S2.E7 | Keta Newborn | Faith and the Strength to Begin Again

Keta Newborn: A Life Rewritten Through Theatre

There are moments in life when everything seems set—the destination clear, the plan solid. And then, something unexpected happens, shifting everything we thought we knew. Today’s guest, Keta Newborn, knows this journey well.

After 12 years as a computer engineer, Keta faced a life-altering challenge that forced her to rethink everything. But rather than letting it define her, she found a new purpose—one rooted in storytelling, creativity, and the magic of live theatre.

In this episode, we discuss:
 🎭 The unexpected turn that led her from tech to theatre
 🙏 How faith and resilience shaped her artistic journey
 ✍🏾 The power of storytelling as a tool for healing and transformation

Grab Keta's book: So Emotional

Want to be a guest on KeyBARD? Send Thembi a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/1740803399472257afce75768

KeyBARD is produced, written, and hosted by Thembi Duncan.
Theme music by Sycho Sid.

Listen and Connect:

• Spotify: Follow, Rate, and Share
• Apple Podcasts: Subscribe, Review, and Rate
• Instagram: @Keybard_IG
• Facebook: The KeyBARD Podcast

Transcript

Keta Newborn (00:00):

In the halls, I would tell jokes, but in the classroom I was strict. Don't talk to me. I was that kid. They're bothering me. I can't hear. They was like, weren't you just in the hall, cutting up?

Thembi (00:24):

Hello, hello, and welcome to KeyBARD. I'm Thembi, bringing you compelling conversations and content about technology, education, and the arts. You know those moments in life when you think you finally have everything figured out, the destination is set, the road ahead is clear and the plan is solid, and then boom, something unexpected happens, something you never saw coming. I think about those moments in my own life, the times when I had no choice but to pivot and embrace a new chapter. I mean, we all had to do that a few years ago, right? Today's guest, Keta Newborn, has an incredible story of transformation that happened long before the global health crisis that caused everybody to reevaluate their path. After 12 years as a computer engineer, life handed key to a monumental challenge that threatened her future, but instead her faith and resilience led her to the world of live theater.

(01:21):

Let's get into it. Keita newborn entered the world of theater in 2006 after spending 12 years as a computer engineer and has already made a name for herself within the industry. What's even more impressive is the fact that she's done it all since A brain tumor caused her to lose her memory, stripped her of the ability to walk and forced her to learn how to write all over again. Despite the many challenges and battles Keita faced, she was determined to live a fully functioning life. And she spent the last 22 years reinventing herself. Keita is recognized for being a detail oriented person who is deeply committed to her work. She's highly skilled at working with diverse groups of people to build effective creative solutions by using well-developed interpersonal communication skills. She stage managed numerous shows with small children, young adults, on stage musicals and dance performances. Keta has worked in the world of theater for over 18 years. She's held several titles including stage manager, assistant stage manager, venue manager, production assistant, and light and soundboard ops. As a freelance artist, Keta has been given the opportunity to work up and down the east coast of the United States. Her goal is to work all over the United States and internationally as time moves on adding TV and film titles to her array of skill sets. Welcome, Keta.

Keta Newborn (02:38):

Hey, thank you for having me.

Thembi (02:39):

I'm so glad you're here. Let's talk. Let's talk. Okay, so yeah, so you made this bold career shift from computer engineering to theater. So let's just start with you talking about what inspired this tremendous change and how did your background in tech influence your perspective an artist?

Keta Newborn (03:00):

Well, I wouldn't say that I personally made the bold change. I think that God himself decided that I had experienced the tech world long enough, and actually I had the brain tumor as you spoke of, which caused me to lose my memory. And I had to learn, like you said, I had to learn how to walk and talk and do all those things again. And what happened was I was going to a church, a theater church. I still go to that church to this day. It's called the Soul Factory. And like I said, we were a theater church, and so we would put on performances. And when I found out that I could no longer be in the tech world, I gravitated to theater, learning everything that I possibly could. And that just opened doors. It was funny, I met a lot of people that were in the industry and began to work and follow in their footsteps. And so that is how I came about being in the world of theater.

