In this essay, Brian Buchanan examines Staten Island’s interconnected arts scene through the lens of his own uneasy relationship with participation. What begins as guilt over leaving shows early becomes an exploration of community, connection, and how local art and culture can teach us that showing up for others just might be the most radical art form of all.

Theatre artists on Staten Island often find themselves at a disadvantage that colleagues in other parts of the world don’t seem to suffer; their proximity to Manhattan. The skyline looms over us. For many, it’s a constant reminder of a “professional” world across the bay. So close, yet so far. 

On July 26th, ImpACT Theatre, a non-profit theatre group based in Staten Island, presented an original musical, Pages of Hope, about a young woman whose resilence leads in the face of illness.