Theatre Action Project Stories

It's official! TAP Blog Switch Today June 21, 2011

2011-06-21T11:51:00.000-05:00

Today June 21, 2011 TAPstories makes the official
move to WordPress.

Come join all the fun at http://tapstories.wordpress.com/

Special Features on TAP's WordPress page include:

Blogs from TAP staff, Teaching Artists, and volunteers
Fast, direct links to TAP on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube accounts
Direct sign up capability to TAP blogs on WordPress, TAP's newsletter and updates
Archived blogs

Coming soon...

Changing Lives blogs
Guest blogs

Recipe for a Yummy Summer Pageant in the Park

2011-06-21T09:29:00.000-05:00

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Manager

Ingredients:

7 Elementary schools

5 Teaching Artists

6 Staff

7 Volunteers

Family and friends

Theatre Action Project

SFC Farmer’s Market

A bright sunny day

Next Steps:
Dream, learn, and work.

Mix well and add a dash of fun and excitement as you march in a grand procession at Republic Square Park at SFC Farmers’ Market Downtown Austin in celebration of the seasons.

Serves hundreds with delight.

Here are a few photos from our fun build day on Friday and the colorful Summer Pageant this past Saturday. To see more photos head over to our Flickr page (pictures by Mary Alice Carnes and Amanda Davis).What was your favorite part of this years Summer Pageant in the Park?

Growing up with Theatre

2011-06-20T10:30:00.000-05:00

By: Chelsea Gilman, Business and Development Associate

Theatre has played a huge role in my life, starting from the time I was born. I would always attend plays with my family and participate in youth theatre camps during the summer.

So as I was deciding on a major in college, I settled on theatre, simply because I wasn't sure what else made sense for me. I'd been performing in Dallas'Jr. Players: Shakespeare in the Park for 3 summers and in high school theatre productions, in addition to serving as President of my high school theatre department. Then, as I considered I'd need a job after college and perhaps moving to NYC to audition for roles wasn't for me, I decided to pursue a business minor.

Now, with a theatre major and a business minor, working in the office at Theatre Action Project seems like just the perfect fit. In a time when so many college graduates are looking at their degree and their current job with little to no correlation, I'm proud I was able to take my education and put it directly to use.

Eight years ago, I took a theatre-in-education class at The University of Texas because it was sounded like an interesting elective and I needed one more theatre elective to add to my last semester of school. But little did I know that years later I'd be back in Austin and working at the organization that my professor started. My group in the class took our touring show to some of the same places TAP tours today. I performed using many of the techniques we use to engage young audiences in an interactive art form aimed at bringing audiences in and allowing them to use their own creativity to express themselves, goals, struggles, and possible solutions to life's challenges.

TAP (There’s Amazing Puppets)

2011-06-17T14:03:00.000-05:00

By: Brian C. Fahey, Program and Marketing Coordinator

When a new teaching artist, volunteer, or community partner enters the Theatre Action Project offices on Austin’s eastside for the first time, they usually exclaim the same excited remarks - “Look at all those puppets!” Indeed, covering a space approximately 1600 square feet there are dozens of puppets – hanging from the ceiling, packed in our storage loft, peaking out the windows and decorating office spaces. Visit our shed and you’ll find dozens more. Dynamic TAP staff and their students have created the majority, in a mish mash of styles – Bunraku, large-scale pageant puppetry, stick puppets, shadow puppets, hand puppets, marionettes, even lunch paper bags. Collectively they serve as a sort of visual history of our 15-year organization.

Cesar Chavez sits beside a crocodile and a pig. Sadako Sasaki and her peace cranes watch over the kitchen. I, myself, have an owl sitting on my desk. It’s made entirely out of papier-mâché, like most of our puppets, and I found it during an office cleanup my first week at TAP.

In many ways it’s entirely fitting that our puppets serve as many peoples first introduction to our organization. They speak to our ingenuity, our thriftiness, and our creativity. A month ago I heard our development director, Anita Ashton, say to a room full of new TAP partners - “we do amazing things, and we do them cheaply.” One example: puppets!

TAP has a deep and impactful presence in the Austin community and this upcoming summer is the perfect example. This Saturday, June 18, is our annual Summer Pageant in the Park where our student partners from Winn, Wooten, Barrington, Wooldridge, Hart, Reilly, and Brown Elementary Schools will take to the SFC Farmer’s Market at Republic Square Park at 11am for a free parade of song and spectacle. Come see what wonderful things these youth can do with puppets!

Then on July 18 – 22, it’s our Crazy Creature Puppets Camp for youth ages 5 – 12, hosted at Paragon Prep. Out of our exciting and packed schedule of summer camps, this one might be my favorite. The camp combines theatre, filmmaking and art to introduce youth to the wonderful world of puppetry. On Friday the campers will share the performances and films they’ve created using puppets entirely designed and built during the camp. And then they get to take them home! What’s more the camp is instructed by two dynamic artists: Caroline Reck, from the award winning Trouble Puppet Theatre Company and Lillie Hollingsworth, who, when she isn’t teaching for TAP, designs and sells marionettes.

See you this summer! Keep your eyes pealed for our puppets; you can’t miss ‘em!

From Trash to Treasures: Making Art

2011-06-17T13:44:00.000-05:00

By: Emily Tindall, Program Manager

Throughout my time here at Theatre Action Project, I have often thought …” wait, we’re making WHAT?” Never before have I been surrounded by such creative, capable, artists. This year I have seen TAP Staff create beautiful pieces of art, giant puppets, and about a zillion other things out of virtually nothing. This has been a truly impressive thing to watch because not only are they creating beautiful artwork, they’re making it out of what some might deem nothing more than trash, and using their intuition to guide them in their process. I have never heard a TAP staffer say “that’s just too hard,” or “I can’t make that, that’s just impossible.” An alligator out of foam and fabric? An owl out of a parasol? A full size bull out of Papier-mâché? You betcha!

Watching these transformations from trash to treasure have been some of my favorite experiences working for TAP. I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by folks with a “can do” mindset, who never blink an eye at a difficult project. I truly believe that this is what is at the core of TAP, and it has propelled us forward to where we are as an organization now. I know that this will continue to serve us as we deepen our relationships in the greater Austin community, and I hope it inspires you as much as it does me!

An Earth's Bounty Literary Review

2011-06-16T14:00:00.000-05:00

By: Cassie Swayze, After School Programs Associate VISTA

We are gearing up for Saturday’s Summer Pageant in the Park here at the Theatre Action Project office. As I also lend an ear, and often both hands, to our Teaching Artist’s projects, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Pageant’s themes. The changing seasons, farming, gardening, and celebrating the Earth’s bounty are all on my mind today. There are a number of books in TAP’s library that I encouraged our Pageant TA's to share with their classes. Here are a few of my favorites:

The first book is Quiet in the Garden written and illustrated by Aliki. This is a great book for little ones; the illustrations and text are simple yet engaging. The story begins with a little boy exploring his backyard garden. At first it seems like a peaceful place but he soon hears sounds all around – chirp, squeak, crunch. He sits still and listens. As he’s listening, he imagines a butterfly asking a snail why he ate holes in the leaves. The snail explains, that’s what I do when I’m hungry, then slides away. Aliki walks the reader through the different animals and plants in the garden using this simple technique. On the last page the author includes a beautifully illustrated diagram for ways to make your own quiet garden. This would be a great book to introduce young readers to urban gardening.

I also love The Surprise Garden by Zoe Hall with illustrations by Shari Halpern. It’s one of the most popular books in the library; we very rarely have it on the shelf. The story follows a group of children as they plant a garden of carrots and radishes, broccoli and cauliflower, peas, beans, squash, and even a sunflower. Then – surprise - they discover the vegetables growing into a beautiful garden! The book ends with the children eating a vegetable picnic. Halpern’s cut collage illustrations are my favorite part of The Surprise Garden. She captures the joy and mystery of watching a seed turn into a vegetable. Their simple beauty will appeal to both children and adults. The last page of this book features illustrations and descriptions of different seeds as well as the vegetables they grow into.

After the excitement and success of the Pageant in the Park, I would like to add a few more gardening books to the TAP library. I would love to read City Green by Dyanne Disalvo-Ryan. This story is about a little girl who clears out an ugly lot and turns it into a neighborhood garden. It even has a page of instructions for starting your own community garden!

The Garden of Happiness by Erika Tamar with illustrations by Barbara Lambase also looks like a wonderful book. It’s also about a young girl who watches her neighbors grow vegetables in a nearby lot. Her neighbors grow vegetables that remind them of the places they’re from; Mr. Ortiz grows habichuelas from Puerto Rico and Mr. Singh grows beans from Bangladesh. This book looks like a great teaching tool and a treat for both teachers and students!

Come join us on Saturday, at the SFC Farmers' Market at 11 am for the 4th annual Summer Pageant in the Park!

Just Because x3

2011-06-16T12:18:00.000-05:00

by Nitra Gutierrez — Middle and High School Artistic Associate

The Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble's summer program is in full swing! We are focusing on writing solo and small group pieces around themes of struggle and identity. Writing about identity can be a great way to practice our writing skills and get to know each other at the same time. Here are three offerings of poetry our ensemble wrote during our very first session. Tell us what you think.

Just Because

by Shelbi

Just because I'm Young

Doesn't mean I can't be a business owner

Doesn't mean I'm not wise

And doesn't mean I can't make a difference.

Just because I'm a Girl

Doesn't mean I can't be an engineer

Doesn't mean I can't be a leader

Doesn't mean I can't be the next President.

Just because I'm Black

Doesn't mean I will become pregnant before I graduate

Doesn't mean I'll drop out of high school

Doesn't mean my child will not have a father.

Just because I'm a Young Black Girl

Do I have to settle?

Don't I still have breath in my body?

Anything's possible, right?

But don't forget I'm only human.

Just Because
by Nick
Just because I'm talkative
Doesn't mean I can't be quiet
Doesn't mean I talk to everybody
And doesn't mean I never feel shy.

Just because I'm simple
Doesn't mean I don't think much
Doesn't mean I'm as obvious as you think
Doesn't mean I'm never hiding something.

Just because my head is in the clouds
Doesn't mean I want it to be
Doesn't mean it always is
Doesn't mean my heart is there with it.

Just because I'm me
Does that mean I always am?
Does that mean I'm always the same?
Who knows?

Just Because
by Apolonia
Just because I'm young
Doesn't mean I can't change the world
Doesn't mean I can't sing my heart out
And doesn't mean I can't show you all I'm somebody.

Just because I'm scared
Doesn't mean I won't try
Doesn't mean I won't speak the truth
Doesn't mean I can't cry my eyes out.

Just because I'm sad
Doesn't mean I can't change
Doesn't mean I can't love
Doesn't mean I will always give up.

Just because I'm all these things I am my own person
Why can't I see my reflection when I look in the mirror?
Why am I sad?
Who's made me so extremely scared?

I'm a person like no other
I am me no matter all the pain, sorrow, anger
I know who I am. I just can't see her yet.

Reminders of the Goodness of Art

2011-06-15T10:29:00.004-05:00

By: Freddy Carnes, Artistic Associate

Freddy Carnes entertaining with
World Tales and Tunes stories.

Last week I went to a community meeting at the Mexican American Cultural Center. It was a meeting of artists, arts organizations, media and supporters of the arts to discuss how to make arts organizations in Austin stronger. Ann Graham, a TAP Board Member, spoke eloquently about the collaboration we (at Theatre Action Project) have with SafePlace and other organizations.

At this event, I was reminded about how lucky I am to work for Theatre Action Project as a paid full-time staff member with benefits. In the past 6 years, my life has been transformed by TAP. I know many artists in Austin that have struggled, as I have, to earn a decent wage from their art and many others that have not even tried to pursue art because of that. For many that do pursue, they simply work at boring day jobs and do performing at night for little or no money.

I feel very fortunate to work for an organization that gives me the opportunity to use my talents and skills on a daily basis. I get to:

Teach at-risk children the joy of theater, including stories from cultures around the world, Shakespeare and Greek Mythology
Make puppets, banners and masks for parades that march through Downtown Austin
Write and perform songs for many different events
Travel all over Central Texas as a storyteller to Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock, Taylor, Lakeway, Cedar Park, San Marcos and (this summer for the first time) San Antonio!
Teach Summer Camps with such diverse themes as "Dance and Drums", "Heroes and Legends" and "Songs for the Stage"
Work with a staff that is talented and passionate about the future of our children!

TAP is one of those success stories that triumphs during these difficult times. We have impacted many children's lives in Central Texas. How do I know? I see it in the eyes of the children and the thankfulness they show us every day for what we do for them.

Art for Future Generations

2011-06-14T13:40:00.003-05:00

by: Amanda Davis, Marketing Associate VISTA

The arts have always been a staple in my life. I always enjoyed the visits to art museums, loved being able skip out of art class with a finished creation, to participate in a one-act drama or just to have the chance to know that someone around me was creating.

Pablo Picasso once said “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Art has always been the outlet that has helped me to express who I am.

The reason that I have decided to talk about what art means to me is because just recently Gov. Brownback of Kansas signed a bill cutting public funding for the arts in that state and becoming the first state to eliminate state arts fundingand solely cause arts, within the state of Kansas, to be funded by privatized sectors and non-profits. Brownback also cut funding for the Kansas Arts Commission, making Kansas now the only state in the nation without an arts agency. But what does this mean for others? Brownback believes that many states will follow in his direction and cut the arts funding in order to cut back on state spending. Many studies show that students with arts education in schools tend to do better in reading, writing and math than those students whose schools only focus on the academics.

