Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Listening to Amanda Gronich


Listening to Amanda Gronich
Meredith Akins

Out of nowhere, I find myself in my last year of graduate school.  Where did the time go? Oh my, I’m supposed to write a thesis...wait, huh?...An ethnodrama...Wait! In groups?  Of people with completely different schedules and needs than I might have?  I was already nervous, but now...I am afraid.  Give me strength!  And so the journey of my last year at CCNY begins.  I keep reminding myself of what Sobha said several times in Drama In Education my first semester as a graduate student.  “You will be prepared!”.  I’m holding you to that Ms. Kavanakudiyil!  And so with that, I have kept my ears, eyes, heart, and mind open to learn and be inspired by others.  When guest speaker, Amanda Gronich, came to our Content Research Seminar class, I was listening.  

 I was in Europe performing when the nation was gripped by the events of Laramie, WY.  I returned to the States in November 1998 and Matthew Shepard had already died.  It was still big news and there was talk of hate crimes.   Just 4 months prior, a black man, James Byrd, Jr., had been tied to a truck and dragged to death by three white men in Jasper, TX.  Hate crimes were part of the conversation already and everyone had an opinion.  Even though I didn’t know much about the events, I was horrified that, once again, someone was killed for simply existing.   


I was eager to watch The Laramie Project on HBO in 2002 because I had missed much of the news footage in Europe.  I wanted to see what “actually happened”.  Sadly, I watched the first 10 minutes...and turned it off because it didn’t seem like a movie.  “Where was the action?  They didn’t even show an actor playing Matthew Shepard”.  It is embarrassing to me now, but I was young.  I didn’t understand that this was the most real movies get.  I had never heard of the play, The Laramie Project, thus I didn’t understand that the movie was based on the real transcriptions gathered by members of Tectonic Theatre, including Amanda Gronich.  There was actually plenty of action in the movie.  It was the type of action that lead to transformative change.  

 Ms. Gronich continued to empower us to think, “What is it that theatre can do that no other media can do” throughout the night.  It made me think of the responsibility and accountability on us as researchers.  How do I tell a story that can either inspire change or create more questions?  Ms. Gronich heard and supported our wants and concerns with our final project.  She listened objectively in much the same way she did when she conducted interviews for The Laramie Project.  By the end of the night, I understood that it would be through sharing.The sharing of stories, opinions, and most importantly, emotions with my research group.  It won’t always be easy and it is still a bit daunting, but if we are clear on what is important in theatre education and how we can share our narratives, our work of art will create a space for change or inquiry in a way that no other media can do. We have to be willing to tell our stories to one another first in order to find a way in.  This is more than just about a grade.  It is a way to share our artistry.

Tuesday, October 7, 2014



Thrills, Chills, and Hills – Starting Something New

Patrick G. McGee 


There is always the thrill of starting something new. Sometimes, it is starting a new hobby, trying a new recipe for a dinner party or even taking a new route home from work.  Starting something new always seems to bring a breath of fresh air to my daily routines and starting my first semester in this program is no exception.   As a teaching artist, I love the first day of classes or rehearsal.  There is always a great sense of excitement from both the young artists and myself.  
  
The past few weeks have been nothing but exciting and definitely thrilling.  I am slowly discovering the balance of finding my voice as an artist as well as developing my own teaching style.  The rainstorm of new terms like scaffolding, TYA, process vs. product, and devising theater have sparked my interests as a student in so many ways. 
I am thrilled to be in class with so many teachers and teaching artists with such varied backgrounds.  I am both humbled and inspired by my classmates’ discussions and feel myself growing both as an artist and student in these past few weeks. Both the discussions about the combination of  innovative technology and cutting edge theater for young audiences  and being exposed to productions like The Old Man and The Old Moon at The New Victory have a struck a new chord in my artistry.  Also, I was fortunate enough to take Devising Theatre over the summer and that class really allowed me to find the importance of my own artistry as a teaching artist but more importantly understand that we are all creating something together.  I was really struck by our discussions about community that were sparked by the devised theater pieces.  Ultimately, I think as both teachers and artists it is this idea of building a community or ensemble that is extremely important both inside and out of the classroom.  I am excited to find my place in this graduate program ensemble over the next few years. 

With any new experience, there are also so many anxieties.  For me if I am not a little bit nervous starting something, the passion must be missing.  Well needless to say those chills were there the first day of class.  With so many new people and new experiences, how would I fit in?  Also it has been some years since I have been in the world of academia, and I was a little worried that I would not be able to keep up.  Needless to say, the work load is a little intense, and the drama in education paper still makes my stomach churn but all these things combined remind me of my passion to be a better teaching artist. 
 
 Passion is what drives and fuels my every day existence.  It is why I get up every day with such vigor, and with that passion comes many, many hills to conquer.  I think our lives are series of hills that we are constantly trying to climb.  We have moments of glory when we reach the top and look down at what we accomplished. Maybe it is that lesson you thought could not be pulled off or that production of The Little Mermaid that you have to direct with 18 other directors.  Regardless of the hill you are currently climbing, the reward is in the journey.   I am excited to start climbing this new hill and start my journey towards my Master’s Degree.  Bring on all those thrills, chills, and hills!