Confessions of a Second Semester Student by Ben Lewis

Confessions of a Second Semester Student

Ben Lewis

            I have a confession to make, a dark and terrible secret that I can no longer keep hidden from the world: I was slightly apprehensive about starting grad school. Sure, I had several close friends who had raved about the program at City College, and yes, in recent years I had discovered a passion for teaching that I never knew existed. Still, the prospect of returning to school was a daunting one.

            My undergraduate years were split between a giant liberal arts university and a tiny theater conservatory. At the university, I spent my time hauling comically enormous books from lecture hall to lecture hall, reading and writing and regurgitating in the manner I had been taught my whole life. My conservatory training consisted mainly of rolling around on the ground in sweatpants while frantically weeping, because every ‘serious’ 19-year-old theater student knows the quality of your Tennessee Williams

performance is measured by the ounces of tears you can secrete in a ten-minute scene.

            Going into my first semester, I wondered where on the scale between these two extremes CCNY would lie. Thankfully, Educational Theater turned out to be it’s own wonderful and unique creature. I spent the first semester being bombarded (in a good way) by a near century’s worth of thoughts and methods towards teaching theater and understanding it’s role in a child’s development. Others on this blog have posted more eloquently than I about the joy and fascination of discovering people like Dorothy Heathcote, Augusto Boal, and many others. I will just say that after spending two-thirds of my life completely immersed in the theater, I didn’t think it was possible for me to think about it in a whole new way, but that’s what the program has started to do for me. The difference between my grad school experience and everything that came before is that our goals here are not merely to improve ourselves, but to empower us to improve the lives of others.

            If any first semester students are reading this, I’m gonna give you the big secret I have learned. Many of my classmates figured this out right away, but if you’re a little slow like me, I will tell you how I view the program differently now than when I started. First semester, I viewed the program as the time I spent twice a week in class, the time I spent outside of class doing the homework, and the time I spent in schools doing fieldwork. Now I see that all those things are just components in an even larger network of opportunities and experiences. As the semester went on I met dozens of interesting professionals at networking events, I had one of the best master class experiences of my life one Saturday morning deconstructing Hamlet in a series of brilliant games lead by the even more brilliant Jonathan Neelands, even the simple act of reading and researching the constant stream of emails being sent my way by the Ed Theater department has seriously expanded my understanding and awareness of the field.

            While assisting during the performance of Fable Talk (you can read the great blog entry by my classmate Lisanne Ware) I was waiting back stage when a colleague I just met turned to me and said, “ I need you to paint my nose green with this crayon.” Only in this profession is that as mundane a workplace request as “Pass the stapler.”  As I sat in the auditorium, watching throngs of young children enraptured and enchanted by a group of actors, some face paint and a few sheets of paper, I was struck by how lucky I feel to be a part of this group. We are peddlers of magic, seekers of truth and catalysts for growth in the next generation. As a second semester student, I have a new confession to make: I dig being in Grad School, and I look foreword to what the future semesters will bring.

            

Semester Ahead: Meaningful and Full of Inspiration by Sobha Kavanakudiyil

Semester Ahead: Meaningful and Full of Inspiration by Sobha Kavanakudiyil

After kicking of the semester with the Ed Theatre Mini Conference (thank you to Ed Theatre Club Officers Laurie Berich, Rob Dunn, Kat Delapp and Jessica Rosa, along with Faculty Jennifer Katona) where we were inspired by Michael Wiggins from Urban Arts Partnerships and Jessica Prudencio from Ping Chog & Company and the great Theatre Practitioner Jonathan Neelands who facilitated an amazing Master Class-Workshop, “Exploring Hamlet Using Dramatic Strategies.” It was not only wonderful to see the use of so many techniques we have all enjoyed reading about in many of his books, particularly “Structuring Drama Work,” his artistic choices during the process and his discussion on reflection, but also a wonderful way to start the semester to hear his discussion on the importance of ensemble.   Of the many influences he inspired us with was this quote, “Social learning is never silent.”

The Graduate Program in Educational Theatre looks forward to the following:

On January 31, we will welcome Cecily O’Neill, international authority on process drama and a major influence in the field of arts in education.

Family Arts Saturdays! Registration is open for the Family Arts Saturday Program.  This is an opportunity for families with children ages 2-5 years of age (and their siblings) to experience theatre games, puppetry, masks, storytelling, music and movement! Graduate candidates registered in EDCE 4400C Integrating Theatre and Related Arts – will be facilitating activities along with Faculty Sobha Kavanakudiyil. 

The Graduate Program in Educational Theatre is proud to announce The New York City Arts in Education Roundtable’s Face to Face Conference will be held this year at The City College of New York on March 27^th and March 28^th. We look forward to welcoming them uptown! 

Mark your calendars now for Family Arts Day on Saturday April 27^th from 10-1pm at Aaron Davis Hall. More info to come!

