage work, it's like, yeah, I'm kind of ready to shift to behind the scenes.
Like, why can't we have. Meandering evolution of our careers. And so I, I'm glad to hear that it was kind of a theme throughout, cuz it's something that I've also held, uh, as a great value within the company that people can shift and explore. And I like, I don't give a d*mn what your degree is in or if you even have one.
Like what do you wanna do? How do you wanna express yourself? Do it over next week.
Micah: Yeah. Yeah. I, I, I love that. I love that. Okay. Given that we've explored, like, you know, what was, what our current processes are and you know, how we're navigating the world. I am curious, if you're willing to share.
You don't have to, but I'm sure we would love it. What is....What's to come, what's, what's looking forward, what's going on with, this upcoming season? What, yeah, what are you thinking, Molly? What's the future of Grey Box Collective?
Molly: Yeah, so I'll, I'll go big picture, like real zoomed out version of the Vision for Grey Box Collective.
And I think the, the seedlings are already there. And for me it's really become about, in this past year or so, as I've also like, left my side gigs and chosen to go all in on myself. Freelancing, working for myself, Grey Box Collective is a part of that constellation. And so I'm gonna circle back.
I am part of the Producers Academy with the Beth Morrison projects based out in New York. And one of the questions they asked us in the interview process before being a part of the Producer's Academy was, how are you shepherding in the future of the performing arts? And so in preparation for that, I was like, well, what am I doing?
And it's come down to, to three things. It is about, ushering in the future of the performing arts is happening with how we are creating work, with the work that we are creating and also how we operate as an organization as a whole. And so those are the three areas that I'm really digging into. And it definitely started with the process first.
Trauma informed creative practices is what has oozed into everything else. You know, if you change the process, the product, for lack of a better way to say it, is naturally going to change. And then like those, that process, that those products, they can't exist in an organization that doesn't support also that like progressive forward thinking.
Yeah. So it's, It's what, whatever this is. How do I describe this?
Like this, like this ripple effect, maybe that's it. Starting with the process into the performances and then the organization as a whole. So that's really where I'm focused right now. And being able to define and articulate that in as much detail as possible.
I think I'll leave it there for like the vision and where we're going. Big picture. But yeah. I can, yeah, I can talk more about like season three of Any Other Anythings as well as season seven, of the company in a little more detail. Yes,
Micah: Yes, I would love that. Um, let's, yeah, let's dive into it.
Season three. Yes. Okay.
Molly: Okay. So season three of Any Other Anythings. With season three, it's sharing responsibilities of interviewee and interviewer. So, as Micah, as you're passing it back to me at the end of this season, I will kick off season three and pass it on to someone else to be doing the interview, who will then interview someone who then becomes the interviewer, and then it just kind of ripples in that way.
And also with season three, getting a little bit more structured. Like, we'll still go on tangents cuz that's existing in the grey, messy areas of life. But being sure to create space in season three where everyone gets to really dive into their origin story. With the work we create, it's nonlinear, it's fragmented,
it's fractured. So having this be a platform where y'all can be sharing origin stories and like what are the clues that this is something you would end up doing in your life? And then also thinking about like really maximizing everyone's time. Also in season three, because it will involve every single artist who's currently working on developing new work this season.
It will also be a chance to talk about the creative process and will multitask, not multitask, maximize, those interviews by allowing that to also fold into like all the behind the scenes footage that we'll put on social media and on our Vimeo account. And then of course there'll be that like Any Other Anythings where people can dive into whatever.
I love how much music was talked about this season. And I think I, like, I, I'm actually, I think about half of y'all are very heavy into music. So that, that's really cool. And Okay. Yeah. So that's season three of Any Other Anythings. And then as we're in season seven, we're developing new work, which you were technically a part of the first iteration of back in 2017, Understanding Otherness.
And I think it'll be, I don't know. I'm curious to hear kind of your thoughts of revisiting that content as we're working on both the digital side and the in-person side.
