Powerful Lessons with The REP & "How I Learned What I Learned"

By Mike Logothetis
Theater reviewer Mike Logothetis grew up in North Wilmington, performing in school and local theater productions. He lives in Newark, but you can find him wherever the arts are good.

The University of Delaware Resident Ensemble Players (REP) opens its 19th season with August Wilson's reflective How I Learned What I Learned at the Roselle Center for the Arts in Newark. The 2003 work dives into the people, places, and experiences that shape who we become.

Hassan El-Amin stars in The REP's production of
August Wilson's How I Learned What I Learned.
Photo courtesy of The REP.

Pittsburgh's Hill District is the setting where the audience gets a glimpse into the experiences which made Wilson such a celebrated playwright. Through vivid storytelling, we see and hear about lessons learned, reflections, and personal growth.

"August Wilson is without question one of America’s greatest playwrights ever," says REP company actor and star of the show Hassan El-Amin. "A Black Man, and the stories he told about the Black experience in America deserve to be shared for a lifetime."

El-Amin is wonderful in emoting during his extended monologues. His physicality was bold and lively and measured all at once. He controlled his vocalizations to the point where his cadence got the audience united in the rhythms of the performance. The audience started to turn the show into something of a revival as patrons started to verbally respond to open-ended questions and apparent cues El-Amin tossed our way. It felt like we were part of the original lived experiences Wilson was, himself, reliving on stage.

The set, lighting, sound, and screen projections by Stefanie Hansen and Eileen Smitheimer were perfect complements to the script and acting. "Typed" names, words, and phrases on the massive backdrop broke up the one-act play into multiple bites we could eagerly consume.

One of the chief lessons demonstrated in this production is that Wilson stood up to racial discrimination and navigated the color line as he saw fit. He explained how he (simply?) quit a number of jobs rather than give into bigotry. Even though Wilson calls the people he encounters "good, honest Americans," there is more than a tinge of irony in his voice. But, he isn't bitter. He conveys overall optimism, which makes the show more a celebration of life and (an evolving) society rather than a condemnation.

Practically all the vignettes contain some comedic moments and reflections that are meant to be humorous. Being able to create some laughs about so many very real situations is what makes the presentation so special, especially when some cursing and the "N" word are thrown into the mix.

Deftly dancing between nostalgia, bigotry, poverty, and comedy is a triumph for El-Amin and The REP. "Co-Conceiver" Todd Kreidler should be commended for his editorial work coherently putting these stories together in such an entertaining way.

Interim Artistic Director Michael Gotch states: "[The play is] about the power experience has in shaping each of us over time and the ways in which memory serves as both a touchstone for personal integrity and a place from which we keep moving forward together in the face of both collective and individual hardships and challenges."

After the show, you may be asking yourself: "What have I learned from the people and places that shaped me?"

This production of How I Learned What I Learned runs now through September 20. Tickets prices range from $23-43 (+fees) with discounts available for students, seniors, plus University of Delaware faculty and staff. Audience engagement opportunities include post-show talkbacks and pre-performance prologues. 

Tickets can be purchased online at www.rep.udel.edu; by contacting the REP box office at 302.831.2204; or visiting in person at 110 Orchard Road Tuesdays through Fridays from 12 to 5 PM. The one act show runs just over 90 minutes.

The Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts is located on the University of Delaware’s Newark campus and is ADA-compliant. It is equipped with a hearing loop system, which works with hearing aid t-coils, cochlear implants, and in-house hearing devices. Wheelchair and other seating requests can be made prior to the performance by calling 302.831.2204 or emailing cfa-boxoffice@udel.edu.

"Something is not always better than nothing."

Delaware Division of the Arts Announces New Appointments to the Delaware State Arts Council

The content of this post comes from a press release provided by the Delaware Division of the Arts...

The Delaware Division of the Arts today announced the appointment of six new members to the Delaware State Arts Council (DSAC), the 16-member citizen advisory council that provides guidance on arts policy and public investment in Delaware’s arts and culture sector.

The Delaware State Arts Council serves as the advisory body to the Delaware Division of the Arts. The Council provides guidance to the Division Director on matters of arts policy and considers matters referred by state leadership. DSAC members also serve as ambassadors for the arts – promoting participation in and appreciation of the arts throughout Delaware.

Newly appointed members include:

New DSAC members (starting top L-R): Itzel Aguilar, Esther Hofknecht,
Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald, Reggie Lynch, Nataki Oliver, Dr. Malcolm Richardson. 

Itzel Aguilar (Georgetown) – Itzel Aguilar is a first-generation Chicana (Mexican-American) interdisciplinary artist, muralist, and arts advocate from Sussex County, Delaware. Her work explores identity, ancestry, cultural memory, migration, belonging, and healing, drawing from her mestiza and Indigenous heritage and lived experiences. Working across painting, illustration, textiles, natural fibers, clay, pigments, and found objects, Aguilar selects materials for their ability to hold memory through texture, color, and story. She graduated from the Delaware College of Art and Design with a degree in Fine Art and is pursuing her undergraduate in Chicano/a Studies at the University of New Mexico. She recently completed an internship with Mural Arts Philadelphia and is now working as a project-based Artist Assistant. This allows her to strengthen her practice in community-engaged public art and collaborative mural-making.

