We’ve identified ways to meet some of the current challenges faced by youth. Students trained in the art of performance develop a unique disposition that enables them to see and experience the world differently. The practice of performance involves the actor’s ability to control breath and movement in order to embody and authentically express a story outside of their own experience or perspective. 

 

We're imagining a space where young people can engage in the recognition, development and expression of their own identities while simultaneously immersing themselves in the story’s of others.

 

When actors are involved in a process where a high standard of artistic commitment is expected they engage in active and reflective work and leave the process with a stronger sense of self and an embodied awareness of the experience of others. They take with them the ability to map their interactions using a widened social imagination. They are able to regulate their breath and adjust their movement as active listeners and problem solvers, and conduct themselves as social actors with a keen sensitivity to those around them. 

 

Our work will acknowledge, rather than dismiss, the complex world they live in with training and texts that allow them to respond to their reality with candor, humor, and authenticity, both on stage and off. 

 

• This generation are exposed to and constantly interacting with real and messy issues that have both a localized and global reach. We’ll search for scripts and subject matter that are as complicated as their lives and their histories, and provide a safe place to explore those complexities.

 

• They are dealing with a new mixture of social and emotional challenges, and the current educational system falls short of providing resources and tools for students to deal with these challenges. The performance practices will encourage students to identify and regulate emotional expression and opportunities for verbal and written reflection.

 

• They are creative agents and experts in independent content creation and messaging on social platforms. We can balance their initiative for content creation and messaging into long form storytelling that requires a collective effort in order to generate meaning. 

 

• They are active in projecting and protecting issues of identity. Our artform uniquely allows for an exploration of identities and contextualizes them within stories that tease out social challenges.

 

• They are socially conscious with a short fuse and low tolerance for real or perceived offense. We can applaud social consciousness and expand their tolerance by asking them to consider the questions (rather than the answers) being raised in theatrical works. We can teach them to consider and decipher argument trends, and build independent arguments and opinions. We provide practice for face to face dialogue across differences using theatrical works, and performance practices. Provide a space for actual dialogue using active listening and conflict resolution skills.

 

• They are socially and politically active.  Theatrical texts can create a buffer to consider social action from a safe distance. Additionally, the students can be social actors in considering the relationship of works of art to issues such as representation, inclusion, appropriation, diversity, acknowledgement and compensation for artists, etc. Our devised work will allow them to author their own stories and contribute to production.

 

• They understand the need for bodily autonomy and boundaries. We will provide a practice space where they can feel safe, and therefore free to explore. Together, we will develop a protocol for safety, consent, and transparency.  All instructors will be trained in how to safely approach stories involving intimacy, violence and topically sensitive material in a way that protects the artist. 

 

• They are growing up in a polarized climate. We recognize their ability to hold many contradictions in balance.  They are funny, resilient, gritty, all of which we need not only for an artistic ecosystem but to meet the coming challenges as humans. 

 

As Artists, they learn to effectively dialogue through tough conversations as they engage in written scripts or construct devised pieces; form appropriate boundaries for their own safety and others; practice articulating those boundaries and voicing concern when boundaries are crossed; practice respect for the boundaries set by others; engage in dialogue about tough issues outside of their own framework or perspective. 

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Practice articulating. 

Listening. 

Responding. 

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