Steamy Summer: The People of New York City in Pictures
Drake Stutesman, Moderator, "Independent Women: 15 Years of NYWIFT-Funded Film Preservation"
Where does your interest in film come from? READ MORE
Barry Harwood, Curator of Decorative Arts, The Brooklyn Museum
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Rosal Colon, Broadway Actress
Tell me about your job.
I come from a pretty interesting theater background—my parents started Pregones Theater which is one of the foremost Latino theater companies in New York. I was born into that, and so I became a very active member in it, we're now in our 30th year. I studied drama at a performing arts high school and after that decided to pursue the craft a little more seriously and went to SUNY Purchase for their acting conservatory. I got out and started auditioning, working a lot with Pregones, doing readings here and there. I eventually booked a great Broadway job with "A Free Man of Color" at Lincoln Center. That was in September of last year. I was cast in the original production at the Public Theater, but it was dropped, and then it got picked up again, we did a workshop of it about a year and a half ago, and it got picked up for the Lincoln Center. It was a wonderful experience, getting to work with Jeffrey Wright, Justina Machado, Paul Dano, Mos Def and some really great people, and a wonderful playwright and a wonderful director. It was a really wonderful learning experience and a nice catapult into the business.
How have things changed for you since being on Broadway?
READ MOREJoel Berg, Executive Director, NYC Coalition Against Hunger
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Sasha Weigel: Doula and Midwife in Training
Tell me about your job.
I was traveling in Thailand, working in a hospital about three years ago. I got to see the maternity ward there and some births and it basically changed the course of my life. When I came back I became an EMT and I started assisting births—not as an EMT, totally separate. Suddenly I was launched into the medical world and I became a Doula, which is a certified birth assistant, and now I am studying to become a midwife. To become a Doula you go through a six-month certification process and it's basically an emotional and psychological support system for the mother. It differs from a midwife in that a midwife is actually birthing the baby, catching the baby—it's hands on. A Doula never has to put gloves on, but she'll be there suggesting visualizations and breathing techniques and position changes, providing support, being there for the mother. Whatever the mom requires, the Doula is there for her. It's a very intuitive dance, the mother is not going to be able to always express in words what she really needs. Keeping her busy is key.
What was it about the maternity ward in Thailand that got you hooked on birthing?
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