Thursday, April 30, 2009

Dance Space Line

Dance/NYC, Fractured Atlas, and DanCAcT have recently launched the new Dance Space Line. This phone line provides up-to-date information on available rehearsal dance space each morning. You can either call in to hear the recorded message or follow the Dance Space Line on Twitter to receive updates. Dance Space Line: 1-888-DSL-DNYC (1-888-375-3692). Twitter users: log in and search for "NYCDSL". Visit www.nycDanceSpaces.org for complete information on all dance rehearsal space listings.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Tips for Introducing Work

Visual and video artists can use these, too - at in-school screenings, classroom presentations, arts festivals and such.

Here are some ideas for creating and presenting an introduction.


• Lead an inquiry-based discussion about the artwork. Examples: What’s the point of an introduction? What steps did we take to make this artwork? What inspired us to make it? What did we learn by creating it? What does the work mean to us?

• Take notes on the board during the discussion.

• Work as a class to come up with text. Pull ideas from the class, using notes from the previous discussion, and transcribe them on the board. Edit together. Another option is to come up with questions and answers and “interview” a select group of kids at the performance.

• Ask for volunteers to read the introduction at the performance.

• Working with the small group, break the introduction into chunks and decide who should read which part, where you’ll stand, etc.

• Practice until everyone’s comfortable.

• Bring several printouts of the script (large font) to the performance.

• Do a group warm-up beforehand to get kids focused and working together.

• Stand on stage with your kids if they’re nervous.



Final Performance Prep (THEATRE students)

As discussed at our staff Meeting today, three key steps to Final Performance Prep are: 1. Establishing Requirements, 2. Analyzing our Script and 3. Teaching Performance Techniques.
A detailed overview (which you can copy/paste and use as a handout for your students) is below:



1. REQUIREMENTS
• Participation in at least one Scene or Solo Piece in our Performance
• Notes (Script Analys & BLOCKING as detailed below) in your Script
• Attendance and Participation during Rehearsal and Final Performance


2. SCRIPT ANALYSIS
Character Details
List your character’s most important details:
Full name, age, gender, racial or cultural background, current life situation
(i.e. student, looking for work, artist, mother of 2, etc.)

Goals and Obstacles
Reason for Goals
We think about our character’s goals so that we have a true purpose in the scene,
which makes it more believable and interesting to watch.
To Solidify your Goals
→ Think and write about your character’s GOAL for the scene:
What does your character WANT or NEED most overall in the scene?
What is he trying to make happen? What does he want to change?
Examples:
I want my husband to admit his affair and say he truly loves me
I want my mom to apologize for abandoning me and invite me back home
I want to my friend to realize that she is about to make a huge mistake
→ Now think about the OBSTACLES that are in his way:
What things, people, or situations are preventing your character from reaching his goal?

Intentions
Reason for Intentions
We decide on Intentions for each line in order to strengthen our Character’s goal and make his lines more convincing! Your intentions should all contribute to your overall goal.

To Clarify your Intention
→ Mark each line of your script with ONE WORD describing what you WANT, what your PURPOSE is, or what you are trying to DO or get the other person to DO when you are saying THAT LINE! For example:
I want his ATTENTION/RESPECT/SUPPORT
I want her to TURN AROUND/WALK AWAY/SAY SHE UNDERSTANDS
I want to CONVINCE him to ___________
Write the thing you want to get or do in the MARGIN next to the line.
→ Now run your scene with your GOALS and INTENTIONS in mind. Remember - use your intentions to overcome your obstacles and reach your goals!
→ Do you notice a difference?
Are your intentions and obstacles clearer?
Is it clear when you reach the climax of the conflict and you need to work extra hard to reach your goal?
Do you want to change anything about your scene based on this rehearsal?

Back-story - “Before and After”
Reason for Before and After
We think about our Character’s actions, feelings, and thoughts outside of the scene in order to get more in touch with his world, his needs and feelings, and his life situation.

To Do Before and After
→ Read through your scene once again, paying attention to your opening and closing lines.
→ Think about, decide, and write:
What was your character doing, feeling, and thinking in the moments
BEFORE your scene BEGINS?
What will your character be doing, feeling, and thinking in the moments
AFTER your scene ENDS?
→ Share your answers with your scene group. Then run your scene, but this time start with each character’s action in the moment before the scene begins, and continue after the scene to each character’s action in the moment after the scene ends.
→ Discuss with your group:
Did your lines feel different?
Did they sound different?
Did the moment before affect the scene?
Did you feel more in touch with the character(s)?
Are the relationships stronger?
How has the scene changed or developed?



3. PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES

Memorization
Reasons to Memorize
To make our scenes look better, more professional, for an audience
To be more convincing, realistic, serious
To get more into the scene, be more committed, invested
To show more emotion, relate more to other characters

Top Ten Ways to Memorize
1. Highlight your lines
2. Chunk your script
3. Label the margins with clue words
4. Cover the lines with a paper and try to remember them
5. Have a partner test you by holding the script and giving you clue words
6. Have someone read your lines to you and repeat them
7. Put your lines on index cards and test yourself
8. Tape record yourself saying the lines
9. Write the lines from memory on another paper to test yourself
10. Say the lines to yourself in front of a mirror

Blocking
Review
We know that body language makes performance more effective, and includes:
GESTURE
STANCE/POSTURE
FACIAL EXPRESSION
& EYE CONTACT

Blocking
Another physical aspect of performance includes BLOCKING, which is
Rehearsed movement with other characters onstage.

Vocabulary for BLOCKING:
Upstage, Downstage, Stage Left, Stage Right
Backstage, House, Wings
Cross, Turn

Blocking Rehearsal:
→ First we will watch one scene, letting the movement in the scene play out naturally
→ Then let’s discuss: What movement in that scene was effective?
→Now we make adjustments by refining the blocking.
The actors write the blocking notes in their script, and then run the scene a second time
with changes incorporated. Blocking in a scene is mostly rehearsed but always
includes an element of improvisation by the actors!
→ Stage Business includes any interaction with PROPS - objects (real or imagined)
onstage. Find two or three places in your script where your character can be doing
something with props!
Expression and Projection
Review
We know that voice and tone can vary in performance to make it more effective, and can include:
VOLUME and PITCH
SPEED and PAUSES
FLOW and ENERGY
& PASSION and EMOTION

Expression and Projection
Another way of talking about emotion and energy in performance is called expression and projection.
→ Make sure to project your voice, meaning speak loudly enough that the audience can
hear you.
→ When you say your lines, express your true intention so that the other character and the audience understand your meaning.
→ Make sure that your blocking allows for both projection and expression at all times. Anything you do onstage should HELP you be heard and understood, not limit you!

Improvising Emotion
Reason for Improvising
We improvise within our scene in order to let the emotion come through more deeply and intensely.

Ways to Improvise
→ Practice a certain difficult moment within your scene without worrying about the lines. Instead, work on repeating your intention or a line that is particularly meaningful in order to really convince or change the other character. Go with the flow!
→ Do the exercise while throwing a pillow back and forth with the other character
→ Do the exercise standing back-to-back with the other character in your scene
→ Do the exercise while pushing against the hands/arms of the other character

Substitution and Subtext
Reason for Substitution
We substitute for characters in our scene in order to imagine that we are talking to someone from our own lives. We can also imagine what we might actually say to those people while we say our lines from the scene.

Ways to Substitute
You can imagine who in your scene reminds you of someone from your own life.
For example: Jose reminds me of my cousin who was always bothering me when I wanted to go explore outside or do something on my own.
Then, pretend that you are talking to that person and really expressing what you want to say to them while you are rehearsing your scene. It will help your scene be more realistic.


Warming Up
Reasons for Warming Up
We warm up in order to prepare ourselves physically and mentally for rehearsal and performance.

Ways to Warm Up
There are hundreds of ways to warm up! Here are just a few:
Voice
Yelling “Hey”
Go high and low on a vowel sound
Buzz with lips
Tongue Twisters

Body
Stretching and Isolations
Throwing a ‘ball’
“Push Hands”
Running Circle

Mind & Ensemble
Count to 20 Game
Yes Game
Pulse Game

Tribeca Film Institute Free Screenings



Medicine for Melancholy
APRIL 26, 11AM @ TRIBECA FILM CENTER (375 GREENWICH STREET)
Join us for a special presentation of the award-winning film—especially for young filmmakers. From first-time feature director Barry Jenkins comes a love story that deals with issues of class, identity, and the evolving conundrum of being a minority in rapidly gentrifying San Francisco. Featuring the striking cinematography of James Laxton and a fantastic soundtrack from the best in indie rock today, MEDICINE FOR MELANCHOLY is a hilarious and romantic tribute to the beauty of San Francisco and the people that give it life. Barry Jenkins will be joining us after the screening for a unique Q&A via video iChat.