Micah: Yeah, it's, it is interesting. It's kind of multifaceted in a sense. Even just what you said there, like the digital and the in person side is already a new element of like, like how do you understand that sort of otherness of like exploring these new avenues of artistic exploration and you know,
collaboration and sharing. I think that we've been able to expand our reach, and stay connected, but also, explore new ways to, understand otherness. I think the timing of bringing this back is, especially important. I feel like, you know, COVID was a very interesting time because it's like, it's, it was a double edged sword where we really got to be, the country as a whole.
The world as a whole really got to become really introspective and say like "what do I need? What do I value? What can we do to navigate this, you know, pandemic era together?" We were able to realize that there are ways to sustain ourselves in ways that we otherwise would never have given a second thought to. Which is causing the world as a whole and a lot of individuals to start giving a lot of second thought to, well, if we could make changes to this, what else can we make changes to that we just have accepted by default, just because that's the way it is. And I think with a lot of that, there's a lot of abrasion that comes as things are being tested and challenged.
There unfortunately has been a little bit less grace that's been given to each other. And I think a little less like patience or understanding, which is a little bit ironic because we just came through an area where we were all kind of forced to be patient with the world in one another and that timing.
But I think, yeah, the timing of this is especially important now because, um, you know, especially with tensions in both like political, personal, like, you know, mental, you know the world as a whole is in dire need of that understanding whether you agree with someone else or not. Just being able to fundamentally understand like where they're coming from, see a new perspective and have enough patience with yourself and with others to just engage in a... And helping provide a healthy space. Like there's definitely limits. Like set that boundary for yourself. If you need to cut something off, cut it off, that's fine. But I think, at least being willing to make the effort to understand that otherness is, is especially important. So I'm super excited to explore this more, especially this day and age.
I don't think it'll ever not be relevant because there's always something else, you know? Even as much as we expand our worldview and our experiences and our life, there's always gonna be more. There's never a time in our lives where we will be all knowing. So, yeah, I, I think this is, I'm, I'm super excited for this.
Molly: Yeah. Yeah. Same. And the conversation we had this past week in our digital rehearsal was like, oh, was so good. Because we got into the messiness of other otherness and othering. Where I think we didn't really, I think we went like way too extreme in the first iteration. I think we also dug into like hate culture a little bit more.
Micah: Yeah. We did.
Molly: Yeah. And this time, yeah. This time really trying to hang out in the like, grey, messy area of life. And we talked about what is it, you know, to be othered or also to like other ourselves when we're trying to separate ourselves from a group. Like if we discover that either a work environment or social circle is no longer supportive to us.
Like there is that separation, right? And it goes back to boundaries, which I feel like everyone's talking about boundaries now. So. Yeah.
Micah: Yep. Yep. I love that. I love that. Yeah. Yeah, that's, it's super exciting. It's really just fun being able to kind of revisit these concepts, kind of look in retrospect of like, okay, how is this interpreted at this stage of Grey Box Collective?
How can we re-approach this in a, in a new way and with, with a new perspective. Which I think is honestly one of the greatest things about these visitations of these concepts that we've, you know, produced in the past is just having a, a fresh take or a new conversation regarding the same theme.
Cause it really does just lend itself to so much newness or just re-exploration, I should say. So yeah, I I love that. I love that. Yeah. Yeah. Cool. So I guess at this point I would, I, I have, I think I have two more things I wanted to ask.
Molly: Okay.
Micah: The first one is actually, I, I keep doing this backwards, but if there is one exercise that you like, whether it's as a individual, an artist, a mover, a dancer, musical theater lover.
What's one, like grounding or like cool down or like centering exercise that you found extremely like helpful in your artistic journey?
Molly: Yeah. Great question. In terms of like, kind of talking about like what is that wrap up? How to like kind of bring a somewhat satisfying closure to whatever. For me in the creative work that I'm doing, there's always some kind of like ritual of like putting things back in their place. And like the cleanup process to me is very much part of that. And even like I approach business as a creative practice as well at this point. And yeah, when I'm working on stuff like I light a candle and when I'm done like blowing out the candle, like we're, we're shutting it down.
Yeah. Yeah. I definitely need much more like active kind of closure. I don't do well with, like, sitting with my thoughts or anything like that. But yeah, something, something that's very much signals to myself like, all right, we're done. Yeah. It's very important to me.
Micah: Yeah. That's awesome. I I love that.