Thembi (04:11):

I love it. And so it wasn't really, like you said, it wasn't really a choice just having God said, okay, move on. It's time to move on. And what an incredible way to look at that. I really am moved by the way. You didn't say this terrible, terrible thing happened to me and I was sad. And you just said, Hey, God gave me the message and it was time for me to move on.

Keta Newborn (04:32):

It was a struggle at first. I always thought that that was what I was going to do. I thought I was going to be a computer engineer all of my life. But it's funny because engineering and theater, they go together very well. It wouldn't seem like it, but it's all about communication. It's all about each day that I was a tech. It felt like I was going to a different job each day. So you were problem solving, troubleshooting, having to make a shift on a dime. And you have to do that in theater as well, especially being a stage manager. At the time, I had to make sure that I was covering the director. I was communicating with the various different departments and designers. So they kind of went neck and neck.

Thembi (05:24):

And stage managers are absolutely among the most important people in the production process. You have no production if you have no stage manager.

Thembi (05:33):

So

Thembi (05:34):

Can you just walk us through what our stage manager's responsible for? Because I think a lot of people don't really know what stage managers do and how important you all are

Keta Newborn (05:44):

Within its title stage management. We manage the stage. We also make sure that we maintain the integrity of the production from the director's point of view. We are also admin people. We do a lot of paperwork. We are the ones that are talking to, like I said, the various different designers. So you need to know a little bit about lighting, sound projections, costumes, props in order to effectively be able to talk to all these different people. And then you're also just making sure that you are creating a space where the cast members, the actors can be transparent, can come in and be their true selves, giving all to the production as well. So you're maintaining, it's almost like you're a mother goose, maintaining the household.

Thembi (06:42):

I like that. So yeah, definitely certain qualities. I feel like you need to have to be an effective stage manager.

Thembi (06:52):

And

Thembi (06:53):

So what made you go from working as a stage manager? And you still do, you haven't stopped, but what made you decide to then teach stage management to students? In fact, at the Mecca, Howard University in Washington

Keta Newborn (07:05):

DC HU. Well, that's funny because I never thought I saw myself as a teacher, but so many people were like, oh my God, Katie, you have trained so many people. And I was like, yeah, training and teaching in my eyes are two different things. Training means that to me, that someone has a sense of the job that they're getting ready to get into teaching. From that aspect, I feel like this is a person or people that don't know anything and they're coming to, so I got a call one day and it was funny because I don't stage manage as much anymore. I've moved on now I am a production manager, and I think you and I had a conversation right before you moved to New York and we had just gotten to a place where we were kind of tired of doing the freelance thing and wanted to be a part of a team, so to speak.

(08:13):

And so yeah, I remember you taking a job in New York and I'm like, okay, well let me try get into this corporate world type thing. And that was our shift. And I was like, okay, well, I want to be challenged. I was like, I can do stage management with my eyes closed. So I was like, I just want to be challenged a little bit more. And so I think that is when I made the shift to go into production management. And so in that I'm thinking, okay, not going to be doing stage management anymore. And then I got a call, got a call in the summer of August, 2022. I from the chair over the arts department at Howard University, and she called me out of the blue and she said that my name kept coming around. She kept hearing my name and she reached out and there was an opportunity or they were looking for and they needed a person to come in and teach stage management. And so from that point, I was like, teach stage management. I was like, I thought I was done with it. And God was like, all those years that you've done it, it's now time for you to pass the torch on to our younger generation. And so that's how that came about.

Thembi (09:43):

Okay. So you've been teaching for a while, you've been teaching for some years

Keta Newborn (09:47):

This time, three years coming up, three years in August this year.

Thembi (09:51):

So a lot of students have come through your class. What has changed over that time in terms of your approach to teaching? Because like you said, you didn't expect to take that road and then you took it. So what have you learned over that time? How have you changed as an educator?

