The Rural We: Maizy Broderick Scarpa
Unleashing creativity and educating artists are Maizy Broderick Scarpa’s twin goals in working with creative people. She herself is a playwright, theater director and performer who grew up in the Berkshires. Just prior to the pandemic, she launched Bloom Creativity, dedicated to cultivating craft and unleashing creativity. While her initial plans for programming were put on hold, she has now reintroduced the organization with classes that have been restructured to reflect the needs and realities of the moment.
I studied drama with a minor in creative writing at NYU, then lived abroad briefly (in Kurdistan, when it was relatively safe), and when I came back I saw that there was going to be an audition at Hubbard Hall in Cambridge, New York. I was cast in a show, and worked with them for the next couple of years on and off. It became apparent to me when I was figuring out what to do next that my connections in the Berkshires were still here and still strong. That’s when I became involved with Pittsfield Shakespeare in the Park.
A lot of my work — acting, directing, writing, case management, teaching — all looks different when spread in front of you. But the core essence is one of holding space for people to reach their potential. That’s what feeds me the most, and what I’m strongest at.
As many Berkshire County artists experience, we have to do a little bit of this, a little bit of that to carve out a career. I started thinking about how to concentrate my energies more intentionally into what I wanted to do about my own career. That was the impetus for Bloom Creativity. It’s similar to what I’ve been doing for years, but it pulls all my strengths together.
We were supposed to start with “Playing and Writing: The Fundamentals of Drama” in person at The Foundry in March, but that was canceled. I wanted to reintroduce that class online and thought about other classes that people need right now. One is “Self-scripting for Social Distancing,” where we’ll work on different types of storytelling we can engage in safely right now. Among the classes, we’ll also have a Creatives Anonymous wellness group. Everyone needs that right now, but artists are often at a particular disadvantage; so many people who work in the arts have lost both their arts jobs and maybe the other jobs they work for supplemental income. I wanted to offer a space for people to come together and support each other. The classes and wellness group start in January, and they all have a sliding scale.
I recently left my job in healthcare in Albany to concentrate my energies on Bloom. Along with classes I am offering project consultations, mentoring and workshops. I’m also teaching drama at Buxton School in Williamstown, in all its various forms: hybrid, virtual, and in person when possible. Everything I do is tied up with being an educator. All of the talents feed each other.
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