“[This] was the most beautiful thing I have ever produced and some of the most fun, educational, and emotional times I have ever had. It truly was the peak of my high school experience.”

– Student Participant

high school

St. Stephen’s Episcopal School

Project Dates

2017 / 18 Academic Year

student leaders

Rachel Schlesinger
Nina Mewborne Susannah Joffe

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St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, TX was the first to take on the Anonymo/us Project as “Ships.” Three talented seniors in the filmmaking program, Nina Mewborne, Susanna Joffe, and Rachel Schlesinger, acted as student leaders for the project. Working closely with Chloe Sharples and venturesome faculty member Mike Dolan, the group identified relevant topics and issues facing their high school community and composed a survey with prompts such as “write a note to someone that you will miss when you move away from home” and “describe a moment when you showed yourself love/compassion” and questions like “what are accepted behaviors of other genders that you wish were more acceptable for your gender identification?” The survey was sent out to the entire student body and collected anonymous responses from about 40% of the high school.

Together, the team edited student responses into a script consisting of 4 ensemble scenes, 7 original films, 12 monologues, and 1 original dance piece. Open auditions were held at the school and a cast of 8 students (many of whom were new to the stage) was formed to make up the live ensemble of the production.

The show performed under the title “Ships” and was a full house each night. Students arrived an hour and a half before doors to listen to their stories being shared in a safe environment through various forms of media. The response was incredibly positive, with many emotional and endearing conversations following each performance.

 

SHIPS at St. Stephen’s Episcopal High School in Austin, TX. May, 2018. Film directed, shot and edited by Susannah Joffe, Nina Mewborne, and Rachel Schlesinger

 

Feedback from the community:

 
 

“Ships has made me more empathetic and connected to the members of [my community].” – Student

“...it was the most beautiful thing I have ever produced and some of the most fun, educational, and emotional times I have ever had. It truly was the peak of my high school experience.”   – Student Director

“[It was] much more emotionally sophisticated than I expected”     – Parent

“I was surprised by how strongly the audience reacted to many of the scenes. Looking up after a monologue to see tears in people's eyes was a sign that what we were saying was really powerful and that the audience was really listening.”         – Cast Member

“Following SHIPS, there was so much discussion about healthy relationships, sexuality, body image, and so many of the other difficult topics SHIPS brought up. People couldn't stop talking about it, and I think that it's so important for a high school community to be able to openly talk about such difficult topics.”  
– Student 

“[After the show,] we talked about Ships in its entirety. Some of the material was even surprising to our children. It is easy to assume that you know what a person’s experience is. It was wonderful for them to understand that their assumptions were not always correct.”       – Parent

 
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Questions Asked On The Survey

  • What are accepted behaviors of other genders that you wish were more acceptable for your gender identification? 

  • Write a love note to yourself or your body. 

  • Describe your most awkward text/snapchat you’ve sent/received. 

  • Write a song lyric to a crush you have/had. 

  • Do you prefer hook-up culture or relationships? Why? 

  • Describe a time when a fight, big or small, serious or stupid, threatened one of your important relationships. 

  • When do you feel most attractive/confident/desirable? 

  • Write a haiku (5-7-5) to your pet. 

  • Talk about a time you said “I love you” or someone said it to you outside of family.

  • Write a brief note to the person you will miss most when you move away from home.

  • Describe a time when you felt you deserved more respect than you received. 

  • Describe a time when you felt like you were the only one feeling a certain way. 

  • Share any first kiss/hand holding/date/crush/other stories. 

  • Describe a moment when you showed yourself love/compassion. 

  • Have you ever questioned your sexuality? What prompted you to do so? 

  • What is something you've always wanted to tell or ask someone that you haven't yet? 

  • Write a thank you note to an adult that has impacted you or your life. 

  • Share a poem, story, scene, script, monologue, word list, song, personal essay, or literally anything about "ships" with others or yourself. This can be something you've already written for another purpose.