Keta Newborn (10:07):

I would say I have, being a stage manager, for me, I'm very detail oriented and understanding that all students are, they learn differently. And so that first group of students that I had, it was amazing. They asked so many questions. It was so many younger versions of me wanting so much like a sponge, wanting so much knowledge that it just opened my eyes and we had discussions and all those different things. And I think that that was great for my first time teaching and the students that I had. So that kind of set the bar for me as a professor. And so I began to just find different ways of opening their minds and their intrusive minds and just giving them various different elements to think upon and just different exercises to the point now you and I are, paths have crossed again. And last semester I reached out to you and asked, would you be willing to come into my class as a director? From that perspective, teaching them a true to the point where they really thought that they were putting on a production. So just making it more realistic because I feel like stage management sometimes stage management has to be done, not taught.

Thembi (11:56):

And

Keta Newborn (11:57):

So to live that experience. So that's where I am now. I'm about making their experiences real time, real life. So yeah, that's where I am now versus when I first started.

Thembi (12:12):

What's changed about the students? Are they asking different kinds of questions? Are they prioritizing different things?

Keta Newborn (12:18):

Each semester is different. I've had some students and I know that I due to covid and them having to learn from being in front of a computer screen versus being in person. Some students have lost interpersonal skills. Wow. Or just the lack thereof, minimum effort, minimum return. And so I have come across some of those students, but then I've also come across students who have or want to know every aspect of theater there is. And so it is like a juggling act sometimes. Sometimes I have to be more hands-on when I have or I see a student that is less engaged versus students that just come in prepared and their energy, I feed off of that, which causes me to want to interact and give them more. Not to say that I don't do that with the ones that are less, but it is more so making sure that they get the basics. And it could be a mental thing as well, trying to get back into a society. When you have spent the majority, you were your high school years, you were in front of a computer and now you're coming and you're trying to be back into a society, and that could be rough,

Thembi (14:15):

Right? Do you have a special connection with Howard as an HBCU? Do you feel like there's something really extra special about teaching young kids from across the diaspora?

Keta Newborn (14:27):

I do. I do. When I got that call, I really sat down and I had to pray about it and just ask God. And I was realizing that God was positioning me in a space where my experience as a person of color, an African-American female working in a typically white male dominant field, I was able to give my perspective. And it wasn't always good. I was met with challenges. I was met with people that did not want to interact with me or did not the fact of the matter that I was in a place of authority in telling white people what to do. So I believe that I was placed in this position to be real, give them real experiences. And then also one of the things as a stage manager or a teacher, I get to pick and choose what productions we deal with, and I always try to find scripts that deal with us, our stories, because we don't see a lot of that even in TV and all that. So I feel like I was put in that position to encourage. And a part of my teaching is I pull, find different directors of color, black men, black women, costume designers, light designers, intimacy coaches. I look for people of color to show my class because I feel like when you see yourself, you can imagine that you can do any and everything.

Thembi (16:32):

Yeah. Yeah. That's beautiful. So I want to shift to your book. You wrote a book called So Emotional. So Emotional. Can you tell us what inspired you to write this book and what story do you tell in the book?

Keta Newborn (16:48):

So emotional, my book came about when I was back on my journey of rediscovering myself from my brain tumor. I had to learn all over again. And so one of the things that I did was try to remember about my life, how my life was up until that point. And I wrote about it. I wrote about my childhood, I wrote about growing up, my parents, becoming a mother, going to college, all those different things, and just helped me regain my memory and just talking with my parents and some of my friends and just remembering things that was bringing to remembrance. So it was just helping me. It was a form of therapy and being able to look back in my life.

Thembi (17:51):

Wow. So if this book were to be adapted into a different art form, I don't know, a stage production web series, who knows? What do you imagine it might look like? What do you envision when you think about something like that?

Keta Newborn (18:08):

Just the complexity of me of who Keta is. I mean

Thembi (18:16):

The many different Kitta,

Keta Newborn (18:17):

The many different Ketas. There's so many growing up, growing up just being a tomboy. My mother trying to dress me in dresses and I just want to go and play with the boys and get dirty. And it talks about areas in my life just I wanted to be a comedian, but I was so shy. Only my friends would get to see the comedy in school, in the halls, I would tell jokes, but in the classroom I was strict. Don't talk to me. I was that kid raising, they're bothering me, I can't hear. They was like, weren't you just in the hall cutting up? I was like, yeah, but that

Thembi (19:16):

Was out there.

