March 29, 2021
By Sasha Cohen, Marketing Intern/Writer
Seasons come and go, political regimes turn over, technology changes at the speed of light. The kids we
once knew grow and have kids of their own, grandkids, and then they are gone. Relationships with
colleagues, friends and family spiral close and far away, only to return in often unrecognizable
conditions. The world spins on, yet one thing remains: the stories. Our stories. The histories of our lives
linger with us and are told throughout our lives, grounding us forever to what once was, who we used to
be, and who we may become. This is the reason I am a member of the world’s oldest profession; I am a
story-teller.
The stories shared through the arts, whether through music, on the stage, or through the written word,
are the lifeline which sustains us when things are at their worst, and the way we celebrate the joys of
this life with which we are blessed when things are happy. The reason a song can make us cry, a scene
in a play can conjure up real emotions just from watching it, why we can lose ourselves in a magical
world created in a novel, are all the same: it is our very nature to tell and share stories as a community
of humans, it is in our DNA to communicate with each other.
I am confident that we are getting closer to a time when we can come together safely and celebrate the
very thing that has been keeping us afloat in all this strangeness, fear and isolation. The arts have been
increasingly important to people dealing with boredom and loneliness. Why is that? Because the
intensely human desire to connect with beauty, truth, companionship, a sense of belonging; these are
all factors in the sharing of experiences that remind us, that yes, there is someone out there that feels
exactly the same way I do, that yes, we are all in this together. Our stories.
Leonard Bernstein said, “Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable”.
Creating stories for the stage through music and drama is integral for the cultural health of our
community, and I know I can speak for all of my dear friends at Music Theatre Works when I say, we
cannot wait to see you, and share all of our stories, and celebrate what it means to be human.
Who is Maggie Clennon Reberg? Reberg is a Chicago actor, musician, and WFMT radio host. You can listen to her on Saturdays at 7:00 am-11:00 am and Sundays at 7:00 am-12:00 pm.