At Risk Youth Theatre Workshop

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE WORKSHOPS

Philosophy, Origins, Basic Characteristics and Outcome

I have seen first hand what can happen when art transforms an individual teetering on a tightrope of choices; choices that can have a lasting impact on the destiny of a human being. I know because I was one of those individuals myself. It took one person to mine and nurture my passion for theatre arts and change the trajectory of my life. As a professional, I have had an extremely diverse career in acting as well as teaching and directing. I have toured and worked extensively from coast to coast in regional theatres. I have worked in film and television at the highest levels of Hollywood production. I have traveled, representing my country in artistic diplomacy, to places like Israel and Egypt. I have been honored by my home state with a citation of excellence in theatre arts. All those Shakespearean queens and maidens that I had read about and admired as a young girl, I played them on stage as an adult. However, probably the most influential theatre company I worked for was The Living Stage Theatre Company in Washington DC from 1985-1987. This theatre company’s unique philosophy helped shape and guide my career. At the time, they were the preeminent theatre for social change in the United States and their mission was to transform individuals and communities through creative empowerment. The company’s paradigm was the theatre because it encompassed so many art disciplines within one form and is unparalleled as a form of self-expression. There I learned acting techniques in improvisation as well as intensive training on how to mentor “at-risk” youth. In addition to this, I learned theatre workshop and leadership skills in working with men and women incarcerated in prison. I also learned that I had some things in common with the type of audience I was working with. I watched how effective the combination of a strong and clear artistic vision and an equally strong passion for social justice, through the vehicle of theatre, can strengthen an individual’s character and re-affirm and strengthen a community. It is this vision that I carried with me throughout my career.

While I was seeking acting work, I continued to seek out and/or create programs or workshops that would carry on with the mission of Living Stage. My main focus is at risk youth and juveniles and the primary age group ranges from 12-19 years, with age group distinctions (12-14 years old in one group; 15-19 years in another) for education and developmental considerations. My mission, my vision is to create a grassroots artistic movement to benefit and empower communities devastated by crime and poverty in order to renew the spirit of cooperation in community building and create a tipping point towards decreasing the violent elements that create this devastation. Our children are losing the ability to communicate effectively in society. In essence, they are losing their voice!

‘In the report of the Carnegie Foundation's Task Force on Youth Development and Community Programs, A Matter of Time: Risk and Opportunity in the Nonschool Hours (1992), the problem of juvenile delinquency and crime during afterschool or nonschool hours is clearly framed. The report describes unstructured free time during nonschool hours as a threat to the safety and security of many adolescents who live in urban and rural neighborhoods.

In their report, Heath and Roach describe arts education programs as providing, as a matter of course, the opportunities for youth to ". . .engage in regular oral exchanges with older peers and adults around problem posing and hypothetical reasoning. These language forms emerge naturally, for they move along a group task that must be accomplished in a certain way to a high standard within a given period of time. A significant outcome of their participation in such art programs that set the stage for regular oral expression is that the youth's self-image and self-esteem increase greatly." Contact with the arts offers a positive stimulus and can interrupt the drift into a negative lifestyle.’ From the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention website.

Americans for the Arts: Institute for Community Development and the Arts. 1998. Arts Program for At-Risk Youth: How U.S. Communities Are Using the Arts to Rescue Their Youth and Deter Crime. Washington, DC: Americans for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

This interrupting the drift into a negative lifestyle is the foundation of why theatre has the power to transform an individual. The power of theatre as art comes from its most important and essential element: Transformation. The power an audience feels watching a character transform, the power an actor feels transforming, is the power a human being feels when the possibility for change lies within their scope of existence. This is the feeling that anything is possible.

The most important characteristic of this workshop is that it is designed around the culture and ‘burning issues’ of the participating individuals. The exercises themselves are culled from a variety of sources and different areas of the arts and are based on my thirty years of experience as an artist educator working primarily with juveniles, the incarcerated, other educators, teachers, actors as well as within primary, secondary and tertiary school systems. These exercises are drawn from sources such as Viola Spolin’s Improvisation for the Theatre (Northwestern University Press) and Peter Brook’s The Empty Space (Simon and Schuster). Over the years I’ve modified and created many exercises and games and have done these workshops as transformative devices at places such as Grants Pass Juvenile Detention Center, and most recently for The San Francisco Mime Troupe’s Youth Theatre Project in San Francisco, CA

Timeline, Age Group, Size, Shape and Context

The timeline and length of these workshop/projects may vary by group size, funding sources and resources. They typically take 9-12 weeks and sessions are held twice a week for three hours per session. A twenty minute break between the first half of the session and the second half is scheduled and participants are usually provided with some kind of healthy refreshment. Hours are expanded to five hours each for technical rehearsal, dress rehearsal, and one preview/performance with a question, discussion and feedback session afterwards. All workshops begin with music and a quote or a poem or lyric from popular culture as the theme of what we are going to work on for deeper understanding. For instance, the ee cummings quote: “To be nobody buy yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle you can fight and never stop fighting!” After an initial introduction of the creative process and how the imagination is used, ground rules of conduct and expectations are explained; simple physical warm-ups start the workshop and get the participant to start breaking through areas of tension, feelings of intimidation, shyness or performance anxiety. The idea is to dive into the task at hand and forget the self, much the same as when children are engaged in a very fun game. The principle behind breaking through with simple, physical, non-verbal games and tasks is to allow the imagination to flow unencumbered by self-doubt and judgment which are natural blockers to the creative process. The focus shifts into individual exercises done in solitude. The reason for this is two-fold:

1.) To focus the individual as to their own personal exploration of the self through imagination.