Keta Newborn (19:16):

Yeah, that was out there. Business here. Yes. So just Keita, I'm saying, and just my life and just it would be some comedy, it would be some drama. It would be all of the above, but it would be very entertaining, I would say that.

Thembi (19:34):

Okay. For sure, for sure. I mean, I think about, you talked about being in stage management in a white male dominated field, but when you started off in computer engineering, which also is a white male dominated field, I mean over time you probably tell me better than I would know, but over time, I know there are a lot of immigrants in the field as well, but in terms of women, in terms of black women, women from the diaspora, we're still fighting to get a foothold in all the tech areas, right?

Keta Newborn (20:04):

Yes.

Thembi (20:05):

Also key to the trailblazer, key to the fearless person who goes into fields that there's not a lot of representation. So I love that. Coming back to your work as an educator, I love that you came back around and said, okay, I need to not only teach people how to do this work, but I need them to be able to see me and see the examples that I share in my course materials so that they know that people who look like us can do this work and can do it really well.

Keta Newborn (20:30):

Yes, that is true. And it was later in life when I looked back and made that parallel discovery. Yes. When I first started out in engineering, I remember going on a job interview and I remember being interviewed by a white male and he was like, you sure you want to be an engineer?

Thembi (20:58):

Excuse me.

Keta Newborn (20:59):

I'm like, I'm here. I'm here. And all of those different things. And I guess he thought that I would be more suited for a secretary or something like that. So yeah, it was always met. But by that time, I grew up with parents who were from the south and didn't always get to go to school because working on when you're in the south, during those ages, you had to work on a farm. And so I grew up with parents who made it as people say, my mom was number seven of 10, and she was the first, she was a salutatorian of her class, and she was the first to go to college. I know

Thembi (21:41):

That's right.

Keta Newborn (21:42):

Yeah. My dad was raised on a farm and he talks about how he didn't get to go to school every day, but he would get weeks and weeks worth of schoolwork, and he ended up being the class pet president. He built his first home at 25, all those different things. So I grew up in a household where my parents always told me that the skies were my limits in that they were like, whatever you want to do in life, you could do, don't let anyone, even us as your parents talk you out of it. And so I was always gung ho and I had a love of math and science, and we are the same age. So during that time, back then it was all about education.

(22:32):

Everything was encompassed in education. And so being very good at math and science, I remember when they were like, if you're good in math and science, you'll love computers. And I did. I immersed myself in the world of computers. So that's what I always thought that I was going to do. I was very good at a lot of things. When I look back, I was very good at a lot. I was very good at writing. I wrote books, poetry, I knew how to draw. I was very athletic. Back then, we had four H, so it was like I loved four H, homemed, all those different things. I feel like children nine days don't get to see what we've been through when we were kids. But I was very good at a lot of things. But when I first got into computers, I just was like, yeah, this is what I want to do. I don't want to do anything else. So I thought, yeah, I feel like it is been a full circle. I feel like I've been able to share all aspects of in both. It's funny that both careers, they were white male, dominant led, but I was still able to show up and show out.

Thembi (24:01):

That's so important. And being a Gen Xer, you talk about all the different things you did, how much of a Renaissance woman, you were, a Renaissance girl growing up, and just how that was the norm for us was to be good at a lot of things, to explore, a lot of things, to be brave. To me, generation X was the generation that was outside.

Thembi (24:18):

We

Thembi (24:18):

Were outside on our own. Parents didn't really know where we were until the street lights came on. We were just out there having adventures and learning things and just discovering the world in a really bold way. And so I see that in how you chose to pursue your careers. And so you also talk about God's vision for your life and how you have a strong relationship with God. Can you talk about your faith and how that influences your creative process?

