Anonymo/us Project offers students a safe and supportive venue in which to share their authentic stories–from fears and insecurities of growing up to crushes, dreams, discoveries, and beyond.
Anonymo/us Project is a program designed for individual school communities. Anonymo/us Project collaborates with a given school’s administrators, counselors, and select student leaders to identify current topics and issues that students are currently grappling with to create a survey. All students have the opportunity to respond to the survey and share their thoughts in a private and anonymous fashion. Through a series of classes, student leaders are taught how to craft a script of monologues and scenes solely comprised of and inspired by students’ survey responses. Once the script is approved, auditions are held and a diverse student cast develops it into a final production. Opportunities for film, dance, musical, visual art, or other media may emerge along the way and be incorporated into the final product. The end result is a full-length student-led production featuring honest and authentic stories sourced from students, performed by students and received by students.
How It Works
“[Anonymo/us Project] is so important as a way to bring all the voices into the room, to acknowledge the inner struggles and to bring them into the light. This single act births compassion.”
– Parent at Santa Fe Prep High School
Directed by Rachel Schlesinger
“Seeing the thoughts and experiences of your fellow classmates on stage makes you realize that everyone around you is authentically, wholly human, and that inspires more kindness towards one another.”
— high school audience member at st. stephen’s episcopal school
Origin Story
Anonymo/us Project is an adaptation of Relations, a project conceived by Cara Greene and Sarah Rice at Colorado College. Chloe Sharples acted in, then twice directed Relations at the college. The biggest piece of feedback she received after performances was “I wish I had something like this in high school.” After graduating in 2016, Chloe set about adapting the show for a high school audience. She first approached her alma mater, St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas who with immense assistance and guidance from film and theater instructor Mike Dolan agreed to host an initial run of the project. Chloe worked with three exceptionally talented high school senior film students, Rachel Schlesinger, Nina Mewborne, and Susannah Joffe during the 2017-18 year to create “SHIPS.” The initial run was a huge success with students lining up an hour and a half before each show to hear their words and the words of their peers shared onstage for the community. Witnessing the reception of the project by these high school students determined that this space for sharing is desperately needed by teens today.