Creating Original Plays in the Classroom to Strengthen Learning
Thursday, April 23-Friday, April 24, 2009
Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL
On Friday, April 24, 2009, Western Illinois University’s Expanding Cultural Diversity Project will sponsor a full-day workshop facilitated by Ms Jan Mandell, founder of the St. Paul (MN) Central Touring Theatre Company. The workshop will take place in the Simpkins Hall Theatre on the WIU campus and will focus on using drama in the classroom to explore social justice issues. For nearly 30 years, Ms Mandell has taught drama to middle and secondary school students and, more recently, has collaborated with universities on arts literacy projects. |
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Her passion for theatre, influenced by the theory and practice of Augusto Boal and his Theatre of the Oppressed, is rooted in her conviction “that artistic expression can be a powerful and positive force in the lives of young people.”
In the book she co-authored with Jennifer Wolf, Acting, Learning, and Change, the principles reflected in Ms Mandell’s theatre work are documented. One of the most important, the social nature of learning, involves the “accumulation and adaptation of knowledge [that] takes place as students and teachers act together in their learning.” Through theatre, students not only develop a commitment to social justice, but teachers learn new ways to appreciate and value their students’ skills and knowledge.
Central to Ms Mandell’s approach is the creation of a safe space where diverse participants are comfortable sharing their stories, discussing the barriers that separate them, and creating original plays that help them work through the barriers. To establish the sense of safety at the heart of her work, Ms Mandell helps her students transform themselves from a disparate group of individuals to an ensemble whose interaction is based on trust. The dramas they develop are powerful, entertaining explorations of contemporary social issues, such as race, poverty, and prejudice. They attract participants whose race/ethnicity, social class, and level of academic achievement vary, and they draw audiences that include children and adolescents as well as adults.
On Thursday evening, April 23, 2009, at 7:30 p.m. in the Fox Room of the University Union, Ms Mandell will introduce a few participation activities, show a short video of the work she and her students do, and field questions about her program and the Friday workshop. Besides introducing Ms Mandell and her approach to theatre, this lead-in to the Friday workshop will allow Ms Mandell to get a feel for the Western Illinois University and Macomb communities and some of the issues that are of concern in the region.
Several Central Touring Theatre Company (CTT) graduates will be on hand for this program and will be working with Ms Mandell to facilitate the Friday workshop. They are Jenny Lagos, currently a Theater and Journalism major at the University of Minnesota; Nicole Smith, OutReach Director at the Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis; William Grier who works at the Guthrie Theater; and Neimiah Jett who works with Young Life, a support system for urban youth. They are all in their 20's and using what they learned in CTT in their work. Crystal Spring, a theatre teacher at Washburn High School in Minneapolis and a former intern with Ms Mandell, will also be assisting with the workshop.
Ms Mandell's Friday workshop will begin at 8:00 a.m. and run to 4:00 p.m. It is open to WIU faculty, staff, and students as well as area teachers and their students. University faculty and middle and secondary school teachers who attend are asked to bring five or six of their students with them to insure a diverse group of participants who can take what they learn at the workshop into their own classrooms.
Though the workshop is free, registration is necessary since participants will be given a packet of materials to use in their own classrooms and lunch will be included in the day’s activities. Registration will help organizers prepare effectively. To register or to obtain further information, contact Dr. J.Q. Adams (309-298-3698 / jq-adams@wiu.edu) or Dr. Janice R. Welsch (309-298-2057 / jr-welsch@wiu.edu). WIU's Center for Innovative Teaching and Research is co-sponsoring this program.
