BECOMING PEACE, a One Woman Rhythmic Dramedy about Power, Culture, Violence and Nonviolence – explores the little known Power and Possibility of Nonviolence (Satyagraha/Ahimsa/Peace) – and just how much Life and the World can transform when we “attack the wrong and not the wrongdoer!”
Written and performed by Candace Sofia Carnicelli, Ex. Dir. of Common Peace, Center for the Advancement of Nonviolence, a Los Angeles based 501(c)(3) nonprofit – and directed by and developed w/Jessica Lynn Johnson, “Becoming Peace” premiered at the Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest in 2019. After a decade of intense immersion in self-help seminars, books, and a wide variety of spiritual endeavors – in 1998 – Candace (aka Candy-Ass) stumbled upon Rev. James Lawson, the nonviolence architect of the Civil Rights Movement (who she is proud to claim shares her birthplace, Uniontown, Pa) – and the quote: “Attacking the wrong and not the wrongdoer” – and the “Season for Nonviolence” – a 64 day nonviolence campaign initiated by Arun Gandhi. Since that time she has been absorbed in the study and practice of Nonviolence (Satyagraha/Ahimsa) – the pro-active methodology birthed by Mahatma Gandhi, used to free India from British rule – and which was later adopted by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. as the key operating principle of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. In “Becoming Peace” Candace lovingly, creatively, rhythmically and humorously – through story, spoken word, song and parody – explores her own imperfections, and the often-times unidentified faces of our Culture of Violence and the chaos within it, in an edu-taining way – attempting to activate “Nonviolence” in her personal life . . . and move in the direction of Peace. We invite you to bring your imperfections – those unhealed parts of you yearning to experience Peace – and join us for an evening of Truth Telling, Heart-felt Healing Rhythms, and Possibility! Come discover how to . . . ‘Be the Change you wish to see in the World!’
BECOMING PEACE: A One Woman Dramedy about Power, Culture, Violence and Nonviolence
Reviews
Powerful, important, a show that everyone needs to see to be not only a better version of themselves but to learn how they can participate in creating a more peaceful world. Candace is a powerful performer, teacher and role model on how to actively engage in our community to create a culture of nonviolence.
Candace demonstrates how to stand in your power without having “power over”. She inspires the audience through her own story of grappling with a childhood of both love and violence and how she navigates a world where not everything is white and black. I left feeling inspired to continue to make choices of nonviolence in an active way. This show is so very important. The epitome of edutainment.
Candace shows us that we are powerful, at any age. Power is a momentous tool, that can be swung to destroy or lean on to protect and uplift. Becoming Peace is a powerful show that will ignite your soul.
“Becoming Peace” is the story of Candace Carnicelli’s transformative journey through her experiences and memories of violence - and her commitment to finding Peace. As a child - to escape the chaos - she retreats into her imagination where she frequently spreads her wings and takes "flight!" As an adult - in an effort to learn to be effective "in" life's chaos - this journey takes her to the great teachers of "Nonviolence": Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. James Lawson, the nonviolence Architect of the Civil Rights Movement, and Arun Ghandi. Through the principles of "nonviolence" she learns to embrace her imperfections and acquires tools to recover her humanity. And she invites the audience to step into doing the same! Candace's transformation is presented through passionate, thought-provoking and inspirational words and music. Her journey is worth seeing again and again!! (Rev. Pat Hightower)
Entertaining, educational, enlightening and inspiring! Candace Carnicelli wove together personal experiences, historical events, messages from leaders and her reflections in a way where I not only felt entertained but I also gained some insight into ways I can improve my own communications. She has a beautiful voice, humor and an important message to share.
Solo theatre is really a perfect format for Candace. It's a way for her to clearly and cleverly reach out to an audience. To take her ideas of tolerance, love and understanding, formed through her own experiences and heartbreak and truly show how to walk the walk. Using her background of abuse and struggle, she proves that, if you search with an open heart and willingness to educate yourself and elevate yourself and others, perhaps you can truly make a difference. A difference for yourself and the world around you. She fills the stage with her sweet, strong personality and the audience eats it up…loved it!
Candace Carnicelli takes her audience on an extraordinary journey in her one-woman show, Becoming Peace. Candace tells her story through song, spoken voice, and projected images. I was particularly moved by the power of language and how our use of it can affect the possibilities we see. This was illustrated in the way Candace shared about how when she was growing up, her understanding of power was that it was only about domination and control, but she later learned that power could also be about freedom to be and act, and power can be used with others in a supportive way. Candace's story is inspiring and extraordinary. She even shares about her experience with Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson. She is the real deal!