As I get ready for the upcoming semester, I have been thinking about why we do what we do? And I was inspired by this quote from Daniel Pink’s book Drive, “The Secret to performance and satisfaction-at work, at school, and at home – is deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.” 

My wish for our semester is to have a meaningful one that is full of inspiration!

Fall 2012 Wrap Up by Rob Dunn

Fall 2012 Wrap Up 

Rob Dunn

Once again, time has flown by and we are nearly at the end of the Fall semester.  It is one of those paradoxes where though the months have sped past, there were certainly weeks that seemed to drag on ceaselessly.  Over the last few months we were able to do and plan some exciting events for the Ed Theatre program.  First, we were able to host a Theatre of the Oppressed Workshop facilitated by noted practitioner and activist Jeremiah Drake.  We also instituted the first “Ed Theatre Club Happy Hour” which we hope will be a new tradition wherein Ed Theatre candidates can get together socially to relax, get to know each other away from the world of academia, and chat about anything and everything.

The Readings on the Road series took a big step forward this year with the re-launch of “Fable Talk”.  The cast, which included Kat DeLapp, Emily Evans, Wendy Rojas, Lisanne Shaffer, and (ahem) me, performed for families at Hamilton Heights Parent Association Halloween Event and at Harlem’s Help USA shelter in late October.  We also got to take the show to PS 161 in late November, where we had the opportunity to facilitate Jono Waldman’s pre-show lesson plans, as well as participate in a post-show Q&A with the audience, hosted by Jono and Talia Marrero.

I’d also like to offer my congratulations to Professor Katona and the candidates in her Fundamentals of Teaching Theatre course on a successful production of Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids.  Their hard work with students of PS 161 certainly paid off!

We are almost at the point of looking ahead to Spring 2013, but before we get there, the Ed Theatre club and program have put together some great events occurring between now and the start of the next semester.  First, we have the Thesis Share/Artistic Lab/Holiday Party on Thursday, Dec 13th.  The festivities kick off at 7pm when we’ll get to see the candidates from Content Research 2 perform their thesis topics.  Immediately following, we will kick off the end of semester Holiday party, which will start conservatively on-campus, and will become considerably less so when it is time to move the party off-campus!

On January 19th we will be hosting the Educational Theatre Mini-Conference, which will be headlined by the one and only Jonothan Neelands (if you don’t know him, trust me, he’s big time in the Ed Theatre world!)  The cost will is a mere $20 if you sign up early and space is limited!!  Sign-up details will be coming soon, so be on the look out!!! (You can probably tell my increasing use of exclamation points that I’m very excited about this, and you should be, too!!!!)

Another thing to keep an eye out for: the officers of the Ed Theatre Club are hoping to launch the “Ed Theatre Club” page on Facebook, so if we try to friend you in the coming weeks, please accept us! (We will try to get everyone, but if you don’t see a request from us, please track us down and let us know!)

If I may be serious for a moment, I would like to say how proud I am of the candidates and faculty in the City College Educational Theatre community.  Many of us were personally, or through loved ones, deeply affected by the devastation brought on by Hurricane Sandy.  Our compassion, generosity, and resolve were truly inspiring through these extraordinary circumstances.  I feel lucky and honored to be a part of the CCNY Ed Theatre family.

Finally, I would like to wish a heartfelt farewell to Paul Caccamise, EJ Jewell, Megan Ludlow, and Lloyd Woodcock who will be graduating this semester. We will miss seeing you around CCNY.  Please be sure to stay in touch and visit often!  And to all of my CCNY colleagues, have a safe and happy holiday season!

-Rob Dunn

Vice President, CCNY Ed Theatre Club

Nilaja Sun Visit by Yann Burrett

Nilaja Sun visit – Yann Burrett

There are too few people who are lucky enough to be doing something they absolutely love as a living.  Nilaja Sun seems to be one of the lucky few, as my classmates and I were fortunate enough to discover when she came to talk to us about her piece “No Child...”

Nilaja began her talk in character, slipping immediately into the character of the Custodian and delivering the opening monolog from the play.  This is because “I think everyone here has probably had a long day, so I wanted to give you a moment to find your heart space, to stop having to live in your head for a moment and just be in your heart.”

To me at least, the evening focused on the ideas of joy, of “heart”, of emotional expression and of honesty.  Nilaja is a wonderfully engaging speaker, and as we looked at the world through her lens we discovered a place where it the power of enabling people to understand and express themselves is paramount.  Through this talk, teenagers were not troubled youth or delinquents, but human beings struggling to find their place in a wider world.  “I just want them to have a chance to express their goodness”, she explained.

Not just adolescents – teachers were explained too.  A lot of emphasis was placed on recognizing the work teachers do and on how much energy it takes to lead a classroom of thirty students all day.  Even teachers were encouraged to examine this aspect of themselves. Nilaja explained that she wanted to give teachers permission to breathe and laugh at themselves and their classrooms.