2.) To allow the participant to gain an understanding and perspective of their own, unique, individual creative process using the imagination to create objects, emotions, environments or circumstances.

At pinnacle moments in the workshop there are brief evaluations and opportunity for feedback. Participants are asked to share their thoughts about applying certain improvisational skills to the challenges they face in their daily lives, at school, home and within the community. The success of each exercise is based on how much the participant is willing to commit to the idea that anything is possible through the use of imagination. This skill develops, through trust, over time.

As the workshop progresses, exercises become more complex, team oriented and additional elements are added. Theme-based scenarios, incorporating acting exercises and concepts such as characterization, dramatic effect, objectives or goal-setting, obstacles, listening as well as speaking engage the participant more fully. The focus shifts again as characters and character driven plots emerge. Scenarios with specific plots, time and place are enacted based on themes and dramatic structure. For example, we might try a dramatic scene in musical theatre form or soap opera form or sit-com style. The facilitator might impose some restrictions for cause and effect, action, or to move the story along. For example the facilitator might impose the restriction that all the characters in the scene are blind except for one. Sometimes poems, raps or songs emerge. Soon, participants are writing down thoughts or expressing themselves as their characters through improvisational and stream of consciousness monologues and stories that become materials for scenes and eventually a full length piece of theatre. The focus of the workshop begins to shift the group begins to explore the rehearsal process and set pieces with props are incorporated. Finally writings, songs, monologues and stories start to form as the piece takes on a life of its own. Tech rehearsal and tech elements are solidified as final cuts, additions and revisions are made. Finally, there are dress rehearsals and performances to experience as the project comes to a conclusion.

These workshops are designed specifically for fun exploration into the self and to tap into unexplored potential. Improvisational technique and dramatic structure require that the individual create a character and play a role. This gives the individual the opportunity to use experiences from daily life and to observe and analyze characters’ choices without judgment of the self. This allows them to step outside of their own scope of existence and see their immediate environment from more than one perspective. It is part of the transformative power of the dramatic arts.

Depending on the specific needs and goals of the organization, the workshop can be tailored to meet specific benchmarks. Music, dance, and multi-media elements can be added. Creating something together can have a lasting impact and serve as a point of reference in the future when encountering life challenges. Ultimate workshop goals are set based on the organizations’ objectives, time allotment and budget.

What about participants whose strengths are not performance oriented?

These workshops are designed to analyze, affirm and support the strengths of all individuals. Within the group there are those whose strengths are just as important behind the scenes as well as on the stage. Because the unique nature of theatre arts allows individual choice of many art forms: writing, composing, painting, building, sewing, designing, assisting, coordinating; as well as acting, singing and dancing.

Progress notes are written and assessments are made on a session by session basis for each individual. Participants are asked what are called “burning questions” which act as an assessment tool to find out what is important to the group. Discussions around topics and current events lead to ideas of what issues should be explored in the development of a meaningful piece of theatre. It is part of what will develop into the theme that will lead to the final original piece. What is instilled is the idea that in the development of a piece of theatre no one person or idea is more important than another and that each one has something special to bring to the table. The group is only as strong as its weakest link and it is up to the group as a whole to be individually strong in order for the whole piece to be strong. Everyone has their moment to shine but what is most important is the support by the group for the group and for the individual.

SCOPE OF THE WORKSHOPS

How Does This Work?

Rooted in improvisation and being in the “unknown,” these workshops are designed to celebrate and explore the self through creativity and imagination. These acting exercises are strategic games that begin with non-verbal forms of self-exploration and communication and blossom into very complex, multi-layered artistic forms of expression as the inner workings of the imagination begin to take shape. Through the participants’ exploration of the creative self, the facilitator can begin to identify the strengths and passions of the individual. With encouragement, examples and side-coaching, budding moments of inspiration, laughter and confidence begin to manifest. It is important to note, affirm and reinforce even what some might consider small and insignificant gestures of shyness and insecurity, as they can be signs of willingness to change and churning imagination. The overall experience is as unique as the individual and is therefore always validated. Valuing the human experience and instilling a sense of fun through exploration of the imagination are essential learning tools for individual growth, a vital ingredient to the success of all endeavors. Growth implies openness, willingness and a confidence that comes with self-awareness and a heightened level of self-esteem.

The outcome of these workshops will:

Heighten the sense of self-awareness and self-confidence through improvisational exercises that celebrate the individuals’ unique qualities and talents, enhancing the level of self-esteem.
Inspire individuals to truly perform with a leadership values system by enhancing and supporting what is genuine, unique and positive in the individual.
Create a culture of caring, teamwork and trust-building through improvisational exercises and strategic games in which participants must rely on each other to set goals, establish support and take action as well as work through obstacles to resolutions.
Create a professional, dynamic and lively original piece of theatre to be performed within the community that can also be used as a fundraising and public relations tool for at-risk youth and education services.