All through in 2022!

A look at best practices for the direct teaching of theatre skills found in the drama/theater classroom, rather than the indirect, supportive position theater skills take in an arts-integrated classroom. I feel very confident in my teaching practice as a Teaching Artist but less confident when the only learning objectives are in theatre skills. I will use my time as an intern in in the CUA High School Drama Institute to observe career theater skills teachers teaching and giving feedback to learners, examine how instructional methods vary, how informal assessments are carried out, how feedback is given, how rehearsal or class time is managed, and how student participation (casting) is managed when the sole learning objectives are in theater skills

Applying the elements of devised theatre to educational theatre production where the process becomes the product, and the goal of the product is empathy and community. One of the most beautiful authentic experiences of humanity is sharing in the community of theatre. This experience, however, has been diluted by the commercialization of mainstream theatrical entertainment, the de-emphasis on the arts in education, and the reckoning over the systemically racist development of American humanities. As theatre audiences continue to stagnate in their diversity and age, it’s time to look to the future generation of artists and audiences to re-invent and re-invigorate the trajectory of the theatrical experience.

Although still considered “experimental,” devised theatre has been steadily gaining traction as the applied theatre movement grows in academia. Younger students, however, are not exempt from the social stimulus that feeds these movements. Not only do these young minds need an outlet for exploring social topics relevant to their lives, but these social movements also need these young minds to carry on the change. I believe that by introducing process drama to students in middle and high school, we can empower them to examine themselves and their society, empathize and advocate for social change, and create a more equitable and accessible theatre for the future.

An exploration of the history of Musical Theatre through an Educator's point of view. I will pick one iconic show from each decade between 1920 and the present day and dive deeply into the stories of 10 musicals and why each is important. I will create PowerPoint presentations which include images and videos to serve as teaching tools to share with Theatre educators. I will also look at the original Broadway choreography from each show and create teaching videos of my own choreography, influenced by the original production.

Directing a middle school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Much of the work in putting this play together will be selecting activities to help students get familiar with the plot, Shakespeare’s language, and the unique characters that represent a variety of different backgrounds (high class, low class, the supernatural). Additionally, there is the other challenge of familiarizing students with theatrical technique since there will be such a wide range of skill levels. The school has not had a theatrical performance in over two years, so while some students have sought out theatrical opportunities outside of their school for many of them this will be their first foray into stage work. Another benefit to working on this project is that this play is in the school’s academic curriculum, which will not only add some much-needed buy-in from the students, but it will also mean that I will have support from administrators and faculty.

Using Drama in Homeschooling. My project will consist of researching, planning and theorizing how the use of drama integration in a homeschool setting can provide value in the learning and teaching process. This research will assist many parents who plan to embark on a homeschooling journey but are afraid that it will not be engaging enough for their children or do not know how to go about integrating drama into the curriculum at all. One goal of project is to give parents the confidence to implement arts integration into the lessons for homeschooling their children and other children in a home school pod, a group of like-aged homeschooled students who gather to learn under one teacher/parent on a regularly scheduled basis. Keeping homeschooling interesting and engaging for the parent/teacher and the child/student is important and I believe that introducing drama and arts integration across all subjects is a way to achieve that.

Directing After School Elementary School Theatre Productions. I will direct three groups of young students and think outside the box about tackling set design, costumes, and props, especially on a budget. I will implement and then report on what I learned by doing the work, especially in the following areas:

-Teach basic blocking notation -Collaborate with students on costumes -Build three sets with a budget in mind -Collaborate with students on dialogue -Instill memorization skills in students -Secure rights the plays -Creating a rehearsal schedule for each group -Communicate with parents

A Two-Pronged Approach to Developing Student Directors. I will be exploring two avenues by which to develop students’ directing skills: first, by working with my student Assistant Director on our mainstage production of Little Women and second, by developing a curriculum for the directing portion of a course I will teach next year, Advanced Acting and Directing. Previously, working with my student Assistant Director has been free-form and undefined, but this semester I am codifying the role more to give the student greater responsibility and, hopefully, a more fruitful learning experience. I will be documenting this experience as we mount the musical together.

Alongside this, I will create the curriculum for a new semester-length course I will be teaching next spring, Advanced Acting and Directing. In this course students will choose an acting or directing track and work together on high-level concepts through their chosen lens. Specifically for this project I will create the curriculum for the Directing track, including learning objectives, unit breakdown, collaborative projects, and lesson plans.

It is my hope that in the future these programs can feed into one another, with Directing students going on to assistant direct a mainstage show. As I develop both the Assistant Director role and the course curriculum, I will do so with continuity in mind.