Without art in my own life, I probably would have been quite a menacing child full of too much energy that I wouldn’t have known what to do. It is up to people today to try and keep these arts in our schools for all generations now and to come, no matter what state you live in. Something that we have to remember is that without art in the world, it would be very bland place to live.

Here at Theatre Action Project are keeping the arts alive by providing kids with theatre/art related summer camps, after-school sessions as well as teaching kids to express themselves through the arts. TAP is the largest provider of arts education in the Central Texas. I am so glad that I can work for an organization that believes so strongly in the arts. Art is a chance for expression, a motivation inducer and a love that everyone should have the chance to enjoy.

Join the Parade - Summer Pageant in the Park

2011-06-13T17:09:00.002-05:00

by Dustin Wills, Programming Specialist

Theatre Action Project has hosted hundreds of families at its annual Summer Pageant in the Park. This Saturday, June 18 at 11 a.m., at the SFC Farmers’ Market Downtown (at Republic Square Park. - 4th and Guadalupe), we will once again honor this tradition.

This summer will be particularly bittersweet pageant for me, as it will be my last big event with Theatre Action Project before I head up to Yankee country for graduate school. Four years ago in 2008, I was a teaching artist working with T.A. Brown, Wooldridge, Reilly and Hart Elementary schools on TAP’s first ever pageant – a puppetry spectacle presenting the enchanting Oaxacan legend The Woman Who Outshone the Sun. This initial pageant occurred at Patterson Park, involved live music, families, a picnic and of course, the main event.

In 2009, I got to coordinate the pageant. We moved it to the SFC Farmers’ Market Downtown, which has been its home the past three years, and since then we've let the market itself influence our theme each year. Our first year downtown we presented the story of Cesar Chavez and the migrant farm workers of California. This looked more like a play than any of the other pageants and effectively prepared the students with the ability to talk about fairness, worker’s rights, non-violent approaches to conflict and farming history.

2010 took us away from a play format and the pageant took the shape of a puppetry procession and sing along. Last year we explored the theme of Imagination as our gateway to the future. Students from six schools created large “pollution puppets” which were marched around the market and transformed through an Imagination Machine. This machine converted all the pollution into green solutions dealing with water, wind and solar energies.

This year we are excited to present another procession and sing-a-long titled How our Food Grows. Seven schools have been learning about the seasons and their relationship to food growth, farming and harvests. Each summer campsite has been assigned a season and will march giant procession puppets through the market in fantastic patterns, culminating in a seed planting ritual and song.

We’re inviting the public to come join the parade. Meet us at 11 a.m. at the SFC Farmers' Market downtown for all the fun.

Next year, the pageant is considering some exciting location changes, so please come out to what may be our last Summer Pageant at the SFC Farmers’ Market Downtown. It’s sure to be a thrilling feast for the eyes!

New Stages: Arts Empowerment for Juvenile Offenders

2011-06-10T12:57:00.002-05:00

By: Patrick Torres, Middle School and High School Program Director

I started summer programming this week for our New Stages: Arts Empowerment for Juvenile Offenders program at Gardner Betts Juvenile Justice Center. I am working with three of the Boys’ Units every Tuesday and Thursday. We started the program with a workshop about inspiration and character and discussed how finding inspiration to create characters for dramatic writing already exists inside all of us because each of us has a unique experience in the world. We can use these experiences to share our perspectives with an audience in an effort to have them reevaluate their own beliefs and values or introduce them to a new way of thinking about a particular subject. So, the participants created personal monologues exploring the misperceptions people may have of them as incarcerated youth. The resulting work was inspiring. Their monologues suggested they have a true understanding of themselves and the choices they have made in the past while expressing hope that people can see past their mistakes. Here is a small excerpt for one of the monologues:

You think you know me? You might think I’m a bad person and I don’t care about anything. Well, let’s set the record straight – I’m not really a bad person. There is a lot of good things I have done in life, and I do care about my education and I mostly care about my family…

Needless to say, the success of this first week has made me very excited about the potential scripts we will create together at Gardner Betts. If you are interested in writing a monologue in the same format we used during our workshops, I would love to read them! Just follow the prompt below and leave it in the comment section or email me at patrick@theatreactionproject.org

You think you know me? You think I’m _____________ and _____________. Well, let’s set the record straight – I’m ________________________________________________________________________

Waiting for Food to Grow

2011-06-10T12:36:00.015-05:00

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Manager

We’re prepping for Theatre Action Project’s Summer Pageant in the Park celebration on June 18. This year’s pageant theme is How Our Food Grows. I’m a vegetable gardener now, but as a kid growing up in Corpus Christi, Texas, I never gave a single thought to how food grew. My Dad tried to teach lessons about the soil and enriching it, but to me it just plain weird to see him take eggshells, banana peels, coffee grounds, shrimp shells, fish bones and more and grind them up in a pile he would turn over and over and over before finally sharing some of his “tea” with the plants in the yard.

I didn't know my Dad was recycling and composting.

Objects may be larger than they appear.
Can you tell I love peaches?

All I knew, was we had peach trees that magically turned into fruit and I got to eat them. Obviously I didn’t understand the full cycle of growing that takes place. From my kid perspective, it was a long time to wait for a peach blossom to come out, bloom, drop off and change into a little bud of fruit. Then it was another long time to see green peaches grow (they look more like olives when they're small) and turn different pinks and reds before my parents said they were good to pick.

Chili pequins. These things grow like crazy. Yum!

Did everyone in Corpus Christi have peaches, pomegranates, chili pequins, oranges, and grapefruits growing in their yards? Even once we ate something the outdoor produce store, we had to save the pit or seeds for my Dad who dried them and replanted them. The only unsuccessful plant he tried growing was avocados. I think we had an avocado pit on the edge of our sink suspended by tooth picks, the whole 17 years I lived at home. It didn’t stop my Dad from experimenting though. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I was able to put together all the cycles of growing my Dad was doing home.

Come join the parade! Summer Pageant in the Park is June 18.

The Sustainable Food Center Farmer’s Market here in Austin is the location for TAP’s Summer Pageant. Check out their their site for educational programs and my favorite, a list of what foods that are in season. For some additional fun, take a look at Nation Public Radio’s current series on all things food. Click here when you’re ready.

If you’re ready to celebrate how food grows, we’re inviting the public to join us in the Summer Pageant parade on June 18 at 11 a.m. at the SFC Farmer’s Market Downtown Austin. Look for the huge over-sized puppets, banners, and all the colorful fun of a parade.

In the meantime, what do you have growing in your garden right now? I’d like to hear from you. I have tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and jalapeños. Except for the green beans and jalapeños, I’m waiting for the blossoms to turn into fruit.

Reflections of TAP Staff Appreciation BBQ 2011 in pictures

2011-06-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

by Anita Ashton — Development Director

At Theatre Action Project, we are so lucky to have an engaged, hard-working board of directors who believe in what TAP does and in the individuals who do it. I was reminded of the special relationship between TAP board and staff at our annual Staff Appreciation BBQ. Organized by board members, the event was a celebration of the TAP family and the special contributions every individual in this quirky family brings to the important work we do.

Over here, Sarah Rinner is spearheading a homemade ice cream project that involves her new husband, a couple of TAP Teaching Artists led by Mr. Frank and my spirited youngest child--among others--in a blessedly cold, sweet success. Unfortunately, it also brought the dogs looking for a chance to lick an unattended spoon. Who am I kidding? It really only brought my dog Ruby, who was a comedic menace the whole time.

That same youngest child makes an elaborate drum kit out of our collection of flower pots turned upside down. Pieces of discarded dowel that, no doubt, framed some puppet creation, made awesome drumsticks and he takes turns with other kids doing long solos to rhythms no one can follow.

In the far corner, Dustin Wills has rigged a big, gold star-burst pinata near the badminton net. The kids all wait behind him waiting for their turns to swat the pinata and narrowly miss each other. Standing there, holding the rope that supports the pinata, surrounded by the kids, Dustin looks like Peter Pan with his lost boys (and girls).

Penny, the wayward Daschund mix, Teaching Artist Marcelo Teson found and is leaving with a foster family within days, is there too. She's keeping Ruby in line and being so sweet that I regret not taking her myself.

My favorite picture shows the whole crowd--with Karen there in the middle--in the shadow of our shed that declares in simple, big letters, what brings and binds us all together.

Austin's Juneteenth Celebration

2011-06-09T14:44:00.005-05:00

By: Florinda Bryant, Programming Specialist

Summer is a time full of relaxation and sun-filled fun, as families and their youth move from Memorial Day Celebrations to Father's Day outings and the Fourth of July cook outs. We busy bees at Theatre Action Project, are having just as much fun swinging into high gear with our summer programming at 20 different schools in and around Austin as well as prepping for camp and our Summer Pageant in the Park on June 18th. The weekend of June 18^th is always a busy one for us here at TAP, but you may wonder "Where’s Ms. Flow?" Well, I am participating in a different celebration in a different location, one that happens all over Texas, Austin's Juneteenth Celebration.

Being a Texas girl, I was raised celebrating Juneteenth with the same level of excitement and honor that some feel about the 4th of July. Some of you may wonder, “Ms. Flow, what is Juneteenth?” For those of you who aren't from Texas or just plain old "had no idea", here is a little history lesson on Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the celebration of the emancipation from slavery in Texas and June 19 is recognized as a state holiday, and a day for all Americans to celebrate African American freedom, history, and culture. Over the years, the African American community has had to fight to have these celebrations, (Sometimes even moving them onto private property were they would be legal). In 1930, the first Juneteenth celebration was held at Rosewood Park in East Austin. It is named the Historic East Austin for a reason.

Here is a little more history...even though Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and Lee surrendered in April 1865, it wasn't until General Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order #3 Emancipation, that word started to spread across this southern state. As African Americans in Texas learned of their emancipation, they took the first steps of the journey we continue on today, the journey towards freedom and equality.

Juneteenth is a time of celebration and reflection. It is a time to celebrate with parades, cook outs, battle of the bands, praise dancing and other community events; a time to remember the ancestors, and celebrate us and our futures.

This year, Austin's Juneteenth celebrations are from June 17-19, for more information on events visit the Juneteenth Central Texas Website. As East Austin continues to diversify, I hope everyone gets an opportunity to enjoy the celebration and commemorate an important part of history, I know I will be there! Be sure to check out TAP's Summer Pageant in the Park that weekend too!

An Example of Courage in Action in Austin

2011-06-07T11:51:00.001-05:00

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Manager

I’m not sure how many of you caught the wonderful article in the Austin-American Statesman this weekend about the fabulous sons of singer songwriter Monte Warden, Van and Sam Warden. The article, by Denise Gamino is beautiful and inspiring.

The story talks about the brother’s graduation this past weekend from Stephen F. Austin High School and how each will be moving onto different life paths. The fact that both brothers were graduating together is inspiring to be sure, but it was also how their love and care for each other has already shaped them into strong men and passionate leaders. The pair protested at a local movie theater a few years ago because of a film’s use of language around a character with disabilities. There were protests around the country about the film.

At Theatre Action Project, the program Courage in Action helps students understand what it is to be courageous leaders in our community. If you ask me Van and Sam are certainly great examples of courage and leadership for all of us. I grew up hearing my mother saying “charity begins at home” and that seems to be very true for the the Wardens. Their passion has deepened beyond their front door from seeing a problem to taking action.

Read the Statesman article here and tell me what you think. What other examples of courage and leadership in our community can you see and share?

Wrapping Up the School Year in Del Valle

2011-06-03T13:17:00.001-05:00

by Natalie Goodnow, Artistic Associate

This May, we concluded our first year of after school programming in Del Valle ISD. We are so pleased and so proud of our collaboration with the new ACE (Afterschool Centers on Education) programs in the district!

I have the great pleasure of working with our Del Valle elementary school campuses and teaching artists as a team lead; here are some of the highlights we saw as students and Teaching Artists or “TA's” shared their work with their communities this spring.

Hillcrest Elementary

TA’s Peter Mendoza and Claire Augustine's students shared poems and visions of peace at Poetry for Peace Night.

Baty Elementary

With TA’s Irina Kaplan and Jean Claude Lessou, students wowed parents with a super scary zombie dance!

Popham Elementary

Students exploring stories with TA's Ben Schave and Diana Leon in our Storybook Theatre curriculum shared artwork, original scenes, and favorite games with their families and friends.

Smith Elementary

One of Lillie Hollingsworth's (TA) classes showed a trailer for their original movie, "Zombie Girl," and the other two performed their original play "Kai the Lion," about a lion with a blue mane who isn't accepted because his friends because he's different. Keep an eye out for Lillie's film about the class!

Hornsby-Dunlap Elementary

TA Stephanie Chavez' younger students performed a narrative pantomime based on the book "Super Cilantro Girl" (one of my favorite stories!), her older students performed their very own play, as did Lucy Miller-Downing's (TA) fabulous 2nd and 3rd graders, all Hollywood-bound! TA Frank Nappi's classes shared some of the stories they've read and masks and costumes they've created this year.

Del Valle Elementary

A TAPstravaganza! One of TA Mitch Bowman's classes of students displayed their artwork in their very own gallery, including a sound and light installation. Another class gave a drum performance, while the other two showed fantastic films. One of Lillie Hollingsworth's classes also showed two films, and the other shared three dances - all created by the students!

