The Michael’s Daughter Project: Aspire to Inspire was created by actress Ciera Payton. Based off her one-woman show, Ciera wanted to create a platform that allowed at-risk youth to share their stories in the way she did with Michael’s Daughter.
Michael’s Daughter is a one-woman show based on Ciera’s paper-trail relationship with her incarcerated father. He is currently serving a seven year prison sentence in Cottonport, Louisiana
due to non-violent drug related offenses. Since 2011, Ciera has performed her show all around Los Angeles, CA and premiered Michael’s Daughter off-broadway in New York in 2013.
The Michael’s Daughter Project: Aspire to Inspire was made possible by a grant awarded from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. This grant created the opportunity to allow students to meet for twenty-one, four-hour classes, learning theatrical, acting, and creative writing skills in order to share and perform stories based on their lives and neighborhood.
Si Se Puede
The stories presented are based off of creative writing exercises and improv games played during class. The students were encouraged to share what they observed in their personal lives
and create personal stories. What they came up with was a collage of stories based on their Blythe Street Neighborhood. From Big Homie to Katrina, the students created colorful characters whose lives are a reflection of their personal journeys. During the writing process, it became clear that the students are aspiring to share their stories in order to truly inspire their peers and anyone who will listen. Listen to their story!