Beyond the Reel: Explorations in Media
APRIL 28, 7:45-9:15PM @ THE APPLE STORE IN SOHO (103 PRINCE STREET)
In an age where you can watch a blockbuster on YouTube and a rooftop can become a movie theater—the way that we view films and filmmaking will never be the same again. The internet has transformed how people watch and interact with moving images, while galleries and new venues for video art have created the chance for multi-screen projections. By bringing together four very different but extremely exciting artists who are expanding the definition of “filmmaker”—this interactive event will give students the opportunity to meet with artists like acclaimed hip-hop video blogger Jay Smooth and mashup masters Wreck & Salvage. Join us for this experimental evening as we explore spliced archival footage, vlogging, film installation, and video games.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

New PBS Website

PBS, the best channel on TV, now has a new website where you can watch a lot more video than ever before. You can see a movie based on a Dickens novel, a documentary about moving past fossil fuels, and determine the value of your grandmother's favorite lamp.

And you can use it in the classroom too, I suppose... it's searchable by subject.

National Playwriting Competition

WANTED: FULL LENGTH STAGE PLAYS
METLIFE NUESTRAS VOCES
NATIONAL PLAYWRITING COMPETITION 2009

Postmarked Deadline: Monday, June 1, 2009.

Repertorio Español is looking for unproduced full length stage plays that are relevant and unique to the Hispanic experience in the United States.

• Winning Play will be produced at Repertorio Español.

• Top Five will receive cash awards.

• Finalists will receive a staged reading at Repertorio.

For Guidelines and Application contact Allison at aav@repertorio.org.

Check-out our website at www.repertorio.org for a complete list of descriptions and finalists.

Super Cool Photography Project for You and Yours

A Million Little Pictures: Documentary
1,000 artists documenting 1,000 lives from around the world
Art House is looking for 1,000 people from around the world to receive 1000 disposable cameras. We'll mail the camera to you to document your life in 24 exposures and then you simply send us back the prints. Not only will we have the exhibition here in Atlanta, we will also travel to the city with the most participants. S
oooooo, tell your friends, mom, sister, cousin, or whoever to sign up. The exhibition will be home to 24,000 photographs of 1,000 people’s lives all over the world.
For more information on the project and to sign up, please go to: http://www.amillionlittlepictures.com!
Sign up Deadline: July 1st 2009
Postmark Deadline: September 1st 2009
To sign up to participate, visit: http://www.amillionlittlepictures.com

Art House projects have been featured on CNN and Current TV and in Juxtapoz Magazine, Good Magazine, Urban Outfitters blog, Yahoo Daily Wire, Atlanta Magazine and National Geographic's Intelligent Traveler.Check out their website for more information about how to get involved: http://www.arthousecoop.com

Monday, April 20, 2009

Free Screening- Feild Trip Opportunity

Thanks to Nora for this:

Dear Friends and Colleagues,
We are proud to invite you to the world premiere of P-Star Rising at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival.
As many of you know, for the past 5 years we have captured this dynamic and captivating story, and are excited to share it with our audience the week of April 24-May 2nd in New York City.

In addition to our theatrical screening that week, we have also been specially selected to screen our film at the "Tribeca Drive-In," under the stars at Battery Park, followed by a live performance by P-Star herself.
The free screening is at the Tribeca Drive-In this Saturday, April 25th.
Please visit the links below for more info.
For ticket info, trailer and video bio: http://www.tribecafilm.com/filmguide/PStar_Rising.html For film website, blogs, photos and mailing list: http://www.pstarrising.com

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Lifestories Youth Ensemble

Peer Educators

Here's another summer resource: Teens PACT is looking for peer educators.

Calling all teens! Teens P.A.C.T.'s highly successful Peer Educator program is currently recruiting teens for peer educator positions that include paid summer training and after-school hours. We are looking for young people that are outgoing, interested in teen issues, and dedicated to making a difference in their communities. If selected, peer educators (10-14) will receive approximately 200 hours of training in sexual health throughout the summer. Upon completion, they will be required to work after school delivering positive messages to their peers.

Applications are due May 15th.

