October 31

Behind the Scenes: Notes from Director Glenn Holsten

Greetings! Thank you for following the VOICES FROM BROAD STREET MINISTRY film series.

This film series was designed pre-pandemic. At the time, Broad Street Ministry had a thriving therapeutic arts program that included partnerships with many Philadelphia arts organizations, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Wilma Theater, The Philadelphia Ballet, the University of the Arts and the city’s Mural Arts program. The plan was that I would participate in these programs, observe arts in action, meet guests and design a series of films based on those arts experiences.

As we were ramping up for production, the world changed. COVID-19 shut down all of Broad Street Ministry’s indoor services, including the therapeutic arts programs. Broad Street Ministry pivoted and began serving meals outside. But what did it mean for the film project? How would I connect with guests, explain the project and gain trust so that I could collaborate with men and women about telling their stories? Honestly, I was scared that we wouldn’t be able to make this project work. I didn’t want to disappoint the good folks at Broad Street Ministry, the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage that funded the project, or myself.

In the new COVID-19 world, the only place where guests gathered was outside, where a line formed for lunch distribution. So that is where art therapist Michael Galarraga (my partner in this project) and I decided to start. We worked the lunch line in hot days and cold.

The first guest we encountered there who seemed interested in the film project was David Charles Garvin. David shared his poetry with me, which I loved instantly. One of his poems, “A Self Talk to Myself” was developed at Broad Street Ministry pre-pandemic in a workshop with Philadelphia poet Yolanda Wisher.

David agreed to participate in the film and on November 9, 2020, we met in the Sunday School Room at Broad Street Ministry (now affectionately known as the Sunday School Room Studio). Crew masked, keeping distance from each other, we tip-toed through the filming. David performed his poetry. He participated in a very moving interview about his life, and the tremendous obstacles that he overcame to be the man he is today. You’ll see for yourself how remarkable a man he his. His fighting spirit is infectious.

Meeting David that day helped me believe that we could, in fact, make this work. It gave me strength and changed the course of the film series.