That's really cool. Yeah, I, I love, I'm a big fan of candles. So like that, that imagery to me of just like having kind of like, I don't wanna say ritualistic, but just something to kind of symbolize the starting or the igniting of something. And then just like that release is, it's really, really beautiful.
I love that, sentiment. And cool. And then my actual favorite question is, are there any other anythings?
Molly: Yes. Yeah, I think Yeah, just like as I was listening to the previous episodes, there were, I mean, a lot came up for me. Just a couple things that I kinda want to either reiterate, amplify, contextualize somethings. One is what I, wait, which one do I wanna do first? I'll do that one second. Okay. The first thing is, I think it was you and Adam maybe started this conversation, and I think you said Micah, like artists that went against the grain, like in the face of diversity and saying Yes.
Anyways, and you're talking about that. And like this resistance of change, but also seeking novelty and like, what is that human experience? And for me, like that's a huge part of the structure of Trauma-Informed Creative Practices is like really rigid, predictable framework where we can, like, we have that rhythm, we know what to anticipate because there are those very predictable steps.
Yet we keep novelty by letting things be really fluid within each of those steps. And finding, finding a way to have both the predictability as well as the novelty is something that is really important to me. Yeah. And so I don't remember exactly what context y'all had it in. That was very, Loud for me.
Micah: I, yeah. I love that. No, that was, that was a great... a moment that we kind of explored a little further there. Yeah. I don't remember exactly what instigated or like, you know, uh, ignited that, that portion of the conversation. But yeah, there, I really do believe there is something to just that, that irony of like seeking change, but also when change comes, we're, we're hesitant to like do it right away.
Like, we're like, oh, but what I have is already secure. Or you know, like, even, so, even me, like just finally letting go of this day job that I've had, you know, remotely in the states, even though it's not what I want to be doing full time. I've just been holding onto it for so long because I'm like, okay, I have this physical security.
It doesn't, it doesn't always leave me the flexibility in the room to fully explore the other things that I'm starting to get more and more opportunities to actually fully explore. It is a bit of a leap of faith, which is, I think, something that folks are a little bit afraid of from time to time, myself included.
Where it's like, okay, this could fail. It's a risk. It's a risk. And is it one that we're willing to take? So I think that a little bit of that kind of derived from there. But then, yeah, especially. The artists particularly, or just anyone really that just stands out in society is because they said yes in spite of everyone saying you shouldn't or can't do this.
And I, I just love that because it's like, you know, it's just a reminder that even, even though there are so many times in our lives as individuals where you know, people will be like, ah, I don't think you're the best for this or the best for that. It really is irrelevant. There's always gonna be someone who disagrees with you.
But there's always gonna be people who really love what you do as well, which I think is also really interesting where there's this polarizing difference of like there's this chunk of the world that like will really resonate with what you shared or created. And then there's other parts of the world who just given their lives and their experiences won't resonate with it.
And that's okay. Like there's, I don't think there's any one person in this world that will fully resonate with every other individual in the world. And I think that's something that we need to like remind ourselves from time to time. So again, give ourselves that grace. Yeah. Yeah. I love that.
Molly: Yeah. No, that's great. Yeah, that was just, I think one of the conversations that I was like, ooh, it's like, I don't know, it was very like reaffirming in many ways of, or another way to think about some of the structure and all of that. And my second point is also like another. Another way that like season two really kind of drives home.
One of my points about how we create, and that is, like season two, like this season two of Any Other Anythings like it could only exist in this way with you leading it, with you doing the interviews with everyone like there. As soon as you change the ingredients in this space, like everything shifts.
And that's something I've always felt in a rehearsal room. And I think season two is of the podcast is actually just like a really streamlined way to explain that. Like the conversations you all had, like those conversations. I've had conversations with everyone that you've had. We've never talked about music in the way that like you all did.
Or just. All the other different inroads and such where the conversations meandered. And I think that's really important. And like who's in the room matters in rehearsal spaces, in conversations is this. And I hope that's something that people really like, take from this. And, and see and see,
like in the arts, especially with that theater background. Like everyone's replaceable, right? Yeah. like, we'll get another Juliet. We don't care. But that's not how it works in these kinds of spaces. Like there is no other Micah there is like, you know, like everyone's wholly unique and that energy, that presence, that vibe that is brought to the space completely changes everything.
