RAW TALENT

In 2008 Donté Clark (former Richmond Poet Laureate) and Molly Raynor co-founded RAW Talent, a youth performing arts program in Richmond, CA. RAW Talent began at the Making Waves Education Program- one poetry workshop blossomed into a multi-faceted program over a span of 10 years, reaching 1500+ Richmond youth (K-12) through workshops, performances, town halls, publications, and field trips. RAW Talent offered weekly spoken word and theater workshops at local schools and teen centers, field trips to arts and culture events, produced annual spoken word theater productions, and held a RAW Talent Writing & Wellness weekend retreat at the Marin Headlands to close out the year. Richmond youth were given a platform to be heard through performance and publication opportunities⎯ RAW Talent produced 4-6 public open mics, spoken word shows, and plays each year, featuring 50+ youth and reaching 1200+ audience members. RAW Talent elevated student writing in a professionally published annual anthology. The Teachers-in-Training component of RAW Talent provided paid positions and professional development for program alumni to return as teachers and recycle their success within their communities.

When the Making Waves Education Program closed, RAW Talent merged with the RYSE Center to become its performing arts program. In 2017, Molly & Donté handed the program over to former RAW Talent members CieraJevae Gordon and Nyabingha Zianni McDowell.

Romeo is Bleeding.

Romeo is Bleeding is a full length documentary by director Jason Zeldes. The film is structured around one year, as Donté leads a cast of high school students in an effort to mount a contemporary adaptation of Romeo and Juliet with the hope of addressing the gun violence in his community. As Montague vs. Capulet transforms into North vs. Central Richmond, the students delve deeper into the historical trauma, institutional racism and socio-economic issues that drive the violence in their city. As the play comes together on the stage, real life begins to parallel the Shakespearean tragedy. Pushed to his limits, Donté must decide if he is capable of being the leader that Richmond’s youth wants and needs him to be. As our nation wrestles with police brutality and curbing the gun violence epidemic, Donté reminds us of the power of artistic expression, communal healing and collective liberation.

Schedule a Talk Back with Molly and Donté