Creedmoor Elementary

Lindsay Palmer's (TA) students shared their original puppet creations, and Kate Shaw's (TA) saw the debut of their original play. At the end of the event, several students took the microphone to talk about the ACE program; one said,

"Thank you so much for having this program. We learned so many things we never learned before. This is the most fun I ever had in my whole life!"

Wow, can you believe all the things we created in Del Valle this year! And that's just in one of the six area public school districts we work with!

And now, we're already beginning our summer program. I can't wait to see what our students and Teaching Artists cook up next!

Are you a TAP student, teacher, parent, or principal at Del Valle? Let me know how your year went. I’d love to chat with you and get your perspective on the year.

New World Kids Curriculum

2011-06-03T12:15:00.001-05:00

By: Sarah Rinner, Elementary School Program Director

This week I have the privilege of attending a workshop hosted by the founders of New World Kids. It is a curriculum for creative thinking in early childhood. The creators have developed "the sensory alphabet" which consists of nine sensory experiences that children need to explore in order to develop into creative thinkers and help them learn throughout life. Shape, space, line, color, texture, rhythm, movement, light and sound. I've been stretching my artistic brain this week participating in wonderfully engaging activities that explore each of these areas.

But the curriculum, as I will learn more about today, is also a way for teachers to understand the strength areas of a child (based on what they enjoyed doing most, or the sensory elements they keep using in their explorations) and communicate those interests back to parents. For example, in looking at the art projects of a 5-year old, we may discover that they most enjoy working with shapes, color, rhythm, or a particular media. I'm excited to complete the training today and begin to adopt the New World Kids ideas into the work that we do with our youngest youth. The parallels are already strong in our existing curriculum, and this new toolkit of working with the "sensory alphabet" has opened new paths for how we engage our young minds!

Texas House of Representatives Approval of House Bill 1942

2011-05-31T13:21:00.021-05:00

by Karen LaShelle, Executive and Artistic Director

We have some exciting news to share, courtesy of our friends at Equality Texas. On May 24th, the Texas House of Representatives gave final approval to House Bill 1942, relating to bullying in public schools. The House's final vote to concur with Senate amendments was 118-26. The bill will make its way to Governor Rick Perry, who is expected to sign it into law.

Rep. Diane Patrick (R-Arlington), the primary author of HB 1942 stated, "Parents and children deserve to know they are within safe walls while receiving an education." She added, "I am especially grateful for the work that Rep. Mark Strama (D-Austin) and other House Public Education members contributed to lead this bill to fruition."

Indeed, the efforts to pass an anti-bullying law have extended over multiple legislative sessions dating back over 15 years to legislation filed by former Rep. Harryette Ehrhardt, and current members Reps. Garnet Coleman, Harold Dutton, Mark Strama, Diane Patrick and Senators John Whitmire, Wendy Davis, and Leticia Van de Putte.

But it was the courageous efforts by Texas parents whose children have suffered from bullying that propelled the bipartisan effort in the Texas House and Senate to finally pass meaningful anti-bullying legislation in the wake of recent bullying-related tragedies in Texas and across the country.

Amy and David Truong of Houston lost their son, Asher Brown, eight months ago to bullying-related suicide. The couple has been working tirelessly for passage of the law. "It was a promise I made to Asher the day that he died before his little body left this house," Amy Truong said. "I told him that I would never stop fighting until we did something to change this." David said, "We'll never let this happen to any other family."

Equality Texas made anti-bullying legislation its top priority for the legislative session. Executive Director Dennis Coleman stated, "Our 2010 Equality Poll showed overwhelming public support for legislation to address the problem of bullying in schools. We were determined to focus all our efforts to provide school administrators, teachers and parents with tools to create a safe learning environment for every student."

The new law will:

Establish a new bullying definition that includes bullying through electronic means;

Integrates awareness, prevention, identification, and resolution of and intervention in bullying into the health curriculum;

Provides local school boards with discretion to transfer a student found to have bullied to another classroom or to another campus in consultation with the parent or guardian; and

Requires local school districts to adopt and implement a bullying policy that recognizes minimum guidelines such as prohibition of bullying, providing counseling options, and establishes procedures for reporting an incidence of bullying.

The sponsor of HB 1942 in the Senate, State Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio) stated, "Texas could no longer ignore this problem. It was imperative that our state take action and implement the appropriate steps to prevent further unnecessary bullying that unfortunately occurs in our public schools."

Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) added, "The real goal is prevention. We've got to hold public school officials accountable when they know about these acts."

Here at Theatre Action Project, our programs The Courage to Stand and The Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble empower young people to be courageous allies in the face of bullying. Our programs are one part of the changing tide on bullying in our country. We are so pleased to see that policies are changing in Texas and that laws will now be in place to help protect young people.

Youth Arts Festival : Thoughts from the Producer

2011-05-31T13:07:00.001-05:00

by Aron Taylor, Teaching Artist and Youth Arts Festival Producer

This year, I was given the opportunity to produce the Youth Arts Festival for Theatre Action Project presented on May 21 at the George Washington Carver Museum Theatre. The responsibilities were great, but so were the rewards.

The day-long festival of music, performance, film, and dance kicked off with a level of energy that only seemed to increase throughout the day. TAP staff, volunteers, and participating students were excited and willing to make that energy explode into a feeling of community that can only happen when the spectacle and spectator are folded in on each other - as was the case for this event. This is not to say that the only people in attendance were the performers, quite the contrary. In fact, the entire showcase quickly lent itself to a standing room only event - something to be kept in mind for next year’s festival.

Executive Director, Karen LaShelle being
interviewed by KXAN TV and KEYE TV on stage
at the Boyd Vance Theatre.

Viewing students, parents, friends, and television news crews filling the auditorium from the front of the stage all the way to the back walls of the Boyd Vance Theatre was almost as incredible as the action on stage itself.

Photos by Carol Acurso , Amanda Davis, and Mary Alice Carnes.

Theater People

2011-05-26T14:02:00.000-05:00

by Anita Ashton, Development Director

Last week at an event, Karen LaShelle, Theatre Action Project’s Executive Director, and I were chatting with the mother of a high school student considering college choices. The mother’s son was interested in a theater program. We began discussing the strengths and characteristics of “theater people.” As an English major with no formal training or practical experience in theater working with scads of people steeped in that world, I have found that the defining attributes of my theater-trained colleagues are somewhat different than I’d have expected.

Among my co-workers, you will definitely find resonant voices capable of projection to the back of a performance venue and yes … you would recognize a penchant for costume and a love of having an audience, but I have come to think differently about how the theater arts comes to define people and their skill sets.

The real mark of “theater people” is an effortlessly creative resourcefulness.

Space and budget constraints are often as demanding as artistic concerns. The result is often real ingenuity. The open under-carriage of a giant alligator puppet in my office reveals a flexible skeleton made of interlocking pieces of foam core that are a feat of engineering. Theater experience is tantamount to chicken wire genius, apparently. I’ve seen Dustin Wills freestyle chicken wire into the form of giant forks and spoons that are transformed by papier mache and glossy paint into beautiful utensils.

On any given approach to our office, you might come upon a scene like this one…Karen and Dustin freehand sculpting a bull head for a production of Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf.

So the next time you come across a big voice or outsize personality, before you use the term “theatrical” to describe the bearer, take the person’s problem-solving, idea-engineering and resourcefulness into consideration!

The Amazing Students from Garcia Middle School

2011-05-26T12:03:00.003-05:00

by Patrick Torres, Middle School and High School Director

When I first arrived at Theatre Action Project, it was important me to work with a group of students as quickly as possible. I knew that no matter how many staff members I met with or how many grants, articles, or handbooks I read about the organization, I wouldn’t understand the heart of TAP until I got in a room with some of our participants. Luckily, that opportunity came in my second week as I accompanied Florinda Bryant to our after-school programming at Gus Garcia Middle School.

For those of us working in education, we know from a variety of experiences that middle school students in an after school environment present a variety of challenges. It is often difficult in these settings to keep the students focused and motivated. And while these challenges do exist at Garcia, I have never worked with a group of students who overcome those challenges so quickly.

It is astonishing to see how invested they can be when presented with a chance to let their creative juices flow.

These particular students dive into scripts like professional actors, studying their characters and dissecting the conflicts of their plays. It is similar to watching someone on a treasure hunt as they work to make sense of the language and the scenes they are given to act out. During rehearsals, they work to accurately convey the emotions of the characters and motivate one another to dig deeper and try harder. It has been fun to watch! And they have reminded me of some very important lessons:

Students need to be challenged. Many times problems with focus come from students feeling uninspired by what you’ve given them.
Students are way more perceptive than you think…if you believe they are going to be trouble…they will be trouble. But if you respect them as individuals and believe they are capable of success, they will be successful.
Drama is fun! While working on a play takes hard work and they can be used to teach us serious lessons, it is called a “play” for a reason!
Theatre as an art form brings us all together to have a common experience, so no matter who made us mad earlier in the day or what I might be frustrated with in my environment , telling stories allows me to connect to those around me.

I am thankful the students at Garcia were my first class at TAP. They have reminded me of the reasons I love what I do for a living and that middle school students are just as capable of being great artists as any of us.

They have their final sharing this afternoon and I cannot wait to see them in action!

Joy and Community at the Youth Arts Festival

2011-05-23T20:37:00.002-05:00

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Manager

Theatre Action Project’s 4th Annual Youth Arts Festival was certainly something to celebrate this past Saturday at the George Washington Carver Museum. Several middle and high school youth and TAP Teaching Artists showcased their work at the festival for a full house of students, parents, and families.
Before a single presentation happened however Sarah Rinner, TAP’s Elementary School Program Director, led all participating festival students in a series of fun warm up exercises to help energize the group and shake away any last minute nervousness.

Marcelo Teson Teaching Artist talks about
Del Valle Middle School film "The Queen

As promised, the performances were as diverse in their celebration of art, which included stop-motion film, light-box animation, videos, dance, plays about friendship and healthy and unhealthy relationships.

Volunteers once again supported the festival with equal joy. Several individuals and the Junior League of Austin braved Austin traffic and thick humidity to set up, greet students, fold programs and usher, serve pizza and snacks throughout the day, and clean up and load out.

My favorite part of the festival was the communal celebration of art in all is forms. The post showcase entertainment provided by Diverse Effect Skate Crew and Free Angola Capoeira Society also gave us a fun platform to express our passion.

Here are a few photos (and one video clip) from the day from photographers Amanda Davis, Carol Park and yours truly. Enjoy!

CYD Courage in Action All-Star Camp

2011-05-20T11:06:00.000-05:00

By: Emily Tindall, CYD Program Manager

This is the fourth year that Theatre Action Project has received the Community Youth Development (CYD) grant, a grant designed to provide free programming for youth in the 78744 zip code here in Austin. This grant is awarded to TAP by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, through the City of Austin.

Each year through the CYD grant, TAP serves over 1000 youth – in one zip code alone! We have 4 programs under the grant – the Courage to Stand for 4th and 5th grades, Courage in Action for 5th and 6th grades, Alternative Solutions for 6th-12th grades, and a summer program open to any youth 10-17 that live in 78744.

This summer, we are excited to announce that we are expanding (by combining) our summer and Courage in Action programs! We have designed the Courage in Action All-Star Camp - This camp is an extension of Courage in Action, an opportunity for youth to work together with other students from 78744/Dove Springs-area elementary schools to recognize problems in the world and to develop creative and peaceful solutions to those problems, expressed through the arts. The camp will feature special guest speakers, visits from community leaders, field trips, and a public presentation of the students’ work, hopefully to be broadcast on local news outlets. This camp will provide an excellent opportunity for youth in the 78744 to develop valuable skills in teamwork, leadership, and creative expression.

Our Special Agents of Courage (known to TAP as Natalie Goodnow and Keri Boyd) are currently back in schools in the ’44, asking youth to join them for this exciting super-secret mission. We are so excited to have an opportunity to partner with the Dove Springs Recreation Center, where the camp will be held, to bring new, exciting programming to the ’44, and extend our work with these youth!

If you’d like more information on this camp, the Community Youth Development grant, or would like to get involved, contact Emily Tindall, CYD Program Manager at emily@theatreactionproject.org!

George and Martha, The Wump World, and Tar Beach

2011-05-20T10:43:00.001-05:00

by Cassie Swayze — After School Programs Associate VISTA

Hello again from TAP’s librarian! I’m here today to share a few more of my favorite storybooks. TAP has a vast library with a myriad of resources. It’s hard to choose just three!

One of my favorite - and one of the funniest - books in the TAP library is George and Martha by James Marshall. The book features five stories about two best friends and loveable hippopotamuses, George and Martha. These stories are pretty silly but the underlying message of friendship, compassion, and sharing shines through. In one funny tale, Martha makes far too much split pea soup and George, out of politeness, eats even though he can’t stand the taste. Instead of telling Martha he doesn’t want to eat anymore he hides the soup in his loafer! The story ends with Martha and George reconciling over a plate of cookies. This is just one example of a sweet and funny yarn with a message about friendship and honesty. I would highly recommend George and Martha for children and adults alike!

