Wonnie and Derek at The Art of Care Roundtable at Eaton House. Photo by Chris Banks
It was our first read-through at the start of October 2024, and I remember holding back my tears as I read the stage directions. Although it was my first time meeting the cast of The Art of Care, in that moment of hearing their stories, I felt connected to them. And I felt healed by them.
I first heard about The Art of Care, an original Lab production, back in April 2024. As possibly the only student in the School of Health who wanted to pursue theater, Professor John Kraemer told me about this new play that connected the arts and health and that I should reach out to the director, Derek Goldman, a Georgetown professor. As much as this play excited me, I could not imagine myself sending a cold email to someone, so I kept the project in the back of my mind.
I came to Georgetown in 2021 as a Healthcare Management & Policy major in the then School of Nursing & Health Studies. I wanted to become a hospital administrator, but constantly found myself drawing parallels between the health system and how other institutions function, particularly the arts. I had always loved the performing arts, but growing up as a Korean American theater kid from Ohio, I never saw theater as a career choice. My perspective
By Wonnie Kim, Associate Director for the Art of Care at The Lab
“Can we imagine a world where art and storytelling are recognized as care?”
It was our first read-through at the start of October 2024, and I remember holding back my tears as I read the stage directions. Although it was my first time meeting the cast of The Art of Care, in that moment of hearing their stories, I felt connected to them. And I felt healed by them.
I first heard about The Art of Care, an original Lab production, back in April 2024. As possibly the only student in the School of Health who wanted to pursue theater, Professor John Kraemer told me about this new play that connected the arts and health and that I should reach out to the director, Derek Goldman, a Georgetown professor. As much as this play excited me, I could not imagine myself sending a cold email to someone, so I kept the project in the back of my mind.
Wonnie as Ella in Autumn Leaves, an original Asian American Musical. Photo by Donhee Cui.
I came to Georgetown in 2021 as a Healthcare Management & Policy major in the then School of Nursing & Health Studies. I wanted to become a hospital administrator, but constantly found myself drawing parallels between the health system and how other institutions function, particularly the arts. I had always loved the performing arts, but growing up as a Korean American theater kid from Ohio, I never saw theater as a career choice. My perspective completely changed when I joined the founding cast of No Pressure Creatives, Georgetown’s first Asian American theater group, in my sophomore spring.
During my time in No Pressure Creatives, I learned that I want to be involved with new work that directly engages with social issues. As we produced an original musical each year, I witnessed that the power of theater is not only in the stories that are told but in how works are produced and fit within their community. The Art of Care was my dream project because it articulated the connection between my Healthcare studies and passion for theater that I thought was “too niche.” After months of procrastination, I finally sent the director an email. Lowering my expectations, I remember writing that I was open to anything:
I wanted to reach out to express my interest in learning more about the production and helping out in any way. If you are ever in need of a student volunteer or if there are opportunities such as shadowing rehearsals, please know that I am eager and open to being involved! Looking forward to hearing from you!
To my surprise, Derek responded in a few hours and after our first call, I was welcomed onto the team. Before we started rehearsals, Derek invited me to several In Your Shoes workshops where I was introduced to the Lab community, including several members of the cast. While we had discussions about me being a Directing Apprentice or Student Helper, I was honored to be offered the role of Assistant Director. I immediately took out my phone when I received this on the first day of rehearsal:
Being named as the Assistant Director (AD) introduced the multifaceted world of ADing to me. This was my first professional production, so the 6-day Actors Equity work week and the scheduled breaks were new to me. As AD, I assisted Derek with gathering medical humanities research and taking notes for the actors and creative team. The script was changing every day, and I felt comfortable enough to voice my opinion about changes to the script. A true indicator of my growing relationship with Derek is how his contact on my phone changed from “Professor Goldman” to “Derek”
Balancing +30 hours of rehearsal a week while being a full-time student was challenging, but an act of care I received was having the Lab reimburse my Ubers to and from the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Acts of care were an intentional addition to the production process of the play. For instance, throughout rehearsals and tech week, we always had a snack table to fuel us up during breaks. I also received acts of care from our ensemble. During the show’s run, Tuyet, one of the ensemble members, drove me to see Queens Girl at Everyman Theatre in Baltimore, where she is an Associate Artistic Director.
As someone who struggles with saying goodbye, I am thrilled to continue with The Art of Care. It still feels surreal when I think back to the cold email I sent to Derek, and I am forever grateful to the Lab and Mosaic for welcoming me into their communities. The play was intended as a catalyst for a larger Art of Care initiative, which Derek and I are now actively building with our community partners. In the works are an Art of Care course at Georgetown, a conference of arts and health leaders, and various In Your Shoes workshops. Especially during this turbulent time when the arts are under attack, I am proud to be part of work that sees theater as medicine that we all need.