I was deeply moved by this powerful and soulful account of Ms. Carnecelli’s personal, tranformative journey through the turbulent chaos of her younger years, complete with her fear-based mindset and destructive behavior, into her embracing of the concept of non-violence and her embodiment of Peace.
As she told her story, I found myself laughing and crying simultaneously, feeling all of the twists and turns of her catharsis! Timely and relevant, this play has filled me with hope. In fact, I left the theatre feeling very hopeful; no simple feat in the world we inhabit today. This is a “must see”.
Candace Carnicelli’s one-woman show, “Becoming Peace,” takes the audience on a tour de force of nonviolence. The play opens with nine-year-old Candace’s dream of flying. We witness the lifelong arc of her relationship with her father, and her transformation from rising above her chaos to coexisting with this ever present foe. Containing a generous sprinkling of original compositions, sung and danced by our opera-trained star, the show inspires, delights and entertains. Once she arrived at the climax, a monologue on Power Over vs Power With, the audience is held lovingly in the palm of her hand, and a pin drop could have been heard. The distinctions Candace makes in “Becoming Peace” are necessary for a sustainable future. Both brilliant and accessible, “Becoming Peace” would be a welcome addition to US public education.
Becoming Peace is a personal, yet universal exploration of striving for peace within an often chaotic world. Seen through the eyes of its brilliant creator, Candace Carnicelli, our heroin pushes herself above seeming obstacles both physical and mental on her quest to be all that she can be despite, though perhaps motivated by as well, trauma during her childhood she moved through. The Candidness of Candace’s piece allows her audience to see her authentic journey to creating peace within her along with her ongoing efforts at maintaining said peace. We call that, edutainment and I call it Brilliant!
The show is a beautiful exploration of how storytelling can bring to life a conversation about what it takes to reconnect to our humanity. Candace is such a powerful voice for the possibility of a peaceful world. Thank you, Candace, for giving a voice to non-violence and the possibility of peace. Just lovely.
Candace Carnicelli delivers a very important performance that weaves between global and American history, personal narrative, and poignant insights. Underlying her themes, her message centers on peace and love. She works out these seeming big ideas through a very effective use of documentary footage, historic photos, recorded music, her own singing, humor, and storytelling. And, she does this huge task, effortlessly and seemingly with ease.
I loved how Candace peeled the layers of her SELF to expose her vulnerabilities of a woman in search of finding her higher calling. She did this through humorous and painful stories. Through her being raw, we could see her, the woman, and we could see her transformation of learning the ideas and ideals of non-violence, not an easy task. I felt that I left the theater having learned something but she taught through her performance of song and stories. Also, her use of multi-media was one of the best integrations I’ve seen in these festivals. Candance’s performance and was tight and she revealed a beautiful theatrical arch.
Because the personal stories were so powerful where we saw her humor and vulnerabilities, I wanted to see a few more snippets of her life and her triumphs. I look forward to seeing her performance again.
Solo theatre is really a perfect format for Candace. It's a way for her to clearly and cleverly reach out to an audience. To take her ideas of tolerance, love and understanding, formed through her own experiences and heartbreak and truly show how to walk the walk. Using her background of abuse and struggle, she proves that, if you search with an open heart and willingness to educate yourself and elevate yourself and others, perhaps you can truly make a difference. A difference for yourself and the world around you. She fills the stage with her sweet, strong personality and the audience eats it up…loved it!
Powerful, important, a show that everyone needs to see to be not only a better version of themselves but to learn how they can participate in creating a more peaceful world. Candace is a powerful performer, teacher and role model on how to actively engage in our community to create a culture of nonviolence.
Candace demonstrates how to stand in your power without having “power over”. She inspires the audience through her own story of grappling with a childhood of both love and violence and how she navigates a world where not everything is white and black. I left feeling inspired to continue to make choices of nonviolence in an active way. This show is so very important. The epitome of edutainment.
Candace shows us that we are powerful, at any age. Power is a momentous tool, that can be swung to destroy or lean on to protect and uplift. Becoming Peace is a powerful show that will ignite your soul.