Another beautiful and educational book that I love is The Wump World, story and illustrations by Bill Peet. This is the story of the Wumps who live on the Wump World planet. They play and frolic all day in the meadows and crystal-clear rivers of Wump World. Then one day a fleet of potbellied monsters zoomed down to the Wump World and out marched the Pollutians from the planet Pollutus. They take over Wump World, driving the Wumps underground, and build cities full of skyscrapers, apartment buildings, overpasses, and underpasses, cars, and trucks! Soon Wump World was overrun with pollution: smog and smoke filled the air and the water was no longer clear. The Pollutians decide to leave Wump World, leaving the Wumps to clean up the mess. Although the illustrations are simple the book will spark conversations among students, children, and parents. This is a powerful book that uses a simple metaphor for conservation that even young children will appreciate.

The last book I want to share with you is Tar Beach, story and illustrations by Faith Ringgold, which was my favorite book as a child. I love Tar Beach’s for its beautiful illustrations, magical story, and since the main character’s name is Cassie! The book begins with Cassie remembering, “…when the stars feel down around me and lifted me up above the George Washington Bridge”. She goes on to describe Depression-era Harlem and the New York City from above as she flies through the night sky. Ringgold used quilt painting – acrylic on canvas paper and fabric – to illustrate this wonderful, timeless story. We have several of Faith Ringgold’s books in the TAP library, If A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Park and Cassie’s Word Quilt, which are both wonderful storybooks.

If you would like to browse all the children’s books in the TAP library, please visit our Shelfari.

Responding to Changing Needs in Our Community

2011-05-19T15:02:00.000-05:00

by Nitra Gutierrez — Middle and High School Artistic Associate

We have all seen recent headlines in the news about youth in our communities facing new issues like cyber bullying as our relationship with technology evolves. Youth of the 21^st Century are now referred to as “digital natives.” These young people have never lived in a world without cell phones, texting, the Internet, and social media connections that are active and within arm’s reach 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As these technologies speed up our lives, the social repercussions that come along with them evolve as well. Media reports about the dangers of cyber bullying and sexting showcase escalated repercussions brought about by these behaviors.

At Theatre Action Project we try to create spaces for students to have conversations about these behaviors before they become the tragedies we see on the news. Crossing the Line, a TAP in the Classroom program for middle school students was created to address the evolving needs of our tech-savvy youth. This program addresses issues like gender-based bullying, sexual harassment and cyber bullying in a way that is engaging and grounded in the realities our youth face from day to day.

This program is collaboration between Theatre Action Project and the University of Texas School of Nursing in an effort to explore the nuances of bullying as youth transition into adulthood. The reality is that behaviors like bullying evolve into higher-risk behaviors like assault and sexual assault that have consequences far greater than a trip to the principal’s office.

In Crossing the Line, students watch the paths of three major characters from age six through middle school in a fully produced theatrical production. Three days of fun follow-up activities with the actor-teachers offer students an opportunity to discuss the behaviors they see in the play and reflect on the characters’ motives and points of view in a safe, engaging context. During parts of the program, students even have the chance to step into the action themselves and make new, positive choices that help the characters get what they want.

One thing I love about this program is that the characters are written like real kids. Nothing is black and white. There are no “good guys vs. bad guys.”

We see characters we like making choices we don’t agree with and that’s part of what makes it honest. We frame the roles of bully, bystander and target as roles we all have the capability of stepping into at one time or another. I think this is important because it’s easy to label someone as a “bully” and then create an artificial distance between us. In truth, we all adapt to our situations from moment to moment. The same person who participates in bullying behaviors may in fact be acting out in response to moments of their own victimization. Likewise, I think it’s empowering for young people to recognize that we are all constantly reinventing who we are. We have the power to create ourselves with every choice we face.

A Reflection on Our Volunteers

2011-05-18T12:30:00.000-05:00

by: Kelly Schiller, Community Relations VISTA

Convio employees volunteering at TAP

As one of the go-to-gals for volunteer inquiries for Theatre Action Project, I’m amazed each and everyday how many phone calls and emails I receive from people eager to get involved. From the exhilarating creative outlets of after-school volunteering, to the one-time event support running relays with giant puppet heads, to sewing human-sized ant tunnels, to the ever-flowing piles of data-entry, there seems to be something for everyone. Natasha Freeman, one of our dedicated after-school and administrative volunteers, says she likes to counter the active volunteering with administrative support because she finds it meditative and calming. And of course we love her for it!

LibreDigital mural painting at Winn Elementary

Volunteers are an integral part of our operations at TAP. Though most of their work is behind-the-scenes, they are the icing on the cake that makes TAP shine. Through the help of volunteers we are able to get involved with more events, work with larger class sizes, and have that many more fun and funky costumes and props for performances. We are delighted to hear that our volunteers not only feel good about how they help TAP succeed, but they also have an unforgettable experience in the process.

When one volunteer was asked what he has gained from working with TAP he shared,

"I have gained an immense amount of experience working, playing, and learning with all the kids--exercising communication, assessing teaching projects, and how to implement creative tactics to make enjoyable experiences."

Annie Hsu and Racimony Hun building
crafts at Paramount Theatre

We are glad that our volunteers are able to receive not only an educational experience, but a fun and creative experience at the same time. Thank you volunteers!

If you are interested in learning about upcoming volunteer opportunities, please email Mary Alice, the Community Relations Manager at maryalice@theatreactionproject.org.

A Very Special After-School Class

2011-05-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

By: Natalie Goodnow, Artistic Associate

Monday was a very special after school class for TAP Teaching Artist Lillie Hollingsworth.

The after school program coordinator at Lillie's campus interrupted her class Monday afternoon and asked her to come to the office for a bit. I was asked if I would mind watching her class for a little while, since I was there "observing". We were all seated on the cafeteria stage, taking a quick game break between rehearsals of the students' play, so I assured Lillie that I'd keep the game going until she got back. Lillie was quite confused, as this was really very unusual, and even worried she was in trouble, but little did she know...

When she returned to her class, Lillie's kindergarten and first-grade students were seated criss-cross trying their very best to hide the roses behind their backs, and even harder to hide the grins on their faces.

"Miss Lillie," I told her, "your class has a very special message for you from Will."

The class extended the roses to Miss Lillie and chimed "Will you marry me?"

Out popped boyfriend Will Oram from backstage, with, yes, the ring. He kneeled down, trembling just a bit, and Lillie exploded into tears and smiles. And yes, she said "Yes!"

The students couldn't contain themselves, jumping up and down, rushing to Miss Lillie to hand her her roses, throwing petals in the air, shouting "Hip hip hooray!" and "Happy Married Day!"

One student asked, "Do we have to call you Mrs. Will now?"

Congratulations, Lillie and Will! We're so, so, so happy for you, and so happy to have you here as part of the TAP family. Thank you for letting us be a part of this special day!

Constructing Two Papier-Mache Bulls

2011-05-17T13:34:00.000-05:00

by Dustin Wills, Programming Specialist

Over the past two weeks, Karen LaShelle and I have been working on constructing two bulls for an event at Central Market. Karen shared with me an interesting structure created and built by the Morinesio “Festa di Mezza-Notte” Puppeteers in Italy. Karen attended this Italian Mid-summer workshop in 2010.

I built the structure (pictured on the right), and together, Karen and I molded the rough shape of the bull’s head out of hardware cloth. Once that was completed we sculpted clay around the structure and carved the details into the face. We then lathered Vasoline all over it and covered it in saran wrap. Then came the lengthy task of covering the head with papier-mache – 6 layers of it.

The last step, a very fun step, is cutting directly into the head of the bull, sawing him in half. After cutting it off you pull on the papier-mached structure and it pops right off the clay mold, ready to be glued back together and painted.

Karen did a wonderful job of painting the bull heads, complete with contour, shading and highlights. I spent that time working on constructing the bodies out of coffee-bean bags and hula-hoops.

The final product looked amazing, as you can tell from the pictures. The picture, at right, is Karen putting the final touches on Mama Bull with the flower on her head.

Be on the look-out for a blog about Theatre Action Project’s Central Market performance of Ferdinand, the Bull – the spectacle for which these magical creatures were created featuring original music by Freddy Carnes and starring Sarah Rinner, Brian Fahey, Florinda Bryant and Karen LaShelle!

Smelling the Flowers

2011-05-17T12:33:00.007-05:00

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Manager

On Sunday afternoon, Theatre Action Project presented a storytelling as part of Central Market’s celebration of the Tastes of Spain celebration and this was TAP’s version of “running with the bulls.” Children and their families gathered on the grass to listen to the story of Ferdinand the Bull. Munro Leaf’s enchanting story has charmed children and families since 1936. Leaf’s book was such a success that it competed with Gone with the Wind on the bestseller list of the time. The story tells the tale of a gentle bull named Ferdinand who would rather smell the flowers than follow traditional nature of most bulls to fight. In Leaf’s story other bulls also hoped to be chosen to fight in the bull ring facing brave matadors.

It was a picture perfect day to be outdoors in park area of Central Market North. TAP volunteers helped children make colorful tissue paper and pipe cleaner flowers. The flowers were part of the ambiance of the day’s Spanish celebrations, of course, but if those same flower-making children happened to sit in on the telling of Ferdinand the Bull later, they discovered that flowers were Ferdinand’s main focus.

At the point in the story that Ferdinand finds himself in the center of a bull ring children were encouraged by the storyteller to toss their flowers in Ferdinand’s direction, as is often done in the bull ring. To their delight, children saw the gentle Ferdinand stop to sniff their flowers. In the end, Ferdinand is the brave one, because Ferdinand makes the choice to follow his heart. The fun papier-mâché bulls on Sunday depicting Ferdinand and his mother created by TAP were a hit with the kids who wanted to touch them, ride them, and get inside to see how they operated.

It's nice to know that after 75 years, Ferdinand has so much to teach us. Did you read Ferdinand the Bull as a child? What lessons did you learn from him? Feel free to comment, we would love to hear from you.

Gearing Up for a TAP-Tastic Summer

2011-05-16T14:11:00.001-05:00

by Brian C. Fahey, Program and Marketing Coordinator

As a staff member heavily involved with our summer camps I am constantly being asked: What makes TAP camps unique? Here in Austin there is certainly no dearth of creative arts programming for young people, especially over the summer months. So with all the choices out there for parents who want to send their child to a creative arts camp, why do so many parents choose TAP? Why do our campers return, year after year, to spend their summers with us? Three words come to mind: variety, creativity, and community.

Variety: Over eight weeks our campers will learn filmmaking, puppetry, dance, drumming, playmaking, and more. Every week is a different theme facilitated by professional artists that bring a specific skill set to the classroom. No matter what your child’s interests, we have a camp for them!

Creativity: Our camps thrive on the energy and creativity of our campers. The youth help shape the Friday performances and families are often amazed by what their children can accomplish in a week. Our Friday performances are no ordinary talent show--they showcase all the creative energy of our campers in a unique blend of music, art, theatre, dance and film.

Community: Perhaps more important than the skills that our campers will learn, is the community they will create. TAP Camps are all about team-work, raising self-confidence, and allowing our campers to express themselves artistically.

What sets TAP camps apart, in my opinion, is how truly child centered they are. Though we are teaching our campers artistic skills, our goal, first and foremost, is to foster their creativity and provide them an experience they will never forget.

Our camps begin in just 5 weeks. Is there a child in your life who would enjoy TAP summer camp? Help us spread the word!

For information and online registration, click here. For questions write to us at camp@theatreactionproject.org, or call us at (512) 442-8773.

See you this summer!

A Paint-ful Volunteer!

2011-05-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

By: Chelsea Gilman, Business and Development Associate
When I think about all of our volunteers, I am so thankful for their hard work and how much we are able to accomplish because of them.

Every week we have volunteers at the office, at school programs, and at events. They create props, organize and input data, help with our Teaching Artists and so much more. They are helping us accomplish a higher capacity of projects with kids and families at a level we would otherwise not be able to reach.

This past Friday, May 13, several TAP employees, including myself, got the chance to participate in our own volunteer project. The Entrepreneurs Foundation of Central Texas set up a spring service day benefiting Winn Elementary School. Over 200 volunteers, whom came from several organizations around Austin, worked on many projects that ranged from creating a mosaic in front of the school, landscaping around the school, and painting 3 murals inside the school.

Kelly (left) and I with one of the finished murals

Theatre Action Project was in charge of helping volunteers with the painting of the murals. We painted two in the gym and one in the hallway. The paintings were fully of color and active volunteers more than ready to help spruce up.

I had a wonderful time helping paint and listening to the comments kids would make as they walked by. The staff and kids at Winn were so excited for the new murals, many times throughout the day you would hear the kids say "thank you" or just "whoa!" The school is already full of fun murals, but I know we added much needed vibrancy to the gym and hallway.

It feels good to be a volunteer and makes you appreciate so much more about people that come and volunteer here. In addition, it feels good to get a yummy box lunch and Amy's Ice Cream.

What a great Friday! To top it all off, I headed back to the office to send off a grant application that afternoon. Fingers crossed!

Rakoto and the Drongo Bird

2011-05-13T16:06:00.001-05:00

By: Freddy Carnes, Artistic Associate

We asked the students at Austin Montessori School at Great Northern Blvd. if they understood the subject of slave traders in Madagascar in the 1800's. Even though the children were part of a lower elementary classroom (1st-3rd grade) they immediately began a discussion of freedom, human rights and equality. I have been a TAP employee and teacher for nearly 6 years, but this surprised even me. We had a rich discussion about the implications of treating another human being with respect before we all agreed to embark on the next leg of our journey.