The evening was a wonderful mix of entertainment and advocacy.  It was one where we were encouraged to see theatre as an inherent human activity, as an important factor in development and as more than just something to offer if there's a surplus in the school budget.  

Another Perspective by Avram Mlotek

Another Perspective by Avram Mlotek

As a rabbinical student, my days are usually spent interacting with sacred texts.  The goal then becomes to translate these texts into real life so that they feel relevant and meaningful.  As someone who grew up in a family immersed in Yiddish culture, I believe the arts in general can be a powerful tool in helping this translation process.  In the same breath, however, I believe the arts deserve their own time and space in educational settings so to foster creativity, collaboration and open mindedness.  

As a current teacher and tutor, I hope to create learning environments that bridge the worlds of learning traditional Jewish texts with dynamic ways of accessing them, while also leave time for creative play.  In studying the weekly Torah portion, students will engage with source sheets and study guide questions, but we'll also use theater exercises and improvisational games to dive deeper into the material at hand.  We'll play with tableau in capturing a moment from the parasha, the Torah portion, that particularly resonates with a student or student pair.  We'll use guided imagery to imagine what specific moments in history might have looked like or felt like.  We'll experience holidays as they come up, as students play with storytelling, each student sharing a sentence of the holiday's background.  Theater tools can bring any subject matter to life and Jewish education is no different.

Designated time for creative play is just as important.  It allows the artist within the student to emerge, and live freely.  Class might begin with a warm up, aiming to bring students into the work they'll later engage in.  Class might end with free time to write creatively.  I've found making the time and space for this type of learning in the classroom setting to be crucially important especially because it gives voice to those students who learn in different ways.  

A teacher's toolbox should includes the panorama of the arts - music, dance, visual art, fiction, poetry, theater, film and the like.  As a rabbi in training who teaches in a variety of settings, this is the "stuff" that helps makes the classroom space come alive.  I'm grateful to CUNY's program in Educational Theatre for helping me further appreciate this and provide me with the support and training necessary to be able to transform the classroom into this type of magical learning space.

Balancing Process and Product By Martha Hearn

Balancing Process and Product
Martha Hearn

“Let’s do that again!”

Those were the first words I uttered after my first performance in a major role. I was in 6^th grade, and I could not have felt more alive.

That rush and sense of accomplishment from theatre has never left me. Whether I’m performing, directing, or writing, nothing compares to the feeling of putting your work in front of an audience. This magnifies when working with young people because I get to watch them through the lens of my gangly 12 year old self, experiencing that exhilaration for the very first time.

Before I began my graduate school journey at City College of New York this past September, my greatest teacher fantasies focused on those moments. Watching my students high five and hug after they completed their first performance. Listening to them relive the best moments from the show. Begging me for one more performance and desperately inquiring about the next auditions. These dreams of youthful joy are supported in my Theatre for Young Audiences class. Discussing techniques for creating work with students heightens my ideals even more. Imagine the delight on those future students’ faces when the performance was something they also created together! The pride, the ensemble, the wonder! I’ve always believed that  creating work in theatre builds confidence and empowers students to be leaders and innovators in the world of theatre and beyond.

But in my Drama in Education class, a whole new door of educational theatre was opened. Process drama. Creative dramatics. Teacher in role. No audience was mentioned. No culminating performance was referenced. What was this product-free world? How were my students going to win theatre competitions with this listless drama for drama sake?

But as Prof. Sobha Kavanakudiyil guides us deeper into this world, my mind travels even farther into the past, beyond sixth grade all the way to Kindergarten. I remember pretending to be babies with my best friend, committing to the point of drinking out of bottles. I remember dedicating ourselves to the idea of being identical twins, even practicing our handwriting to look the same. Truly method creative dramatics. The satisfaction of that make believe, even without anyone watching, instilled something inside of me even more profound than that exhilaration that would come years later. It created confidence and imagination. It built a personality able to lead others and solve problems creatively. And yet, before Drama in Education I’d never considered these moments to be a part of my theatrical education because they took place outside of a classroom.

Imagine if a teacher had been there to guide my entire class through these new stories and worlds within our minds.

I was lucky to have parents and other adults in my life that supported my theatrical flights of fantasy. But not every child has those people in their lives. That is why we need drama teachers in schools that aren’t there to just put them up on stage to perform but help them develop their creative energy and storytelling abilities within a safe environment and community of their peers.

I am grateful to the Educational Theatre program for opening my eyes to this balance between process and product. My development as an educator has been altered for the better. I wasn’t expecting to have an epiphany that would change my educational philosophy so drastically within the first few months of starting this program. But I’m beginning to see that my path of learning is going to be quite different than what I expected.

My visions of exhilaration and post-performance joy haven’t disappeared. They’ve expanded in a way I never imagined, and that is truly exhilarating.