Michele Perlman, MPH
Community Healthcare Network
Teens PACT Program Director
mperlman@chnnyc.org
(718) 387-7426

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Theatre for Everyone

Check out this list of drama conventions (no, not a get-together at a Marriott). They're activities, ways to use drama in your classroom even if you're not an actor like these guys:


I think these could be useful for writing and social studies classes, or for brainstorming ideas for visual arts.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Summer Internships for HS Students

High School Internship Bank

Arts
Theater
The New Victory Theater:
New Vic/New 42 Youth Corps, which includes both The New Vic Usher Corps and The New 42 Apprentice Program, realizes this mission by creating paid employment opportunities for a diverse, multilingual group of participants from across the city, as well as the nation. Please note, you must be at least sixteen years old to participate in either program. The New Victory Apprentice Program, contact the Education Department for an application at 646.223.3092 or email apprenticeprogram@new42.org.

Visual Art
Brooklyn Museum of the Arts:
Share your love of art with others through an internship, apprenticeship, or work-study position at the Brooklyn Museum. Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program - For more information about becoming a BCAP Summer Camp Counselor-in-Training, go to bcap.heartofbrooklyn.org/information-for-counselors, contact camp@heartofbrooklyn.org, or call (718) 638-7700 x16.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan:
The Summer Junior Staff Internship Program is a 10 week internship. Fifteen to twenty students from high schools all over New York City work alongside museum staff and college interns. Summer JSIs assist lead educators with guided tours for visiting camp groups and provide fun and educational activities for children and families in our interactive exhibits. Summer JSIs also take part in professional development, team building and creativity workshops. Application is available online at http://www.cmom.org/teachers/hsinterns.html. Contact David Rios at drios@cmom.org.
International Center for Photography:
ICP's Teen Academy program offers a range of opportunities for teenagers to begin and further develop their knowledge of photography. In-class sessions range from ten-week classes in black-and-white and color instruction to a yearlong intensive program focusing on professional applications. For more information, contact Community Programs at 212.857.0061 or teen_academy@icp.org.
Whitney Museum of Art Youth Insights Program:
Youth Insights is a paid, semester-long after school opportunity for New York City teens that explores the museum in the context of contemporary art and culture. Students are invited to apply for fall or spring programs. To apply, look here: http://www.whitney.org/www/programs/eventInformation.jsp?EventTypeID=5

Dance
Broadway Dance Center
Broadway Dance Center’s Summer Intern Program offers a unique opportunity for intensive dance training and the remarkable opportunity to learn about the dance industry by working behind the scenes at the Summer PULSE event. To apply, look at http://www.bwydance.com/workshops/intern/summer_intern.shtml#apply

Writing
Teen Reviewers & Critics at High 5
Ever dream of being a critic for The Village Voice, Rolling Stone, The Source or The New York Times? High 5's TRaC (Teen Reviewers & Critics) Program is where you'll get your start. TRaC is an exceptional opportunity for committed high school sophomores, juniors and seniors who want to explore and experience the vast arts scene in New York City. For this free nine-week program Download an application form or visit www.high5tix.org/TRAC. Questions? Contact High 5's Director of Education, Eric Ost, at 212.750.0555 x208 or eost@high5tix.org.

Museums
Children’s Center at the Museum of the City of New York:
This program is open to young adults ages 17-21 or graduating seniors. Call or email Debbie Ardendo at 212 524 1672 ex 3390 or dardemendo@mcny.org. Saturday Academy for students in grades 8 – 12 is a free, elective six-week program for students interested in American History or SAT preparation. Best of all, there’s no homework or testing and all course materials are provided! Students may enroll in one or two courses a semester. After completing all course requirements, participants receive a Certificate of Achievement.
New York Hall of Science
High School Explainer Interns - As a part of the Science Career Ladder program, high school students assist in the Preschool Place with puppet shows and science storytime and in the Activity Area creating science related arts and crafts projects with children and families. This is a volunteer position, but after one semester interns may be eligible to apply for a paid position. For more information on becoming an Explainer Intern, please contact Jennifer Correa at 718.699.0005 ext. 345 or jcorrea@nyscience.org.
Environment
Alley Pond Environmental Center
APEC offers the Field Biology Internship for sophomores and juniors and the Senior Independent Internship for seniors. This program is geared toward introducing students to environmental field studies. For an application contact info@alleypond.com or call 718-229-4000
Rocking the Boat
Rocking the Boat uses traditional wooden boatbuilding and on-water education to work with teens in the South Bronx. Students need not have any prior boatbuilding or carpentry experience, only the desire to have new experiences and the willingness to put in the effort to learn new things.
Contact Chris Kautz at chris@rockingtheboat.org and tell him Kaya sent you.
Leadership
Central Park Conservancy
The Summer Internship Program provides full-time summer jobs with the Central Park Conservancy for high school students. There are a variety of positions available, including horticulture, visitor centers, camp, recreation, operations, and administrative support in the marketing, development, and education departments. For information about internships please contact Vanessa Francisco at 212-360-1439 or e-mail youth@centralparknyc.org.
Thurgood Marshall Summer Law Internship
All participating students have to show an interest in law by enrolling in a law-related curriculum in high school or participating in moot court or mock trial competitions. For more information, contact Gabrielle Brown at 212 382-6624 (gbrown@nycbar.org).