Esther Hofknecht, MSM-HCA, LEND (Dover) – Esther Hofknecht, MSM, LEND is a Delaware visual and mixed-media artist, writer, storyteller, and trauma-informed teaching artist whose creative practice centers on connection, self-expression, and community. Her multidisciplinary work encompasses visual art, writing, storytelling, and film, often exploring the intersections of creativity and lived experience. Esther is also a dedicated advocate and educator in the areas of mental health, neurodivergence, domestic violence, and intimate partner violence, bringing these perspectives to her artistic and community work. She is passionate about arts accessibility, amplifying diverse voices, and using creativity to foster dialogue, understanding, healing, and connection.

Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald (Wilmington) – Michelle Kramer-Fitzgerald joined the Delaware Symphony Orchestra in July 2022 as its Director of Marketing & Events. Previously, she owned arts publicity company, Arts in Media, a promotional partner for artists, musicians, and small- to mid-sized arts organizations from 2004 to 2022. Originally from the Pittsburgh area, Michelle graduated in 1992 from Penn State with a degree in Communications. She has been a contributing writer for Out & About Magazine since 2013, and she created and still manages the Delaware Arts Info blog. She has served on committees including the INWilmington Campaign, Christina Cultural Arts Center’s Christi Awards, the Fringe Wilmington Festival, and AIDS Delaware’s Red Ribbon Runway. Michelle lives in the City of Wilmington with her husband, Scott, and their “supermutt,” Eli. In her spare time, she enjoys reading (actual books), painting, and cooking.

Reggie Lynch (Wilmington) – Reggie Lynch was born and raised in the arts community in Delaware and has dedicated her career to ensuring the arts are accessible to everyone. Although her career in museums has taken her to New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Ohio, she is thrilled to be back in her hometown to rejoin the arts community through her role at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library. Joining the Delaware State Arts Council has an added layer of meaning for her, as her mother, Nancy Bartoshesky Lynch, was deeply involved with the Council. Reggie lives in Wilmington with her husband and daughter.

Nataki Oliver (Wilmington) – Nataki Oliver is the owner of The Sold Firm Art Gallery and has championed emerging and established artists throughout the tri-state area since 2017. A Fashion Institute of Technology graduate with studies in art history, design, and marketing, Oliver founded her Wilmington, Delaware gallery in 2018 to address gaps in the city’s visual arts community. She has curated exhibitions and art spaces for Bank of America, Delaware State University, Winterthur, The Delaware Contemporary, HBCU Week, and the Philadelphia 76ers. A passionate advocate for visual artists and youth, Oliver created a successful paid to learn, 12-week arts program for Delaware teens empowering young creatives for the past five years while strengthening Delaware’s arts ecosystem.

Dr. Malcolm Richardson (Wilmington) – Dr. Malcolm S. Richardson is an interdisciplinary artist, educator, scholar, and arts advocate whose work is rooted in a passion for educational and artistic development. Based in Wilmington, Delaware, he has dedicated his career to cultivating artists, educators, programs, and communities through meaningful and equitable access to the arts. A former lecturer at Delaware State University in the Philosophical Foundations of Education, Richardson currently serves as an Instructional Coach with Jounce Partners in collaboration with the Wilmington Learning Collaborative and as Voice Faculty with Elevate Vocal Arts, while maintaining an active career as a professional countertenor. He holds a Doctor of Music Education from Liberty University, where his research explored sustainable partnerships between schools and community-based music organizations throughout Delaware. Through this council, Richardson remains committed to strengthening the ecosystems that allow artists, educators, and communities to learn, create, and thrive in harmony.

Council members are appointed by the Governor to renewable three-year terms, with terms staggered to support continuity in leadership and governance.

“State arts council members are essential partners in how the Division serves Delawareans,” said Jessica Ball, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “They bring lived experience, professional expertise, and local insight that strengthen public stewardship – helping ensure our investments are thoughtful, equitable, and responsive to communities across the state. Their guidance shapes real opportunity for artists and arts organizations, and it helps expand access to the arts for residents in every county.”

Mack Wathen, Chair of the Delaware State Arts Council, added: “State Arts Council members translate the value of the arts into action. They elevate community voices, help set priorities, and support decision-making that sustains Delaware’s cultural vibrancy. Their service has a practical impact – stronger arts organizations, more engaged communities, enhanced creative learning and engagement, and a healthier statewide ecosystem where the arts can thrive.”

DDOA Distributes $5 Million in Statewide Arts Grants

The content of this post comes from a Delaware Division of the Arts press release...

Whether you live in a city, a small town, or a rural stretch of Sussex County, the arts should be something you can engage with. That is the idea behind the Delaware Division of the Arts’ first round of FY2027 grants: $5,055,797 supporting 127 grants to arts and community organizations that bring performances, classes, and exhibitions to communities in every part of the state. This first round of FY2027 funding includes General Operating Support, Project Support, Arts Stabilization, StartUp, Education Resource, and Arts Access grants.