“Becoming Peace” is the story of Candace Carnicelli’s transformative journey through her experiences and memories of violence - and her commitment to finding Peace. As a child - to escape the chaos - she retreats into her imagination where she frequently spreads her wings and takes "flight!" As an adult - in an effort to learn to be effective "in" life's chaos - this journey takes her to the great teachers of "Nonviolence": Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. James Lawson, the nonviolence Architect of the Civil Rights Movement, and Arun Ghandi. Through the principles of "nonviolence" she learns to embrace her imperfections and acquires tools to recover her humanity. And she invites the audience to step into doing the same! Candace's transformation is presented through passionate, thought-provoking and inspirational words and music. Her journey is worth seeing again and again!! (Rev. Pat Hightower)
Entertaining, educational, enlightening and inspiring! Candace Carnicelli wove together personal experiences, historical events, messages from leaders and her reflections in a way where I not only felt entertained but I also gained some insight into ways I can improve my own communications. She has a beautiful voice, humor and an important message to share.
Candace Carnicelli takes her audience on an extraordinary journey in her one-woman show, Becoming Peace. Candace tells her story through song, spoken voice, and projected images. I was particularly moved by the power of language and how our use of it can affect the possibilities we see. This was illustrated in the way Candace shared about how when she was growing up, her understanding of power was that it was only about domination and control, but she later learned that power could also be about freedom to be and act, and power can be used with others in a supportive way. Candace's story is inspiring and extraordinary. She even shares about her experience with Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson. She is the real deal!
I was deeply moved by this powerful and soulful account of Ms. Carnecelli’s personal, tranformative journey through the turbulent chaos of her younger years, complete with her fear-based mindset and destructive behavior, into her embracing of the concept of non-violence and her embodiment of Peace.
As she told her story, I found myself laughing and crying simultaneously, feeling all of the twists and turns of her catharsis! Timely and relevant, this play has filled me with hope. In fact, I left the theatre feeling very hopeful; no simple feat in the world we inhabit today. This is a “must see”.
Candace Carnicelli’s one-woman show, “Becoming Peace,” takes the audience on a tour de force of nonviolence. The play opens with nine-year-old Candace’s dream of flying. We witness the lifelong arc of her relationship with her father, and her transformation from rising above her chaos to coexisting with this ever present foe. Containing a generous sprinkling of original compositions, sung and danced by our opera-trained star, the show inspires, delights and entertains. Once she arrived at the climax, a monologue on Power Over vs Power With, the audience is held lovingly in the palm of her hand, and a pin drop could have been heard. The distinctions Candace makes in “Becoming Peace” are necessary for a sustainable future. Both brilliant and accessible, “Becoming Peace” would be a welcome addition to US public education.
Becoming Peace is a personal, yet universal exploration of striving for peace within an often chaotic world. Seen through the eyes of its brilliant creator, Candace Carnicelli, our heroin pushes herself above seeming obstacles both physical and mental on her quest to be all that she can be despite, though perhaps motivated by as well, trauma during her childhood she moved through. The Candidness of Candace’s piece allows her audience to see her authentic journey to creating peace within her along with her ongoing efforts at maintaining said peace. We call that, edutainment and I call it Brilliant!
The show is a beautiful exploration of how storytelling can bring to life a conversation about what it takes to reconnect to our humanity. Candace is such a powerful voice for the possibility of a peaceful world. Thank you, Candace, for giving a voice to non-violence and the possibility of peace. Just lovely.
Candace Carnicelli delivers a very important performance that weaves between global and American history, personal narrative, and poignant insights. Underlying her themes, her message centers on peace and love. She works out these seeming big ideas through a very effective use of documentary footage, historic photos, recorded music, her own singing, humor, and storytelling. And, she does this huge task, effortlessly and seemingly with ease.
I loved how Candace peeled the layers of her SELF to expose her vulnerabilities of a woman in search of finding her higher calling. She did this through humorous and painful stories. Through her being raw, we could see her, the woman, and we could see her transformation of learning the ideas and ideals of non-violence, not an easy task. I felt that I left the theater having learned something but she taught through her performance of song and stories. Also, her use of multi-media was one of the best integrations I’ve seen in these festivals. Candance’s performance and was tight and she revealed a beautiful theatrical arch.
Because the personal stories were so powerful where we saw her humor and vulnerabilities, I wanted to see a few more snippets of her life and her triumphs. I look forward to seeing her performance again.