And so, Yes, thank you for, for everything with season two. I really, really loved it.
Micah: Yeah, I, I really and truly appreciate that. One thing that you actually just reminded me of, that's something that actually, really resonated with me. That started happening in a couple conversations. I was trying my best not to like force it into each conversation cause I didn't want to, but like, it came up in a two or three conversations at least, where just this idea of when it comes to
adding your piece into whatever the devised work is, where everybody really felt like they were another layer that was being kind of added or another cord, or like another note that would be added to the cord or like another like, you know, fruit on the tree or like whatever the case may be. Like everybody felt....
That I think one thing that was very consistent throughout the whole process, and I think you do a really fantastic job facilitating this space. I know when I worked on my first project with the Collective, I think, you know, as we were moving, and I think that was one of the ones where it was kind of a semi-devised where we had some sort of like, concept and you know, framework and then we just kind of built on top of that.
But when it came to the building on top of that, it was like, "Hey, what do you feel good about? Like what's your, what would you bring to the table if you could, to this work?" And like being able to say like, I like words and like be able to write some words that, you know, we incorporated into the storytelling and, you know, Adam, like working in his music with, you know, the, the Pause collaboration that I worked with him on.
And like all of these things were like, we could have our unique stamp on the work that we did. Again, like you said, there is no other Adam, there is no other Molly, there is no other Chastity. Like all of these individuals do make up the collective that is Grey Box Collective, which I, I really do. Yeah, I, I love, just that, that imagery and that truth, being consistent throughout the, the iterations of what, what we've, produced so far.
So, yeah, I really resonate with that. That's great.
Molly: Wonderful. Can I ask you, like, now that we're at the end of season two, Any Other Anythings on your end?
Micah: Yeah, I am. I am, you know, you inadvertently like reaffirmed a, a passion project that I've had just in my heart for a while. Like I have wanted to kind of create like a collective of my own, like to help.
And it's really because it's back to the LA thing where I don't like those lanes. And I, I wanted to do two things. I wanted to create a space for artists that we could like basically, treat them like employees of like a corporation basically, where we don't have to contract and it's just like, "Hey, here's your salary".
We're like doing it and we're doing creative things and sometimes it's admin work and sometimes it's you know, performing and sometimes it's directing and sometimes it's this and that. So like, I recently actually got, today, approved for like, cuz I got my permanent residency here in Canada.
And, I got approved to actually start like applying for grants here and such. And, I, I was like, man, I think in of New Year I'm gonna start like applying for grants and like, trying to really like lean into building out, you know, this thing. So I might actually be reaching out to you very soon here to like, take your brain to like you know, see how this all works because I do like this, Yeah, this experience with Grey Box Collective for me has really evolved in ways that I never thought it would. You know, when I first got involved. And it's, it's really, lovely kind of seeing everything like really grow. And I loved when you were just like, oh yeah, it's great.
I'm literally freelancing. Like my art is my life is, my work is my sustenance and I, I am like, you know what? That's just even a further sign for me to actually just jump into this full, full-fledged and sometimes I have flashes of doubt, but I'm just like, you know. Trust the process. We're gonna work through it, we're gonna put into work and the effort and the energy.
And, uh, yeah, I'm, I'm really excited to move forward, with this. It'll be a long haul. It'll probably be a decade before I actually like breach the surface, but still, like, just being able to take those steps forward I think is just such an exciting, time. So, yeah. That's, that's my, that's my anything.
Molly: Wonderful. Wonderful. Thanks for sharing.
Micah: Yeah. Not a problem.
Molly: And I, I already have like a ton of thoughts. We can talk about it some other time. I love it.
Micah: I love it. I love it. I'm excited. Cool. All right. Well, sweet. I guess that's a wrap. It's been a joy.
Molly: You too.
Micah: I love this.
Molly: Yeah. So great. Thank you so much Micah, for, for taking this on and, and for all the interviews and your words throughout all of them.
I really appreciate it
Micah: It's honestly been my pleasure. I have truly enjoyed this experience and will be revisiting it again, so it'll be great.
Molly: Cool.
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