Other Opportunities
High 5 Tickets to the Arts is a non-profit organization dedicated to making the arts affordable for teens. Through High 5, teens ages 13 to 18 can buy $5 tickets to the best of New York City dance, music, theater and visual arts events all year round.
In order to purchase tickets, all you need is an interest in the arts, a school ID and $5. Each teen may buy one extra $5 ticket for an adult if you'd like to go with a parent, teacher or mentor. If you would like to go to an arts event as a group, use our Take 5 Program to buy 5 tickets at $5 each and get a sixth ticket free to use for a teen or adult.
If you are interested in the visual arts, tickets to museums are two for $5 every day. We also have theater, dance, symphonies, Hip-Hop, film and spoken work, so check out our Events Calendar for a complete listing of events.
To purchase the tickets, you can do so online with a credit card or with cash at the High 5 office located at 1 East 53rd Street, 5th Floor (near the 5th & 53rd stop on the E or V lines). Or call us at 212-750-0555 and we can process your order over the phone during office hours.
All the arts, all the time, all for $5.

The New York Times Wants Your Photos

From the Times, cool project, nice design:

Picturing the Recession

NYTimes.com readers are sending in their photos from around the world. How do you see the recession playing out in your community? What signs of hardship or resilience stand out? How are you or your family personally affected? Creative ways of documenting the changes around you are encouraged.

Upcoming Theatre PD

Theatre department TAs take note:
Our third and final PD meeting of the year will take place on April 23rd at 4:30. There is a mandatory UAP staff meeting that night so we will move on to that at 6pm. For those of you who cannot meet at 4:30 due to teaching, we will meet after the general staff meeting ends at 8pm.
The main topic for both the PD and general meeting will be Final Presentations.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Great Lesson Plan Idea


From the blog of writer Molly May, a delightful idea that could inspire lesson plans in visual art, storytelling, immigration, and beyond:


We each have a place story. Imagine a world map and dot all of the places you’ve lived. Now, connect the dots chronologically, and then lift the shape from the page. That’s your place illustration. The one here is mine. A friend wrote to me, “What about the fact that it looks like a sprinter in motion?” We are each a beautiful accumulation of the landscapes we’ve inhabited. For some, it might be one lone strong dot. For others, some scratches across the page. For many in today’s globalized world, a maze of back and forth. Last night, someone told me that women in China who migrated out of rural areas to work in city factories are out of work and going back home. Movement.
What does your place illustration look like? Can you give its shape a name? Does it look like a star, a rabbit, a saucepan? Assuming a geographer’s hat, I love to zoom out and imagine our patterns as humans, where our feet take us, and whether that is changing in the modern world.

Observing Seasoned Teaching Artists

I learned most of the teaching practices I know by watching others. But I also learned it's hard enough to schedule your own classes without trying find a time to watch others teach. Dale Davies (of the ATA) has helped solve this by posting the following clips of great teaching artists at work:

What is available on DVD, YouTube? A few I found just looking briefly:
Michael Freeman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygMyuhhfxFQ
Anndee Hochman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATKoPgN-EuU
Andrew Grueschow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN5gc5bR2Js
Tunde Afolayan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76oCBABUi0Q
Artist Teacher Debriefing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSzq88f7tbE
LaToya Wigfall, Alvin Ailey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt5r2CEO0Os
Karen Wilson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyGOFLCAdUI

ATA will be posting these on www.teachingartists.com also. By sharing our knowledge and ideas we are working together to build upon those three essential questions: Who Are Teaching Artists? What do Teaching Artists do? Where do Teaching Artists Fit Into The Communities They Serve?