In January 2011 the students, teachers, parents and I began to adapt a folk tale from Madagascar called "Rakoto and the Drongo Bird". It is the story of a boy named Rakoto who befriends a small black bird who loves to mimic everything. Some believe that the Drongo Bird is an evil spirit, not like the butterflies and wildflowers who are considered the ancestors and therefore good spirits. One day a merchant and his wife come to town and tell a story of bearded men who are stealing people from other villages. No one quite believes the merchant's story except Rakoto. When he discovers a boat coming toward the village he frantically warns the boys to come with him. They refuse at first, but they, Rakoto's sisters and an old woman and man escape before the men torch the village while the rest of the people are working in the rice fields. They think they are safe until the baby sister cries. The men come running until suddenly the baby cry comes from a different direction, then another direction.

Rakoto suddenly realizes that it is the Drongo Bird who is imitating the baby and drawing the slave traders farther away from where they are hiding. The Drongo is celebrated as a good spirit and is credited for saving the village.

We adapted the book and transformed it into a stage play complete with new, original songs, choreography, puppetry and shadow puppetry. We just completed four performances at the end of April by transforming the classroom into a Madagascar village complete with bamboo huts and jungle backdrop. The performances were standing room only and very successful! I was proud to be a part of TAP's second collaboration with Austin Montessori School.

Still the most important day for me was the first day when we discussed why this story was so important to tell!

These Amazing Girls

2011-05-13T14:27:00.001-05:00

by Amy Downing, Teaching Artist

Youth Arts Festival 2011 Featured School - Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

I, along with Jenn Hartmann of the University of Texas' Drama and Theatre for Youth Program have been meeting with the girls at Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders. This semester the girls have been composing music and writing monologues and poems about the challenges of friendship.

Last semester the girls wrote a piece on self-esteem and how it affects all aspects of their lives. They discovered that their body-image, school, family and social lives were all touched by the issues surrounding self-esteem.

In addition to performing their piece at their school, the girls have also performed at an open-mike night at Thunderbird Coffee and recently sang back up for Sara Hickman for Theatre Action Project's Best of Times fundraiser at the Paramount Theatre in February of this year. You can hear one of the songs they composed, Don't Let The Pictures Fool You on YouTube by clicking here. This song explores how the media affects our self-esteem and warns young women about the dangers of chasing these unrealistic ideals.

These amazing girls will perform at TAP's Youth Arts Festival next Saturday and present more original songs, poems, and monologues. Their piece, What it's Worth follows five girl's struggles with friendships. The piece highlights the girl's struggle with issues such as why friendships are amazing, why they break up, whether a relationship is healthy, what they can do to save a friendship, and when to let a friendship go.

Join us on May 21^st to see our film at Theatre Action Project’s Youth Arts Festival at the George Washington Carver History Museum, 1165 Angelina Street, Austin, TX 78702-2034 (map). The fun starts at 1 p.m. and it’s FREE!

Photo above: Sara Hickman, third from left, sings with the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders at the Sara Hickman & Friends concert in February 2011.

Photos: Carol and John Acurso.

A Raven, The Titan Machine and Julio

2011-05-13T13:37:00.000-05:00

by Griffin Mauser, Teaching Artist

Youth Arts Festival 2011 Featured Schools – Decker Middle School, Manor New Tech High School

When you join us for Theatre Action Project’s Youth Arts Festival on May 21^st, look for the photographs of special murals on display courtesy of TAP Teaching Artist Griffin Mauser. Below are Griffin’s reflections about these works.

What Makes the Best Raven? Decker Middle School

The Masterpiece class created this mural after determining what made the best Decker Middle School "Raven." We outlined the silhouette of the piece and filled it in with symbols representing the qualities of a great raven: honesty, courage, ambition, athleticism, spirit, mystery, love of learning, achievement, curiosity, tolerance and community.

The Titan Machine, Manor New Technology High School

As a STEM school, Manor New Tech High School students recognized the process of refining a middle school student through science, technology, engineering and math to produce fully functioning Titans. The process is represented in overlapping images of gears, retorts, microscope and camera in three tones of blue. The fine silver of the raw student is tested, tried, transformed and "projected" into the future.

Julio Zavala, Masterpiece Class, Decker Middle School

From the first day at Decker Middle School, Julio has participated fully, attended faithfully and applied the principles of art to his own work. Despite tedium, discomfort, and a shifting membership, Julio focused his attention on developing his talents and supporting the community of artists however irregular their attendance.

The White House Supports Arts Education

2011-05-12T07:52:00.000-05:00

Submitted by Patrick Torres, Middle School and High School Program Director

The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities released a report on Monday entitled: Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America's Future through Creative Schools. The report is the result of 18 months of rigorous research on the effectiveness of arts education in our nation’s schools.
While the findings are staggering in their proof of the value of arts integration in schools, they are not all that surprising to those of us working in the field.

We see the benefit first hand. We watch students make deep connections to historical events as they write original material for historical characters or get a stronger grasp on science as they explore ecosystems through puppet making. But even with these first hand experiences, we find ourselves fighting to keep the arts in schools on a seemingly daily basis as schools get more and more focused on ensuring their students succeed on their standardized tests even though (as evidenced by this report) schools that fully integrate the arts into their students’ experiences consistently achieve higher scores on these very same tests.

“I suppose that is what always frustrates me about reports like these – they always make a compelling case for arts education, but don’t offer strategies for putting the findings into action.”

Until now! The most exciting thing about the President’s Committee’s report is that they offer innovative suggestions on how government agencies, schools and companies like Theatre Action Project can work to ensure the arts become a vital part of education.

While TAP has already implemented many of these strategies, I look forward to finding even new ways to bolster our reach into the education system for the benefit of our youth. If you are not currently working in arts education, but feel passionately that the arts belong in schools there are some things you can do on the individual and local level:

Volunteer with Theatre Action Project to see outstanding arts programs in action!
Donate to Theatre Action Project to help us sustain and grow our programming
Contact your elected officials to let them know you believe the arts are essential to a well rounded education.
Share this report with your friends, family and community to help spread the word about the value of programs like Theatre Action Project.

I hope you will read the report and join TAP in ensuring that our students are equipped for success in the 21^st Century!

Filming The Queen

2011-05-11T16:03:00.000-05:00

by Marcelo Teson, Teaching Artist

Youth Arts Festival 2011 Featured School – Del Valle Middle School

My film class at Del Valle Middle School has taken a huge leap forward with The Queen, a mockumentary-style comedy about two girls vying for the Valentine's Day Queen crown. The fun thing about this film was that all the dialogue was improvised based on a basic plot skeleton. Shooting days consisted of:

A quick review of what we were filming that day
Several exploratory rehearsals of the scene, and
Shooting in several takes to achieve the scene.

It's been so awesome seeing the characters take shape as the students work with them and explore them.

By the end of shooting our actors were so comfortable with their characters and the process that they could comfortably improvise any kind of scene with them. We even hit a zone where actors were offering different improvisations and jokes per take, allowing the editors to choose the funniest bits and maximize the comedy of the film, something that is rare even on professional shoots. I have seen shy and nervous students become fearless with their explorations as actors and that fearlessness has carried over to the rest of their lives.

The Del Valle class has been a truly special group, and I couldn't be prouder of them.

It's the Little Things

2011-05-10T16:19:00.008-05:00

by Amanda Davis, Marketing Associate VISTA

As an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer you sometimes wonder whether you are making an impact in your community, or not. But then, something happens and you know that what you are doing is making change, is providing impact.

AmeriCorps volunteers are supposed to live just a little above poverty level so that we can relate with the people that are going through those situations. This gives us a chance to be able to understand a little better.

The other day at my bus stop a man started talking to me about the "nice" weather -- it was one of our rare cold days here in Austin -- and how hot it was going to be this summer. He went on to talk about other issues and searching for a job. It was then that I really understood that sometimes to relate to someone all you need to be is that listening ear, to provide an able body for them to talk to or bounce ideas off of. We got on the bus, talked a little more and then parted ways. He wished me luck in my future endeavors, as I did him, and I left with a smile on my face.

As a volunteer sometimes you have to remember that you don’t always see big impact but rather it’s the little things in life that matter.

TAP Creative Sharing

2011-05-09T13:21:00.011-05:00

By: Cassie Swayze, After Schools Program Associate VISTA

Wednesday night at the Theatre Action Project's office was our monthly Skill Share. We gathered on the TAP lawn to enjoy snacks, beer, sangria, and the beautiful spring weather. Skill Shares give our Teaching Artists (TA's) the opportunity to learn some new skills, network with each other, and just have fun!

We started off with Kelly Schiller, Community Relations Assistant, and Jefe Greenheart who shared their hula hoop skills. Kelly and Jefe are active in Austin’s circus arts community and knew several hooping tricks. Pretty soon everyone was hooping using their hips, hands, legs, and even necks! Kelly also showed us how to make hula hoops with poly tubing, connectors, a hair dryer, and tape. This would be a simple (and fun) summer craft students will love.

Kelly and Jefe then showed everyone how to juggle; students who learn to juggle have improved cognitive and mathematics skills. It wasn’t as easy as hooping, but pretty soon TA's were juggling 3 then 4 beanbags. As a special treat, the pair demonstrated partner balancing yoga. This may not be an ideal activity for our students, but it was beautiful to watch nonetheless.

Our next skill came from TAP’s Executive Director, Karen LaShelle. Karen showed us a positive-casting for papier-mâché technique using a clay mold. Using this method, TA's and students could create highly realistic masks and puppets. Karen’s sharing sparked several conversations about potential uses for these masks as well as different, less time-intensive techniques TA's could use to make expressive masks with their students.

Finally we moved inside to watch Marcelo Teson demonstrate several video editing techniques. Marcelo is a skilled sound editor with several years experience. As one TA put it, “He showed us how to make movies look real”.

All in all it was a super successful Skill Share. I can’t wait for the next one! TAP Skill Shares are free and open to everyone. Contact Cassie at cassie@theatreactionproject.org for more information about the next meeting. We would love to see you there!

Bullying Debate in Massachusetts and Nationally

2011-05-09T10:51:00.006-05:00

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Manager

The Associated Press and www.wbur.org in Boston reported on May 6, 2011 (National Bullying Debate Takes Center Stage In Massachusetts Courtroom) about the sentencing of five Massachusetts teenagers who pleaded guilty for the bullying of their classmate who committed suicide.

The on air news story also cited the growing legislative activity to curb bullying including bills or measures in New Hampshire – to limit a school’s role in bullying only to school grounds, California – giving about a million dollars in grants to 12 school districts to start anti bullying programs and Texas, where approval was given to include cyber bullying in the definition of bullying, and legislation proposals in New Hampshire and California to name a few.

The piece also mentions the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, a website of resources and tools about cyber bullying.

It’s good that the legislators and educators are starting to take action against bullying. Programs like affirms Theatre Action Project’s programs Changing Lives and Heroes/Los Heroes are having an impact and teach students about bullying, conflict resolution, and healthy relationships.

To read the full article and listen to the on air report from wbur.org, click here.

The Life of a 3rd Grader

2011-05-06T14:57:00.006-05:00

by Sarah Rinner, Elementary School Program Director

On Tuesday I had the opportunity to visit Govalle Elementary for the final class of our afterschool program. Our Teaching Artist Jessica Ryan has been working with a group of girls for about six weeks. That day, they shared the monologues they had been writing based on characters that they created themselves. After a physical and vocal warm-up, they reviewed their performance pieces and started to improvise The Life of a 3rd Grader.

Building from their character monologues, the girls improvised scenes and learned how to use blocking, pantomime, setting and even some costuming to expand the monologues into new dialogue. They were so engaged in the three scenes they created. I asked the girls about their favorite parts of the class and they responded,

"We had a lot of time to talk about our characters and what we were writing."

They also agreed that the warm-ups (of which they lead a part of themselves) and teamwork were some of the best experiences from the class. One of the students was so inspired that she expanded her character monologue and wrote an entire play!

I greatly enjoyed seeing their success.

Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble's Summer Company Auditions

2011-05-05T11:01:00.005-05:00

We are holding auditions for the 2011 Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble’s Summer Company.

Changing Lives is a group of teens who devise and perform original theatre pieces to educate their peers about safe and healthy relationships in an effort to prevent teen dating violence and relationship abuse. This program is a collaboration between Theatre Action Project and SafePlace.

This is an opportunity to be part of our summer artists workshop, where ensemble members write original theatre pieces about issues that affect their lives, go on exciting field trips to local museums, see theatre around Austin and be a part of a fabulous overnight retreat in the Texas Hill Country -- all for FREE!

Auditions for the 2011 CHANGING LIVES summer ensemble:
Monday, May 23rd
7-9PM
SafePlace Community Room
1515 Grove St., Austin, TX 78741

If selected, the summer ensemble will meet on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 11am- 1pm at a central location, to be announced. The program will begin the week of June 13 and end August 8th, with a sharing of our work.

Students who successfully complete our 8 week summer program will have the opportunity to commit a PAID position for the following school year without having to audition again.

Requirements:
Ages 14-20
Interest in acting, writing, dancing, music and creativeness
No experience necessary/ enthusiasm & teamwork required.
PLEASE RSVP to reserve your spot.

Be prepared for teamwork exercises, group discussion, writing exercises and scene work. No need to prepare anything, you will read from a script for your audition.

To RSVP & reserve your audition spot, please email nitra@theatreactionproject.org or text your full name & the word "audition" to Nitra's cell (361-537-6163).