Keta Newborn (24:45):

Yes. So prior to me having a brain tumor, I also dealt with cancer two types. So I'm a two time cancer survivor. I dealt with cancer for 10 years, became cancer free two months later, had the brain tumor.

(25:10):

And so all of this was happening before I turned 30. So in my twenties, I was dealing with life-threatening things. And at some point coming into who I am, you have to have some type of belief, some type of faith. I never questioned why me, God, I feel like we all have a story and we all have a purpose and we have to trust that it's his will for our life. And so going through all those different things throughout my life, I could not have faith. And so in that, it just built me stronger, which led to me praying to God. I was like, okay, God, if engineering is not what you would have me do, whatever it is, I want to do it your way and not mine. And so I began to pray and that's how, and I was like, if you want me to be in the world of theater, help guide me. And so when I got into that world, I was like, I would always pray, all right, God, what would you have me say? I would lead with my love for God. I would always talk about me overcoming the cancer and the brain tumor. So I would always lead with some type of spiritual guidance. And that has been that way. As you said, it's coming up on 22 years in May. That's all I know. So I have to trust because I'm still here

(27:04):

22 years later where some people who have been through cancer, who have been through some of the things are not here. So I know that my steps are ordered. That's what my faith is strong in that I do have days where I have to remind myself, okay, I am still human. I am imperfect. So I have my moments, but I think about the goodness and all that God has done, and that helps to get me back on track.

Thembi (27:41):

That's powerful. Thank you. I love that. Thank you.

(27:45):

Yeah. I've had the privilege to work with you on many productions over the years for our listeners, directors and stage managers. Sometimes when directors get a job, most of the time they're able to say, okay, this is a stage manager I want to work with. And I have always been like in the DC market, I've been like, if Kea ISS not available, then I'm not available. So you better hold Kea ISS available if you want me to direct this show because it ain't happening without her. And there's this special bond that can develop not with every director in stage manager, but it absolutely did with us. That really to me enriches a production. We have this unwritten language, we have this connection that allows us to be in lockstep with regards to, like you talked about earlier, how you have to turn on a dime. A lot of times you have to be very flexible, but you have to have conversations with all kinds of different minds and personalities and get this production going. What do you think it is that makes the relationship between director stage managers so unique?

Keta Newborn (28:46):

One is trust,

(28:50):

The trust that each other has from one another and communication. I think that you and I, we communicated, you gave space for me to give my feedback. Anything we talked about, even when we did work on shows and you talked about your process and your vision, but you also gave space for me to talk about what I heard you say and how to move forward. And even if I had some insight and I gave that you received it, which led to bigger conversations. So I feel like that trust and conversation, those are two of the most important things. And then just how you interact with someone understanding it. I respected you as a person and I trusted and I agreed and believed in your vision and wanted to make sure I maintained the integrity of your work. And so it was easy.

Thembi (30:09):

Yeah, I know what you mean. Yep. It was

Keta Newborn (30:11):

Easy. I have worked with some directors that don't give room for any feedback. They want things black and white. They're not looking to shade any great in between. And sometimes you just go with the flow. But there are a great number of directors that I have worked with and work with them over and over again, and just that trust and that ability to let them lead, and you want to let them lead because it opens up. It opens up your mind and challenges you in ways that you may have never thought to be challenged. And that's what I try to do for my students as well too.

Thembi (31:07):

I love that. And as we evolve, obviously we've evolved out of that kind of relationship. So I really respect what you're saying. I really respect you as an artist. And we have moved on from that relationship, right, from those roles. But I love that we've been able to use that as a way to teach, to talk about that kind of relationship as a really ideal placement in a theater production. And I love what you said. It's just easy. It's just easy. We respect each other. We listen to each other's ideas. We give feedback. I trusted you that those times when I'm like, I can't do it. I can't do it. We got to go. And you're like, no, we're going to do this. We're going to do this. We can get it done. And I'm like, okay, all right. We can get it done. Keta said, we can get it done. We can get it done anytime that we have.

Keta Newborn (31:56):

And we got it done, and it was phenomenal.

