Session Block 5

Saturday, July 24th, 1:30-2:45pm (EDT)

All of the Session Blocks will be hosted on Zoom Meeting. You will be sent an email, 24 hours prior to the next day's events, which will contain all of the log-on details for each event. As in an in-person Conference, please feel free to select whichever workshop you would like to attend in the moment.

Network: College/University/Research

Dramatically Dismantling Binaries:  Creating an Artistically Rigorous, Anti-Oppressive Drama Pedagogy

Session Chair: Amanda Brown 

In this session, I'll present my emerging conception of artistic agency and how a pedagogy aimed at its development could work to dismantle the binary I've found between antioppressive and artistically rigorous drama pedagogy. This pedagogy would facilitate students' wrestling with oppressive discourses disseminated and reinforced by the art we study and produce, while simultaneously helping them develop the artistic and analytical skills necessary to create and disseminate altered discourses. I'll first explore my definition of artistic agency and the theoretical underpinnings of this pedagogy, both of which are rooted in the convergence of poststructuralism and aesthetic theory. I'll then illustrate what taking up this pedagogy could look like by building on ideas from other work that marries analysis and production, including poststructural anti-oppressive pedagogies, pedagogies that teach aesthetic literacy and new media literacies, and youth participatory action research. I'll also explain why drama is a natural space for these theories and pedagogies to merge and how I hope to explore and expand this pedagogy further in my future work.

Network: Youth Theatre

MITOS: A Landmark of Collaborative Artistry

Session Chair: Christina Diaz 

Other Presenter(s): Fernando Carsa, Stacey Ardelean, and Armando Castellano

MITOS is a new musical composition by nationally acclaimed composer Gabriela Lena Frank, who was commissioned by Bay Area based all-Latinx chamber ensemble Quinteto Latino. Fuse Theatre was brought on to collaborate alongside Quinteto Latino to create an interactive performance with Latinx youth in our communities. This session will combine a shortened version of one of our online workshops, a presentation of our project culmination, and will end with a discussion about how to create strong partnerships for collaborative work. The MITOS Project collaboration started long before the pandemic unexpectedly thrust us into a whole new world. Determined to continue developing our project in this "new normal" that the pandemic forced us to live in, we leveraged online tools to maintain collaboration with our partners and students.  With accessibility at the forefront, workshops in both English and Spanish focused on creating artistic experiences for participants. This included introductory workshops, independent art modules, and Open Studio sessions - all held in virtual spaces. Multiple devising methods were introduced, such as creating Alebrijes artwork used in TikTok videos.

Network: Applied Theatre 

Rehearsing the Profession: Using Applied Theatre in Higher Education Healthcare Programs

Session Chair: David Melchionne-Martinez

Other Presenter(s): Colleen Horan and Brielle Silvestri

Over the past year Theatre in Tandem has used applied theatre in multiple occupational therapy classrooms. We engaged students in critical consciousness and worked to explore their professional identities while also supporting the curriculum. During this workshop we will engage participants with various techniques and conventions that were facilitated remotely and applied both in person and virtually. We will also discuss our learning and discoveries after using theatre in education in higher ed healthcare settings.

Network: Applied Theatre

Consent, Body Autonomy, and Intimacy in Educational Spaces

Session Chair: Francesca Betancourt 

In this workshop, we will discuss and define intimacy direction as a field and the history of why it exists. I will provide concrete tools for theatre and arts educators to develop a culture of consent, respect, care, trust, comfort, intersectionality, and agency in your rehearsal rooms and classrooms. I will also advise on some best practices, both logistically and artistically, when it comes to sexual, romantic, explicit, violent, traumatic, or otherwise intimate material onstage.

