Meet WAM Theatre’s new Volunteer Coordinator!
If you haven’t already, come and meet Dawn at our Open House on Thursday, February 5 from 5:30-7 pm at 45 Walker Street, Lenox, MA 01240. Or drop her a line at dawn@wamtheatre.com. Whatever your skills and interest, there is sure to be a place for you on the WAM Theatre Team!
https://www.wamtheatre.com/volunteer/
After raising her family and working as an art teacher in and around Mansfield, Massachusetts, Dawn Martin suddenly had a flash one day eight years ago that she was free to move, and that she wanted to move to the Berkshires.
“I’d been coming to the Berkshires all my life, first as a camper at Chimney Corners in Becket, and then more and more frequently after my second child left for college,” she explained.
With a strong interest in contemporary art, Dawn wanted to be near MASS MoCA, and settled in a house on Stafford Hill in Cheshire with a breathtaking northern view all the way to the Green Mountains of Vermont. She has spent the past year working on a series of acrylic paint renderings of her vista.
Dawn describes herself as “semi-retired,” but that doesn’t translate into idleness! Since relocating Dawn has immersed herself in the broad cultural community in the region – working at the Berkshire Museum and Ventfort Hall, subbing at BART Charter School, getting involved with the Berkshire Carousel project, and teaching art at Lanesboro Elementary School.
“I started seeing WAM shows, and after I saw Emilie: La Marquise de Chatelet Defends her Life Tonight in 2013 I realized that something amazing was going on,” Dawn explained. “I’m always excited to learn the stories of women in history that I wasn’t aware of, but it was the excellence of the production that just transported me into that place where all my critical faculties were suspended. I was gone. It was a transcendent experience that went right through my veins.”
“After the show my companion and I chatted with Kristen and I saw the look on her face and how she related to each and every person in the audience. She is open – you can see it on her face as well as in her work.”
“After that I kept an eye on WAM. I went to Motherhood Out Loud which was the first staged reading I’d ever attended. I love a fully staged production, but I discovered I didn’t need all that to be captivated by a play.”
“And with In Darfur I was fascinated by all the local interest in the show. The Berkshires appear to be fairly insular, but there are a lot of educated thoughtful people here who really want to know more about the world and are eager for perspective.”
“I’m really at a time in my life when it’s pretty important to participate in the work of other people that I feel is important and that I can make my own. The tone of feminism WAM espouses is just right for me. WAM’s feminism is practical – it’s clear, strong, active, reflective, and direct, always with a positive tone.”
With her interest in WAM Theatre building, Dawn recently spoke to Kristen about opportunities to get involved as part of the WAM Team and quickly saw the need for a Volunteer Coordinator. “WAM has a mission people want to be a part of and volunteering is an entry point,” Dawn said. “It’s very hard to realize your full vision as an organization without a critical mass of people and the time has come for WAM to build that community. We need to keep energy flowing into the organization! For me so much of the magic of WAM surrounds Kristen herself, and she needs other people to keep her energy up and then extend that energy out.”
Dawn is currently researching the best way to reach out and communicate clearly what volunteer opportunities WAM has to offer and what the rewards will be. “I’ve been a volunteer and you need to be particularly careful about matching what you ask people to do to who they are and where their interests and talents lie.”
“I genuinely love to meet people! And I know the people that I will meet through WAM will be exciting. Developing this circle of support for WAM is a creative act for me; I feel about it the same way as when I create a piece of art. I can hardly wait to get started!”