If you have questions about the program, please call Nitra at TAP 442-8773 x208, on the cell @ 361-537-6163

Check out our blog for more info about how we work and to see clips of our work!

Watch a documentary about our ensemble!

Looking forward to a new & exciting year,

Nitra Gutiérrez

Artistic Director, Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble

Alternative Solutions

2011-05-05T10:44:00.011-05:00

by Natalie Goodnow, Artistic Associate

For the past month, Teaching Artist Keri Boyd and I have been on a bit of a hiatus from our normal gig, performing Courage in Action in elementary schools, and have now been performing Alternative Solutions for middle school students at Mendez Middle School, Ojeda Middle School, and AISD's Alternative Learning Center. In Alternative Solutions, we explore conflict and conflict resolution through theatre games and scenework, meeting two fictional characters - "Kim" and "Julie," both middle school students - who are undergoing a conflict themselves.

My favorite moments in the program have been on Day Three of the four-day residency, when the students are "in-role" as counselors giving advice to Julie and then to Kim. I love interacting with the students as "Kim," and hearing their advice as to what I ought to do resolve my conflict with my best friend. In that moment, the students and I essentially switch roles. I become the youth; they're the adults. I'm the one with questions and problems; they're the ones with knowledge, with wisdom, who know the answers.

The students get a kick out of telling me to put my hood down (my "costume" is a gray hoodie), to follow the dress code, and to watch my attitude; and I get a kick out of testing them, seeing how much they'll let me "get away with" in their counselors' office. That's the fun part.

The exciting part, though, is to see students who have been quiet, or only minimally cooperative at other moments in class, suddenly spring to life once they're "in-role." What's even more exciting is to discover that the students really do have knowledge and wisdom; they know the answers.

I'll always remember Diana, utterly silent the rest of the day, holding her hand to her heart telling Keri/her character,

"Julie, why are you so upset. We are here to help you. This is a healing place. You just need to talk to your friend, tell her how you feel. Be patient. Listen to her. Pat her on the back. She's your best friend. It will be ok, Julie."

Not once did we tell this student what to say, or how to say it! This is just one more example of the power of TAP's pedagogy. Young people really don't need us to give them answers to their problems. They just need a safe, creative space in which to discover these answers for themselves.

Join us for the 4th Annual Youth Arts Festival

2011-05-04T12:01:00.007-05:00

Please join us on May 21st at the Boyd Vance Theatre at the Carver Museum for our 4th Annual Youth Arts Festival. This event is going to be a lot of fun and is FREE! For more information please contact us or visit our website.

Changing Lives and Raising Awareness

2011-05-02T15:33:00.003-05:00

By: Anita Ashton, Development Director

I tell you what... if you are going to have a job focused on raising awareness of an organization many people know little about, you cannot get luckier than to have Theatre Action Project be the organization you're introducing.

Last week, I took a group of interested people to a Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble performance at Travis High School. The performance, Reach Out/Speak Up, I'd seen before but the the complete emotional engagement of the audience is always new and amazing to see.

The audience for this particular performance was comprised of students from Communities in Schools and as always, the talk-back was as compelling as the actual performance. One question that I thought was particularly compelling was about the role of adults in the navigation of these difficult social situations that involve bullying. The actors who answered spoke eloquently about the need for adults to be aware and exercise restraint and quiet, firm involvement. It had never really occurred to me before how much the play de-emphasized the role of adults and stressed the empowerment of young people to address difficult issues. A thoughtful conversation ensued about the vital, but nuanced, part that adults play in combating bullying and the emotional isolation that targets feel.

But back to what any of this has to with my job... awareness of TAP and its impact in schools and communities is increasing exponentially. Every meeting we have yields some new degree of support. Our story--the work we do, the incredible teaching artists, the schools that depend on us--is unfailingly compelling. That CLYTE performance last week reminded me just how compelling it is.

A Leader for Change

2011-05-02T12:35:00.004-05:00

by Denisse Martinez-Sierra, Account Associate, Texas Tower PR

One of the participants in United Way’s Hands on Central Texas Volunteer Project Leader program is Victoria Daughtrey, a passionate public relations student at The University of Texas at Austin, who says philanthropy is how she finds fulfillment in life. The Volunteer Project Leader program trained volunteers to engage the community and to be leaders to create change.

United Way approached Theatre Action Project to be a participant in this program. TAP recruited, trained new “VPLs”, including Victoria and engaged them in several TAP projects. The program also encouraged volunteers to work with other community programs. After attending training at the TAP offices, Victoria, along with other VPLs, participated in a few brainstorming sessions, which ultimately led to wonderful events for the TAP kids.

As a recipient of a $250 mini grant from Hands on Central Texas, Victoria now had the means to support her own project. Being a curious and adventurous person, she chose to do something she had never done before – paint a mural at Barrington Elementary School in North Austin.

“We just asked the 5^th graders to submit drawings and then took the winning drawings and made a big mural out of all of them,” said Victoria. “The student council came and we painted the mural together. It was a great experience and the kids loved it.”

Equipped with the money she was awarded, the experience and contacts she gained from being the philanthropy chair for the Texas Baseball Diamond Crew, and the designs of the children, Victoria was able to create this masterpiece.

“I cannot imagine myself doing anything else, especially with this experience that the VPL program gave me,” Victoria said. “I know this is what I want to do with my life.” She is currently in the process of joining the Peace Corps.

The Volunteer Project Leader program is a great example of how one positive action can lead to a countless amount of good.

Learning Never Ends

2011-05-02T10:03:00.014-05:00

by Mary Alice Carnes, Community Relations Manager

I felt as if I was dancing around the Maypole this weekend. Near the end of my Saturday yoga class our instructor led the full class into a tight shoulder-to-shoulder circle. The class was so big we had to work our circle around a large column in the room. She instructed us to create a “wave” by mimicking only what the person to our left did. She then began a series of poses that fanned around the circle. I did pretty well using my peripheral vision to see and execute chair, forward bend, and sun salutation poses. Not bad I thought ...then I lost my focus when I looked up and followed the instructor’s pose instead of the person to my left. I realized almost instantly I was out of sync.

Suddenly I had a flashback to my drama class back at W. B. Ray High School in Corpus Christi, Texas. Influenced, I think, by a field trip to Houston to see Marcel Marceau, the great French mime, at the beginning of the school year our teacher Betty Hughes led us through six weeks of mime exercises. The training strengthened our core and taught us to concentrate — long before I understood that I had a core and that it had to be trained...a lot.

Our choir and drama classes at Ray High collaborated every year to present an annual musical and we prepped all year long for the spring performances in May. Mrs. Hughes led us through countless mirror exercises, working us hard to control and mold our bodies into vehicles for storytelling. Actually breaking up in laughter was so much easier than becoming a master mime. My favorite exercise was miming Mrs. Hughes, dressed in her black leotards, as she led us in pose after pose after pose to the sounds of Broadway musical overtures. There was no room in this bunch for “jazz hands” and at some point you could actually see the waving wheat of “Oklahoma” as we flowed through the combinations. It didn't dawn on me until years later that Mrs. Hughes used this training to strengthen us as a team and how each one of us contributed to the whole performance and production.

What have I learned since high school? Class never ends and learning doesn’t either. I’m still learning new skills to help with focus, concentration and strengthening my mind and body. When I can, I attend professional development training in marketing, social media, fundraising and other nonprofit issues to hone my skills as a member of a nonprofit organization. I value more than ever contributing to the teamwork of an organization to accomplish meet our mission.

I haven’t danced around the Maypole in quite some time, but I do celebrate the season and embrace that life-long learning is necessary and fun. What training do you do? I would love to hear what fun and interesting learning supports your life and work.

The Power of Theatre

2011-04-27T16:58:00.012-05:00

by Patrick Torres, Middle and High School Program Director

For the past nine years I have been working as an arts educator and theatre director in Washington, D.C. Most recently, I was the Associate Artistic Director at Young Playwrights’ Theater teaching students to express themselves clearly and creatively through the art of playwriting. During my time in D.C., I had the opportunity to work with incarcerated youth, the homeless community, and students from all over the world to create original plays. And while I will always cherish each of those experiences, I can say without question, “It is good to be home.”

I was born and raised in Odessa, TX. Shockingly, it was there that I got my first taste of the power of theatre. I confess that I committed the worst sin in West Texas – I quit playing football the year before I turned varsity to join the drama club! At the end of my senior year, I directed a controversial play called Loyalties by Murphy Guyer. The play confronts audiences’ perspectives on patriotism and war, and it caused a stir when it was finally performed. Some parents were so angry about the content of the play that they did not want their children to be friends with me any longer. My reaction was,

“Wow. I can’t believe directing a play has infuriated people this way…I want to do this for the rest of my life!”

Now that I am a little more mature, I recognize that what was so exciting about that experience in high school was seeing the power of art to lead people to examine their thoughts, perspectives and beliefs.

Theatre requires us to sit in a room together and wrestle with our own preconceptions of social issues, morals, and personal choices.

It can teach us empathy, conflict resolution and critical thinking.

And it can inspire us to take action to create the kind of world we want to live in by sparking civic dialogue and encouraging social change.

For these reasons, I believe it is critical that every young person is exposed to the arts throughout their lives. The lessons taught by participation in the arts equip our youth with the skills they will need to succeed in the 21^st century.

Theatre Action Project is preparing students for the future by letting them know that their voices have power and their experiences and imaginations have the potential to change the world around them. I am humbled to be a part of the team and look forward to all of the youth I will have the privilege of teaching. I look forward to hearing their stories and seeing the difference they will make in their communities.

Join us at our Youth Arts Festival on May 21^st to see what our students have been up to! See you there!

How Can A Mistake Turn Into A Masterpiece?

2011-04-26T10:40:00.007-05:00

By: Amanda Davis, Marketing Associate VISTA

"I made a mistake; can I have a new sheet”
“If you make a mistake, fix it”
“Huh?”

These were the words exchanged more than 18 years ago between my first art teacher, Mrs. Maupin, and I in my kindergarten classroom. At 5 years old, I was told to take my mistake and fix it, to make it into something else, to create a masterpiece out of it. These words have stuck with me all my life and I have not only done my art by this but I have also lived my life this way. This teacher paved my way for the art world. She taught me to look at art not as just another slide of a paintbrush or a stroke of charcoal, but instead to see each piece through the artist’s eyes. I fell in love with art that day and have never since gone back.

Working here at Theatre Action Project, I have had the opportunity to see so many people take something and make it into a masterpiece, whether it be our mural outside or taking a book and making it into a magnificent play. It is wonderful to see people use their imagination and take it to others. By working at TAP I am getting the opportunity to surround myself with people that can take what others call a piece of junk and turn it into a beautiful masterpiece, to take a mistake and fix it.

What are some memories that you remember from your art teachers growing up? Is there something that has stuck with you?

Colorful Accomplishments

2011-04-25T16:09:00.007-05:00

By: Dustin Wills, Programming Specialist

Last Friday, the TAP After School Elementary Team had a marvelous training at the Terrazas Library. One of the activities during the training was the creation of a mural that displayed all the things our teaching artists had accomplished in their classes this year. The mural ran all the way across the training room and our teaching artists filled every last space on it with pictures of Greek drama, large scale puppets, movie titles, quotes, playwriting processes, class titles... and the list goes on.

It was a really neat way to look at all the different types of a programs we offer in elementary after school, as well as all the various skills that our teachers bring to the table. Thank you to our teaching artists for all you have done during this past semester!

Saving the Earth

2011-04-22T10:47:00.016-05:00

by Kelly Schiller, Community Relations VISTA

In light of Earth Day, I feel it is imperative to reflect on the ways that Theatre Action Project so creatively integrates environmental consciousness into our daily practices and programming.

We rely on donated supplies for most of our programming which inevitably enables TAP to maintain a light ecological footprint. In this state of receptivity, we can’t be picky and choosy. That’s when we thank the universe that we are artists; embracing the craft component of the notion arts and crafts.

I see the teaching artists come into the supply area daily and stand there with hands on hips, scratching heads, eyes glazed as the right brain begins storming. Aha! They start to grab here and there, above and below, collecting the oddest assortment of materials. I wonder, “What on Earth could they be creating this time?” Before I know it, a masterpiece is complete; created entirely out of salvaged materials.

Just the other day Lilly Hollingsworth, one of our Teaching Artists, came in to prepare for her class. I watched her transform a massive, worn, orange comforter into 15 ant costumes for her classes’ upcoming play. A blue beanie and yarn that was knotted beyond knitting use, which would have been tossed in the trash by many, was turned into a magnificent, wearable, lion’s mane. The ingenuity of the teaching artists to create the infinite from any material is inspiring, and so simple. Creative resourcefulness is something anyone can do. This is the beauty of what they teach to their students each and every day; empowering their students to embody the craft of being an artist.

We thank the many organizations and individuals who have so graciously donated materials to Theatre Action Project and for practicing re-use rather than contributing to the already full, unsustainable, and polluting landfill system.