Thembi (31:59):

I really am grateful that we've been able to evolve that relationship to show young people, learners, people who are entering stage management, production management, whatever aspect of theater that you or I might be teaching or explaining that they understand that these relationships are really important and we give each other that space to help make a production and a pleasurable experience. Some people get in their head that it's supposed to be difficult or it's supposed to be combative, and I just don't see it that way.

Keta Newborn (32:33):

Yeah, I've never saw it that way either. I feel like you and I it. Yes, you were my director, but we also were friends too. And I think that, like you said, that level of respect that I had for you, understanding that I could learn from you as well as it'd be reciprocated, and then also understanding that we were working together for the greater good. I think that when you truly understand that you're working together, not against that will also fuel you or make it easier as well too. If you understand what the common goal is

Thembi (33:23):

And trusting you that when you say, we're going to get this done, okay, we got to get it done. If we don't do it tonight, it's not going to get done. It's going to throw us off. So we have to really push.

Keta Newborn (33:35):

And I think that that was a pivotal moment. I think that that was a pivotal moment in our lives. I think it took us to another level that night. I agree. And it goes back to trust. That's why I said trust. You had to trust. And I had to trust myself that I understood what I was saying. I was just as tired as you. We had been up, I think the whole team, the whole team was tired. We were on that last leg, but then when I said No, we got to finish. We all got to gust the wind, and it was what catapulted us over and we were able to get it. And then that is something that we will be able to share forever. We always go back and be like, remember, I think that that's how I look at it is being tested beyond the limits that you think you have.

Thembi (34:33):

Yeah, absolutely. It was

Keta Newborn (34:35):

Powerful. It was

Thembi (34:38):

Powerful and we did what you said we could do. And

Keta Newborn (34:43):

That's

Thembi (34:43):

What made all the difference.

Keta Newborn (34:45):

And it was a success too, just the people who came. It was, had we not done it, we may not have gotten the results that we got.

Thembi (34:59):

So what's the most challenging aspect of stage management?

Keta Newborn (35:06):

There's a lot of challenges, but one of the challenges I would say is having to deal with individuals who are not used to communicating. Being a stage manager, it is my job to communicate, to pay attention to detail. And when you deal with people that really don't like to communicate or share or you have to hunt them down, it's almost like micromanaging and I don't like that. And so you begin to internalize sometimes other people's energy because you understand that if you don't get what you need, then you can't disperse that information out and it throws a monkey wrench. So I feel like, yeah, dealing with or dealing with, like I said, people that are not used to taking direction from me,

Thembi (36:33):

Isn't that the truth? It's so wild. But it's like people who just on principle, they don't know anything about you could have never met you, but on principle, they don't want to take instruction direction, guidance from a black woman.

Keta Newborn (36:46):

And sometimes, I hate to say that, it could be in our own culture too. It can be. It could be that. And it's just like I don't understand it and I am always trying to figure out, okay, well what could I do differently? And sometimes it's not even for me to try to switch up, it's just for them to deal with that internal thing that has caused them to not receive.

Thembi (37:23):

Is that how you get through that you decide whose responsibility is it to move, to navigate it and then act accordingly?

Keta Newborn (37:30):

Yes.

Thembi (37:32):

Yes. Yeah. So moving away from stage management, production management, can you talk a little bit about the difference between production management and stage

Keta Newborn (37:41):

Management? Yes. So production management is a step up from stage management. So production management deals with the legalistic, the logistics of things are hiring over hire. We are the ones that are taking care of the behind the scenes, the behind the stage, doing budgets, making sure that we have the space. We've found rehearsal spaces, all those different things. We're the supervisor to the stage manager. And so we are in constant contact. I am making sure that the stage manager has all that they need in order to do the rehearsals, any troubleshooting that they may have. I responsible for that. Like I said, making sure that I'm hiring the td, which is the technical director, or I'm hiring a carpenter or whoever's building the sets, all those different things. That is what a production manager, so the stage manager would maintain the stage, the production manager is maintaining the overall aesthetics of the production.