Network: Youth Theatre 

Examining Race & Gender (In)justice Courageous Cadence: A Performing Justice Project

Session Chair: Jasmine Games 

Other Presenter(s): Quinn Wozniak

Courageous Cadence is a Performing Justice Project (PJP). The Performing Justice Project was founded by Megan Alrutz and Lynn Hoare and is directed by PJP resident teaching artists. Developed by Jasmine Games and Quinn Wozniak, Courageous Cadence is a spoken word poetry action residency for youth, especially those of color. Centering the utilization of spoken word poetry as a tool for social justice, youth poet-actors participated in a series of drama-based pedagogy strategies and performance actions in order to develop their performative writing. This session will outline the process of the youth poet-actors, while showing a bit of the final performance. Participants will also experience the Courageous Cadence and PJP  process through creative writing, performance-based skills, and personal storytelling. The aim of this session is to examine and name connections between individuals’ experiences and systemic (in)justice, much like the Courageous Cadence cast did. Join us as we find the rhyme in resistance and make a stand!

Network: Youth Theatre 

Theatre Programs With School and Community Partners Is Hard, Y'all

Session Chair: Trina Friedberg 

Other Presenter(s): Rebecca Schmidt, Nicole Tuttle, and Aimee Reid 

In a city where there are no K-8 theatre programs in public schools, the staff of Children's Theatre Workshop of Toledo works to provide theatre programs for as many young people as possible. Particularly, they work to get theatre into schools and youth organizations with tours, workshops, field trips, and residencies. The workshop leaders will reflect on their time with CTW and what educational and administrative methods they used to put theatre in education while at CTW and in other professional scenarios (YMCA, CLIMB Theatre, universities). Part sharing, part brainstorming session, participants will discuss the place where teaching artists meet school administrations, and where constant obstacles generate creative a student and teacher-focused experience. We'll tackle questions like "How do I convince my local schools to invest in theatre residencies?" and "Where is the line between artistry and curriculum/funding requirements?" and leave with some clarity and fresh ideas for content and handling relationships with schools and community youth programs.

Network: K-8

Teen IDEAs at The Rose: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility

Session Chair: Jay Hayden

Other Presenter(s): Tyrone Beasley 

The Teen IDEA Coalition at The Rose Theater is dedicated to providing a space for teens to explore Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility through the creation of art and meaningful discussion. Through exploring methods of radical pedagogy and social justice principles, the group is designed to empower young people to utilize their voices as activists and artists. As a group, we collectively agreed to the following goals: to create an emotionally, physically, and mentally safe environment wherein students feel empowered to learn, play, and express themselves; to highlight and apotheosize the voices of young activists and scholars; to share experiences as activists and agents for social change. In this session, participants will learn about the history, impact, and development of the group in response to the We See You, White American Theatre Movement, explore samples of work created by teens in the program, and engage in a mock version of a typical Teen IDEA Coalition meeting, creating art and fostering discussion in response to ongoing social issues in the world of theatre.

Network: K-8

Theatre Education & Multimodal Sensory Engagement

Session Chair: Madeline Geier 

Dive into how to enhance your theatre education practices with accessible methods of incorporating multimodal sensory engagement. This workshop will include information on the benefits of multimodal sensory engagement, its impacts on young people with sensory sensitivities and processing differences, and the strengths and challenges of introducing sensory elements to students. After participating in a demonstration of sensory drama, attendees will have the option of participating in small group work and discussions and will have the opportunity to either collaboratively or independently create and share their own sensory engagement activities. Participants should bring a spray bottle of water or bowl of water, a hardcover book, a scarf or similarly sized piece of fabric, and a set of keys or metal silverware.

Network: High School

Creating a Culture of Consent for Educators, Directors, and Choreographers

Session Chair: Nicole Perry 

This workshop is an introduction to consent in the creative process, specifically for those in directorial/choreographic roles. Intimacy for the Stage is a hot topic in the professional industry, and needs to be considered from the educational perspective as well. Learn creative process skills for a consent-based rehearsal room that facilitates collaboration and communication and promotes safety and story-telling. After the Creating a Culture of Consent for Directors and Choreographers Workshop, the theatre educator will be able to create a plan of creative practice for consent-based rehearsal rooms and classrooms that center student safety and story-telling.