15 ideas for re-using simple household items:

1. Reuse old plastic bags. There are 10 creative ways to reuse plastic bags here.

2. Reuse paper bags as school book covers, or be a little more creative with these ideas.

3. Reuse pens and art supplies by donating them to Theatre Action Project.

4. Reuse your old food scraps by composting them.

5. Reuse your used margarine and butter tubs by cleaning them and keeping them for leftovers (free Ziploc containers!).

6. Reuse the stuffing from old pillows and comforters into new items like puppets. Reuse the pillow covers for rags.

7. Reuse newspaper, interesting magazines, and other paper products by using them as wrapping paper.

8. Reuse your old paint by finding things to paint in your home, touch up, or donate it to Theatre Action Project.

9. Reuse your old toilet paper rolls.

10. Make a piece of artwork with your old metal cans.

11. Reuse Popsicle sticks with these ingenious, crafty ideas.

12. Even bicycle tires can be reused.

13. There are at least five ways you can reuse your old drinking straws.

14. There are some creative things you can do with old metal pie pan plates.

15. Reuse your old CDs and DVDs.
Ideas provided by Squidoo.

What are some items that you have created using recycled materials?

Happy Earth Day!

2011-04-22T10:23:00.002-05:00

By Sarah Rinner, Elementary School Program Director

As the weather grows steadily warmer and the end of the school year gets closer, we are all thinking of summer. Growing up in the countryside of Iowa, Earth Day always made me look forward to summer vacation days spent between the swimming pool and the woods around my house. I don't think I wore shoes from June to September until I was in junior high (yes, my middle school was 'junior high'!).
Now spring is my time to reminisce on my favorite childhood experiences, when I collaborated with family and friends to stage our own plays and stories in inspiration of the collaborative and arts-based experiences we provide to youth in our summer camps. So take time today to kick off your shoes, dig your toes into the dirt, and look forward to summertime fun!
What were some of your favorite Earth Day Activities growing up? Did you ever stage your own creative plays? If so, what were they about?

Favorite Storybooks

2011-04-21T11:59:00.006-05:00

By: Cassie Swayze, After School Programs Associate VISTA
One of the best parts of my job is managing the TAP library, which contains over 350 books. We have everything from children’s storybooks to nonfiction resources like theatre theory and devising techniques. Today I wanted to share a few of my very favorite storybooks with you.

The first time I read Yoko by Rosemary Wells I couldn’t stop smiling! Yoko is a kitten whose mother packs her lunch every day. She rolls special sushi for Yoko and packs it all in a willow-covered cooler. At school Yoko’s classmates have a variety of lunches. Timothy eats a peanut butter and honey sandwich, Fritz has a meatball grinder, Doris eats squeeze cheese on white, and the Franks (a pair of bulldogs) have franks and beans. I love the watercolor illustrations of each student’s lunch. Rosemary Wells even makes a raccoon eating a meatball sandwich look appealing. The other kids think Yoko’s lunch of raw fish and seaweed is Yucko-o-rama! Yoko’s teacher decides to host an International Food Day in response to the teasing. Yoko is a story about bullying, tolerance, and acceptance. It holds a special place in the TAP library and receives rave reviews from TAs!

Another book I love is Willy and Hugh by Anthony Browne. At the beginning of this story Willy, a monkey, is lonely and friendless. Browne walks the reader around Willy’s town as he tries to meet new monkey friends. Eventually Willy runs (literally) into Hugh, a much larger, intimidating gorilla. Hugh and Willy become fast friends after Hugh stands up to the gorilla who bullies Willy. The rest of the book shows the pair having fun together, visiting the zoo where humans are caged instead of gorillas, and jogging through park with other grimacing gorillas. The illustrations are wonderful. Brown uses watercolor, pencil, and ink to express fright, anger, frustration, and delight in the character’s faces. I love looking at the differences in Willy and Hugh’s clothes! This book packs a great message about friendship, bullying, and celebrating differences. And it always makes me giggle.

The last book I would like to share is Reckless Ruby by Hiawyn Oram. Ruby is a very brave little girl with fiery red hair. She is so beautiful that her parents expect her to, "grow up and marry a prince who'll wrap her in cotton and only bring her out for glittering banquets." What a fate! Ruby decides to be as reckless as she can by handlebar dancing on a moving bicycle, swallowing porcupines, smoking multiple cheroots, and attempting to walk on water in lead boots. To her parents dismay she sports various injuries throughout the book: black eyes, broken bones, and ever more reckless behavior. Reckless Ruby is a great book for young girls and boys alike. It made me laugh then cry! I love Ruby’s determination, courage, and self-assuredness in spite of her parents’ insistence that she is wrapped in cotton. This is a new addition to the TAP library and sure to become an old favorite.

If you want to browse all of our children’s books please visit TAP’s Shelfari. What are some of your children's favorite books?

Are You Interested in Changing Lives?

2011-04-21T10:08:00.017-05:00

Submitted by Nitra Gutierrez, MS/HS Artistic Associate
and written by Kelsey Lawrence, University of Texas Journalism Student

The Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble’s 2011 tour of “Reach Out, Speak Up” is coming to a close. We’re recruiting for next year’s ensemble now, so if you know a teen who lives in the Austin area and would be a good candidate for this work, please have them contact Nitra@theatreactionproject.org to schedule an audition. Want to know what it’s like to tour an original show with amazing teens? See the feature article from University of Texas Journalism student, Kelsey Lawrence, who attended one of our recent performances.

This afternoon at Burnet Middle School, “The Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble” -- one of the ensembles that Theatre Action Project employs - -is about to begin their 4:30 performance of Reach Out/Speak Up for the Boys and Girls club students.

This afternoon’s piece, written by group members last fall, features a classic new student in school situation as Claire, the main character, starts her first day at a new school. After innocently talking to another girl’s boyfriend, her friendliness is misconstrued as flirtatiousness and she becomes the target of a cyber bullying campaign. The play talks about feelings of isolation and loneliness as a result of bullying and not knowing how to reach out for support.

“Theatre can be very transformative for ensemble members,” Gutierrez said. “Creating something with a group can be an empowering experience. Think back to being in high school. Can you remember being asked what you thought about something, and had 400 people in front of you waiting to listen? The theatre work gives them the chance to walk in someone else’s shoes. Acting can be a great way to study human behavior and help us gain empathy for people in situations beyond our own experience.”

An ensemble of nine teens walks out onstage, taking seats at stools arranged to face the audience.

“Isolation!” they shout in unison.
“Do you know what being alone feels like?” asks the main character Claire, who is played by Nicole Barrera, a 16-year-old Austin High School sophomore.

The play commences as Claire, the new girl in school, accidentally knocks the books out of the hands of a boy she passes in the hall. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” she says picking up his stuff.

Known only as “Dude” in the play, he starts a friendly conversation with Claire. This exchange does not bode well with “Dude’s” girlfriend, and she starts a Facebook attack on Claire. Things get rough for Claire as insults like “slut” and “easy” are hurled at her in the hallways and she is ignored in her classes.

While the play being performed today is a fictionalized account, instances such as this are all too common for teens in school. The evolution of social media has created a vicious new breed of bullying, and its effects can be seen played out in the media. A 14-year-old Washington girl who sent a male crush and fellow schoolmate a nude photo became the target of a brutal smear campaign as her photo was forwarded to hundreds of teenagers throughout the region. Cyber bullying has also lead to suicides by teens who, tragically, were not able to get the support they needed to stop the bullying and see beyond the situation they were in now.

Changing Lives takes these real world situations and turns them into plays where fictional characters can be used to explore issues of how to be a “courageous bystander” and how kids can fight back against bullying. This afternoon, Burnet Middle School’s previously chattering, squirmy kids are completely silent and engrossed in the trials of Claire and her schoolmates.

“If we were in the same grade, they might just blow us off completely and be like ‘Whatever, we’re in the same grade,’” said Barrera. “Being a few years older we’re more vulnerable to them because we’ve been through this. We’re telling you straight, flat out, we’ve been bullied or might have even bullied a little bit. We want you guys [the audience] to know that if we got through it, anybody can get through it. The play is to tell people they’re not alone; there are people you can reach out to.”

Her fellow ensemble members share this sentiment as they sit around a cafeteria table after the performance. They are teens of all different ethnicities and backgrounds. As they talk excitedly in a post-performance rush, they are just kids having a good time together, unaware of differences for the moment, with the realization that they’re giving something back to the community.

“If feels really good for me because I’m a busy person and I feel like I don’t do a lot to give back to my community which has given me so much of my life,” Lina Green, 15, a McCallum Fine Arts academy student says.

“I’ve been through bullying and it’s a hard thing to go through. Sometimes you feel really alone, so I think it’s nice to have high school kids older than you come and show you that it’s alright, there are other people in the same situation as you.”

“It’s nice to put young people in front of other young people and let them demonstrate how to make positive choices,” Gutierrez said. “It’s about being cool and powerful within yourself, not for other people. Changing Lives members are hungry for this kind of work. There are so many things they are told they must do to get through the day, such as schoolwork and other tasks. This is something they really have a say in, something they can get their hands on. It’s dynamic and different, and they get really excited about it.”

This passion and youthful enthusiasm is evident as the group walks out of the cafeteria. A couple of male ensemble members high-five some boys who tell them how awesome they thought the play was. Greg Orsak-Ramirez, 19, and a theatre freshman at ACC leads the group down the hall. He has a calm, mature presence and is one of the last ensemble members to talk.

“I love the entire process, starting with meeting a big group of kids who have no idea who they’re looking at,” Orsak-Ramirez said. “We actually get to meet these people and learn who they are and befriend them. We show them it’s actually easy to start a friendship in a healthy environment and how to embrace somebody with warm arms. It’s like ‘Hey, what’s up, everything’s gonna be cool. We just need to hang out for a few days and get used to it.’ That’s what drew me in. If it got me, it’s gotta get somebody else.”

Change Seen Firsthand

2011-04-20T11:31:00.009-05:00

By: Emily Tindall, Program Manager
"When I was a kid, the arts were all but nonexistent in my schools. Occasionally, we went to a music class, and played our little hearts out on bells and recorders; but theatre! – Oh, theatre was an unknown art form."

As a program manager for TAP, I work with schools to bring our daytime program residencies directly into elementary and middle school classrooms. I often find myself thinking of what it might be like to be a part of “The Courage to Stand” as a fourth grader. It is an exciting thought, and indeed seems exciting for the kids, for multitudes of reasons. First and foremost, it is an exciting break from their regular classes, a break from TAKS testing or preparation, and a break from the way they use their brains on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, they get to be up on their feet, playing games with their friends, engaged - talking, laughing, and having fun. Third, and what I consider to be the most valuable, is, that not only are they doing something novel and having fun, but they are LEARNING. They learn what it means to be a courageous bystander – a person, who sees what is happening between the Bully and the Target, and stands up and intervenes on behalf of the Target. They learn how to stand up and speak out against bullying – who to ask for help, and when it is safe to do so. They rehearse it, to root the idea in their bodies, to have practiced speaking out against it, to hear and see the power that their words can have. This is masked learning, in that they are having so much fun, because in TAP programming their whole body is engaged and they are experiencing it with all of their classmates, that they don’t even realize that there is research based curriculum being taught.

This is such a valuable and fun program, and I know that my fourth grade self would have been overjoyed to have the opportunity to participate. I hope that this type of programming becomes more visible in classrooms in the coming years, because I have seen firsthand the change that can occur because of it, and it couldn’t have happened without TAP!

Teaching Artist Displaying TAP Student Work

2011-04-20T11:09:00.007-05:00

By: Natalie Goodnow, Artistic Associate
Check out the work of one of our fabulous teaching artists, Lindsay Palmer on April 30 at the Red Space Gallery! Her upcoming solo exhibition, Es Un Paisaje Bonito (It Is A Beautiful Landscape), utilizes Theatre Action Project student artwork as source material to form an abstract topographical landscape. It will be such a wonderful sight to see TAP student artwork pulled together for this wonderful event.

"The art was collected over the past year, during which I have been working with a youth outreach program that provides arts programming to under-served communities. This piece is a nod to the way in which these kids will eventually change the landscape of the world that we live in, and to the wonderful power of using one’s imagination." - Lindsay Palmer

For more information and details please visit: http://www.blogger.com/www.redspacegallery.wordpress.com

Theatre Helps us Rehearse for Life

2011-04-19T11:34:00.006-05:00

By: Karen LaShelle, Executive and Artistic Director
All the time people ask me "What is it about theatre? Why is that the medium you all are using to reach kids?" It's fun to tell people about the power of the theatre arts, and how I have seen the art form be an effective means for helping young people develop. Over the next few months I will share my thoughts on the variety of ways theatre helps cultivate self-efficacy, critical thinking skills, creativity, confidence and an ability to communicate and work well with others.

Self-efficacy and the Process of Theatre
Theatre provides an excellent way to cultivate the self-efficacy of young people. Self-efficacy simply means one's capabilities to achieve a goal or an outcome. For those of us who have been in plays, we know that the experience of mounting a show--in collaboration with a variety of people some of whom you like, and some of whom you barely know and may not even like!--is a unique journey that teaches you how to be a part of a team that makes something from nothing. I believe that going through that process helps teach a young person how to be successful, and that they can then apply those same skills to anything from rocket science to rock climbing.

I use the skills of being a theatre artist everyday--and not to make theatre. I have absolutely no training in business, but for me, making TAP is a lot like making a play. As I have built TAP over the past 7 ½ years, it is my theatre practice that helped me to set a vision and then methodically pull together the people, resources and processes necessary to make it all come to life.