“A state that values creativity attracts people, jobs, and opportunity, and the arts are one of Delaware’s best investments,” said Governor Matt Meyer. “The arts support thousands of jobs, draw visitors to our towns, and make Delaware a place where people and businesses want to put down roots. And because these grants reach every county, that opportunity belongs to all of Delaware. When we support the arts, we build a stronger state.”

“Access is the whole point,” said Jessica Ball, Director of the Delaware Division of the Arts. “The reach of this funding is what sets it apart. These grants put the arts within reach of Delawareans in all three counties, in cities, small towns, and rural communities alike. They pay for performances, exhibitions, festivals, and classes that any resident can take part in, and they carry the arts into schools, senior centers, and neighborhoods so that no matter where you live, there is something nearby to experience and enjoy. We are grateful to Governor Meyer, Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez, the General Assembly, and the National Endowment for the Arts for their continued support.”

That commitment to access is clearest in Delaware’s classrooms. Sixteen Education Resource grants connect schools with professional teaching artists and arts organizations, providing teacher training and standards-based arts learning for students from Pre-K through 12th grade statewide. It means a young person in any corner of the state can have an arts education experience that builds creativity, critical thinking, and confidence.

The grants also strengthen local economies. Delaware’s nonprofit arts and culture sector generates more than $200 million in economic activity a year and supports over 3,300 jobs, according to a 2023 study by Americans for the Arts. A big share of that comes straight from audiences: people who attend a performance or exhibition spend about $43 a visit at nearby restaurants, shops, and hotels, which adds up to more than $61 million a year statewide, and visitors from out of state spend even more. And nonprofits are only part of the story. Together with Delaware’s for-profit creative businesses, they make up a creative economy worth roughly $3.7 billion in output that claims a larger share of state jobs than traditional industries like agriculture.

Access also means keeping Delaware’s cornerstone institutions open and thriving. From the Delaware Art Museum’s internationally recognized collection of Pre-Raphaelite art to the First State Ballet Theatre, OperaDelaware, the Delaware Symphony Orchestra, the Biggs Museum of American Art, and the Freeman Arts Pavilion, these organizations set a high standard for artistic excellence while serving as gathering places for communities across the state. Together with many other established institutions, they keep Delaware’s cultural traditions vibrant, accessible, and a source of pride for residents and visitors alike.

This year, three organizations – the Nanticoke Indian Association, Imperial Dynasty Arts Program, and Resolution Steel Orchestra – will join the Division’s StartUp program for arts organizations that are new to the Division’s portfolio of grantees. Designed to strengthen arts nonprofits, the program provides financial support, board development training, and technical assistance to help participants operate sustainably and prepare for future eligibility in General Operating Support, Education Resource, or Arts Stabilization grants. StartUp organizations must demonstrate a clear artistic mission, a stable governing board, and a track record of at least two years of public programming. By welcoming these three grantees into the program, the Division is helping to ensure that the arts remain relevant and accessible, and that
Delaware’s portfolio of supported arts organizations can grow, thrive, and contribute meaningfully to the state’s unique cultural life.

All applications underwent impartial peer review by panels of Delaware community members, with oversight by the Delaware State Arts Council, ensuring that diverse perspectives are included in the grant review process.

Members of the public are encouraged to explore upcoming performances, exhibitions, and programs in their communities and see firsthand how these investments strengthen Delaware’s quality of life. Sign up for the Division’s monthly Arts E-News to learn more about events, grant opportunities, and ways to support the arts in Delaware.

Visit DelawareScene.com to see hundreds of arts and culture events statewide. A complete list of FY2027 first-round grant recipients is available at arts.delaware.gov.

The awards include:

• General Operating Support for sixty-eight (68) arts organizations.
• Project Support for twenty-eight (28) community-based organizations that provide arts programming for children and adults with physical or intellectual disabilities; students whose schools are under-resourced and face multiple barriers, individuals and family members dealing with cancer, and young children and community members from across Delaware.
• Four (4) Arts Stabilization projects that support capital improvements and repairs to facilities owned or under long-term lease by arts organizations.
• StartUp support for three arts organizations, Nanticoke Indian Association, Imperial Dynasty Arts Program, and Resolution Steel Orchestra, providing them with a combination of technical assistance, board development training, and financial support necessary to become eligible for General Operating Support grants.
• Sixteen (16) education-based partnerships between Delaware’s schools, arts organizations and artists that provide teacher training and standards-based arts learning experiences for pre-K through 12 students statewide, in alignment with the Delaware Standards for Learning in the Visual and Performing Arts.

Funding comes from the Delaware General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, with Arts Stabilization grants supported through the Arts Consortium of Delaware, Inc. (ArtCo) endowment.

The Division also awards grants on an ongoing basis throughout the year, including Arts Access grants, Artist Residencies, Individual Artist Fellowships, Creative Aging Programs, and Individual Artist Opportunity grants. Full grant descriptions are available on the Division’s website and at the end of the release.