Thembi (39:01):

And so you work with Young Playwrights Theater, you do production management with Young Playwrights Theater. Can you talk about how the work you do with them helps them pursue the mission of Young Playwrights Theater?

Keta Newborn (39:13):

Yeah. Yeah. Young Playwrights Theater inspires young people to recognize the power of their voices by providing them with tools, inspiration, and the opportunity to develop themselves and their stories. So I feel like in that instance, I too, being an educator, I create spaces and challenge them to think outside the box and ask questions and different exercises that I do. So I feel like the two marry each other. Well, being an educator and working with students at Howard. And then we also bring in students from Howard to work at YPT. We've done that several times. We've done, we've worked with Howard in the last two to three years doing that. We've created a web series. We've allowed some of the students to share some of the stories that they've written. Yeah, we've tried to do a lot of different things, and I just love the fact that I get to do it at two different places. I get to do it at YPT, and I also get to do it at Howard.

Thembi (40:34):

I love that. So as a theater practitioner and as an educator, a person who facilitates the development of theater, when we look at, because you're a tech person as well, so you have an era on that. When we look at the fast pace of digital technology such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, things like that, what do you see for the future of live theater with all this tech going at breakneck speed?

Keta Newborn (41:04):

I feel like it's going to be challenging because theater and stage management is such a in-person, hands-on experience. I remember, it's funny because I remember two semesters ago trying to figure out how I could incorporate digital, try to teach them digitally, and I was just like, I really can't. I know that a lot of production companies out here are trying to move to different digital aspects, and I just feel like already students already have troubles dealing with interpersonal skills. I feel like adding that artificial intelligence or virtual world is going to make it that much harder. And I feel like, what if something happens? If you rely on reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, what happens when the power goes out?

Thembi (42:19):

That's so real. Do you still have those skills? Right. Do you

Keta Newborn (42:22):

Still have those skills? Yeah. I feel like in the world of theater, that's not a good look. I really don't. I've been thinking about that a lot and I was just like, yeah, I don't see how, because theater for a lot of people is pure enjoyment. They go to release, and I'm just like, I don't think those two things work together.

Thembi (42:53):

Good. So you feel like then theater has a chance to survive though, because we are going to still want to have that release, like you said, the plug gets pulled. If the lights go out, we're still going to want to gather as human beings. Okay.

Keta Newborn (43:08):

Yeah. I feel like that may be one of the areas that needs to survive without being in the virtual digital world.

Thembi (43:19):

Okay. I love that. What's your favorite part about what you do in your everyday life, if that's at YPT, if that's at hu, or just in general? Not in either of those areas.

Keta Newborn (43:33):

What makes me excited is creativity. Being a part of a team that is working together to create something that has yet to be done or to even redo some things that, from a different perspective, things that have been done but just haven't been done with the people that are involved. So I just love the expansion of creativity, different ideas, and I love round table discussions. I grew up in the era that we grew up Gen X, and it was told to us that we only use about a 10th of our brain. And so in telling us that we were the generation that was so competitive, well, I want to use at least 20%. And so I feel like round table discussions does that. You know what I'm saying? It creates that unlimited amount of creativity and opens the brain to just throw out different things and we just come together and just, it's like a free dump. You dump in all your different ideas and strategizing how we could make it work. And I just love that. I just love that iron sharpens iron. So being in the group with a whole lot of people who think you and have all these various different ideas is magical. I think we've kind of gotten away from that. And I think it needs bring back. Needs to bring back. Yes, yes.

(45:37):

I do have a group. You're in that group and we do talk, we bounce things off. We talk about what we would like to see in the future. So I think there's some of us still out there, but not a lot.

Thembi (45:54):

Yeah, that's true. That's true. Well, let's hope that we can get, spark a fire under some of these young folks to try to carry that legacy on. Right? Or something along those lines. Something that puts them in a position for iron to sharpen iron, because we definitely need that to be going on. Alright, well that's it for today, Ms. Keta, I'm so glad that you joined me. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Alright. Right, I'm Thembi. This is KeyBARD, and until next time…