In theatre, you find or create a script and then really flesh out your vision, you then find a cast, rehearse and train, design a set and costumes to help tell the story, give direction and notes to the entire team helping them to manifest the vision, and then once it’s all ready to go spread the word and get people to come see the show. I think that is what we do here at TAP everyday! We come up with an idea for a program, really make a clear vision for the goals and outcomes we hope to achieve, develop the curriculum and structures to deliver the message, find the right teachers and staff, train them, monitor and direct them to make the best program and then do all we can to get funders and schools to want to be a part of it.

The process of making theatre also involves critical thinking and problem solving. As in anything, not everything goes according to plan. But, the show must go on! So, you learn to just keep adapting and working to make it all work. There is no giving up in theatre--you don't hit a wall and decide to cancel the show. You keep forging ahead and you have a specific deadline of opening night. You push yourself hard to pull it all together and even when it feels like there is no way it will all come together--it always does. These lessons are lessons I apply everyday as we hit so many brick walls and challenges with our nonprofit organization. But, theatre taught me a kind of perseverance and tenacity.

Being in a cast is like being part of any team. You must work together to make it work. If you can't figure out how to communicate and work with your cast mates, director, and designers it can really affect the show in negative ways. Imagine two actors sharing a scene on stage but one is only focused on himself and his lines not really listening to the other--not responding at the right time, not responding with the right emotion. It just wouldn't make any sense. It would totally be out of sync and not deliver the story of the play. As a theatre artist you figure out how to listen, share and work together both in the show and in the process of making the show. You do it for the sake of the product and you do it because it becomes clear very quickly that there is no other way to be successful. Once again, I use these skills as a business person every day. I have learned that one must listen, collaborate and function as part of a complicated team. No one can pull off anything great alone! Here at TAP we are a team, a cast. We each have different roles and we all need each other. If one person drops the ball the entire team suffers.

There are so many other ways the art of theatre helps us "rehearse for life." Please share your thoughts! How do you think that being a part of theatre has helped you develop as a person? How does it play out in your business? How does it affect the way you communicate?

Variety: The Spice of Life at TAP

2011-04-18T11:23:00.013-05:00

by Chelsea Gilman, Business and Development Associate

One of the great things about working at Theatre Action Project is the variety of things I get to do. In addition to the standard tasks involved with development and general business workings in the office, I also get to see our programs in action. For example:

I’ve marched with students and their families in parades, read stories for puppet shows, helped children make arts and crafts projects, played games at community events watched children participate in our school programming.

And more.

It’s fun to be part of the organization in so many ways, implementing new systems on the back end and seeing the results. For example, this year, I implemented an online camp registration form for parents to sign up for camp, instead of having to print out the form and mail it in. And over the summer (just like last summer), I plan to attend some of the end-of-week presentations to see all the fun our campers and teachers have had putting together a final performance.

Each time I visit a TAP program in a school, I am reminded how powerful our programs are and how engaged the kids are during them. They remember the key facts and lessons from the day before and are eager to see what happens next in the story.

I feel lucky to get the chance to experience both sides of TAP, from getting projects off the ground to seeing them fully implemented. It's also fun to have an office with so much glitter!

A Visit to The Courage to Stand

2011-04-13T14:24:00.007-05:00

by Anita Aston, Development Director

Today, Chelsea Gilman, Business and Development Associate at Theatre Action Project and I hosted Seton Hospital's Vice President for Diversity and Community Outreach to Day 3 of Courage to Stand at Gullett Elementary.

Courage to Stand is always a moving experience and Day 3 is particularly affecting, but today was the first day I'd ever seen the program performed for 5th graders. Watching the students involve themselves so totally and the teaching artists, Aron Taylor and Natalie Holmes, engage them so completely reminded me how uniquely engaging the production is. It brought me back to the first time I came to see the program when I was still considering this job and TAP was still considering me.

I spent a Wednesday morning at Widen Elementary in southeast Austin back in the fall, hoping that I was going to see a programming strong enough that I would feel good about raising money on its behalf. There are a lot of great ideas floating around in the world of arts education and supplementary programming...

Not all of it works.

There is a complicated formula of factors involved in the successful engagement of young people. Pre-adolescents come with their own unique slate of challenges. The alchemy that combines teaching talent, curricular excellence, well-designed materials and setting into a transformative experience is difficult and uncommonly achieved, but TAP teaching artists have created this magic every time I've seen them attempt it. That first day back in the fall, I was amazed. Over several Day 3's since, I'd started to take it a little bit for granted.

But these 5th graders, who seemed so much TALLER than the 4th graders we usually see -- and so much OLDER -- were every bit as excited about being cast as fishermen and a bakers as the kids at Widen.

I'm sure I'll get blasé about it again, but awesomeness is a pretty cool thing to take for granted.

Happy Bunnies

2011-04-13T11:44:00.011-05:00

by Texas Tower Public Relations

The latest event in the collaboration between the Theater Action Project and Austin’s Paramount Theater, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Musical, by Mo Wilems was a huge success. The story illustrates a stuffed animal's first trip to the laundry and a little girl's first words. With Easter just around the corner, the children were ecstatic to come see a play about a lovable bunny.

Before and after the play, the children lined up to make puppet rabbits at the TAP tables as part of a fun pre-show craft activity. Their smiles shined as they put together paper bunnies puppets, which they, like Trixie in the play, could call their own. Volunteers were eager to help with the arts and crafts.

“TAP’s involvement makes it a more holistic, interactive experience so that it’s more of an event rather than just seeing a play,” said Nat Miller, Paramount staff member.

The partnership between TAP and the Paramount Theatre has been an incredibly positive experience over the past three years, and we are excited to see what’s in store for the future.

TAP Student Trip to the West Side

2011-04-13T11:11:00.009-05:00

by Brian C. Fahey, Program and Marketing Coordinator

Three afternoons a week I have the pleasure of working with sixth grade students at Harris, Pecan Springs, and Winn Elementary Schools. This program is part of the 21^st Century “Get Ready” program, aimed to get young students thinking about secondary education. Since September my students have been learning about the life and work of William Shakespeare, studying and performing Macbeth, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Romeo and Juliet.

On Saturday, April 2^nd we attended the Broadway Across America performance of West Side Story at the Bass Concert Hall on the University of Texas campus. The program coordinators and students from each campus enjoyed seeing this classic piece of musical theatre, infused with new energy by director Arthur Laurents, who wrote the original book for West Side Story in 1957.

In the weeks leading up to the field trip the students worked closely with Romeo and Juliet, studying the plot, analyzing famous speeches from the play, and learning about Shakespeare’s influence on modern adaptations such as West Side Story.

West Side Story takes the story of Romeo and Juliet and sets it against the backdrop of Manhattan’s West Side in the 1950s. Shakespeare’s rival families, the Capulets and Montagues, have become rival street gangs, the “Jets”, of Polish-American descent, and the “Sharks,” Puerto Rican Americans. Romeo has become “Tony” and Juliet is now “Maria,” but the central love story and the lesson about acceptance has remained the same.

From the beginning our Theatre Action Project students recognized the illusions to Romeo and Juliet. Afterwards they spoke with confidence about the many similarities and differences between the play and the musical. The Spanish speaking students were particularly excited by the amount of Spanish in this new production. Many of the Sharks spoke in Spanish to one-another and the popular song that Maria sings “I Feel Pretty” became “Siento Hermosa.” This is just one example of how Laurents and the creative team aimed to infuse new life into this production. Based on the critical reviews and the students’ reaction, I’d say they have succeeded with flying colors!

After the performance, as the students we’re waiting for the school bus, they spotted a young woman who looked a lot like the actress who played Maria. Cautiously the students approached her and asked, “Were you Maria?” Indeed she was. Spending some time chatting with actress Ali Ewoldt was a great end to a wonderful day. She answered their questions about learning a new accent, her vocal training, and how to cry on stage, with grace and enthusiasm.

For my students this trip was a unique opportunity to witness the power of live theatre. In our program we talk a lot about how a knowledge and appreciation of Shakespeare, and theatre in general, will serve them well in their college careers. Hopefully meeting performers like Ali and seeing theatre at this level inspired them to dream big. Because that’s what it’s all about.

Inspiring with Classic Stories

2011-04-12T14:26:00.010-05:00

By Freddy Carnes Artistic Associate, Theatre Action Project My kids and I, at Pecan Springs Elementary and Winn Elementary, were discussing how we could show the final scene of The Odyssey where Odysseus strings the bow and all the suitors are killed with bow and arrow before he can reunite with his wife Penelope. I had made the bow with a PVC pipe that was curved like a piece of a hula hoop. I had spray painted it gold and it had worked for the stringing of the bow scene. But we were trying to find a way to show the arrows flying. Of course all of the boys wanted real arrows. I explained the safety problems and we kept brainstorming. I told them that we could probably make a cardboard arrow, but it couldn't be aimed and shot at a real person on stage(even cardboard hurts!).

We looked at the illustrations in a wonderful children's book based on "The Odyssey." They knew from one of those vivid pictures that the evil suitor Antinoos was the first killed and the arrow went through his neck. Finally one boy joked that we could do the old arrow in the head bit with a wire holding the fake arrow onto the head. We agreed that he was onto something. I told them that we could make two arrows that look alike. One would be the "real" arrow that was shot from the bow offstage where no one could get hit. Then the other "dummy" arrow could be the one that Antinoos holds to his neck to show him staggering onstage and die. Today, we test it in the classroom.

The best part of this project called The Golden Apple isn't just to teach children a classic story such as The Odyssey. Actually it is three classic stories about the Trojan War: The Golden Apple the beauty contest between the goddesses that started the Trojan War, Iphigenia to show how a fathers' sacrifice of his daughter could lead to his death and the death of his wife, and finally The Odyssey, the story of a husband and fathers journey home to his family. The real value of doing TAP After School theater classes is to bring to life such a deep and moving story that speaks to the children of tragedy and loss as well as family and hope.

When Agamemnon had to choose between sacrificing his daughter and going to war or choosing to save his family, one student said, "That ain't right! Why would a father choose war over his daughter! That ain't right!" Indeed. Such choices in life are best illuminated by a good story that will stay with these children for the rest of their lives.

TAP Teaching Artists...After Hours

2011-04-11T10:54:00.019-05:00

by Dustin Wills, Programming Specialist

Many of our very talented teaching artists keep very busy schedules outside of their school days, frequently practicing their own art through performances all over Austin and nationally. Let’s see what our teaching artists have been working on recently and what exciting projects they have coming up very soon.

Recently, Caroline Reck finished up a very successful run of Trouble Puppet Theatre’s The Jungle. I had the privilege of seeing last year’s workshop production of this puppetry performance. I had never before seen live puppetry express such extreme, humane emotion and draw the spectator into the dark world of industry Upton Sinclair painted in his groundbreaking novel. Caroline teaches at Harris Elementary where she brings her expertise in puppetry to those students in the after school program.

Stephanie Chavez and Claire Augustine are in the thick of rehearsal for Ariel Dance Theatre’s production of The Grand Theory Of EVERYTHING BETWEEN: A Movement Index of Light, Sound, and ALIENS. This production is set to open May 13! Stephanie also performed in Andrea Ariel’s last piece (which I saw) titled Switch Shift Go including a mix of text and movement in three variations on the same theme. Stephanie teaches her dance moves to students all over Austin including Webb Middle School, Kocurek, Horsby-Dunlap and Shadowbend Housing Authority Site and tours with TAP in the Classroom’s Heroes/Los Heroes. Claire works with the after school kids at Hillcrest Elementary.

Four of our amazing Teaching Artists: Cami Alys, Noel Gaulin, Aron Taylor and Erin Meyer will be performing in an upcoming world premiere show developed with the Rude Mechanicals titled I’ve Never Been So Happy. This production recently toured to the Arena Stage in Washington D.C. as part of a National New Play Festival – a great feat indeed!! Over the past two years I have seen numerous workshop incarnations of this production and will say that I am very, very excited to see the full production opening at the end of this month. This production is a strange and enchanting blend of music, dance, projection and carnival that unravels the myths of The West. It will be presented as part of the Fusebox Festival, which brings many interdisciplinary artists from all over the country to share experimental work with Austin audiences.

Cami Alys tours with Stephanie Chavez in Heroes/Los Heroes. Aron Taylor tours with The Courage to Stand and teaches afterschool at Barrington Elementary and at Goodrich Housing Authority with Erin Meyer. Noel Gaulin holds down the fort at Reilly and Shadowbend Housing Authority. Langford is also graced with Erin Meyer’s mad teaching skills.

And this is jut to name a few project that involve TAP's FANTASTIC TEACHING ARTISTS. It is exciting to know our TAs are out in the community working and creating and imagining with both young people and professional artists alike. If you get a chance, please click on the links above and grab your tickets to these amazing shows… they are sure to sell out fast!

April Showers Us With TAP’s Youth Fine Arts Festival

2011-04-08T16:48:00.009-05:00

by Florinda Bryant, Programming Specialist

Flowers blooming, sun shining, tax day and Executive Director Karen LaShelle’s birthday, these are just a few April cues, that let us at TAP know Spring is here. These are also cues that our Youth Fine Arts Festival is near.

This our fourth year presenting our Youth Fine Arts Festival, a community showcase for our Middle School and High School students and their families. Each year the festival gets bigger and better. It is a wonderful opportunity for our young artists, whom come from AISD, MISD and DVISD, to connect with each other and present some of what they have been creating this year. We are really excited about this year’s showcase. We will not only have the Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble presenting but other youth performance groups. There will be an interactive art installation, workshops and demonstrations.

This event is open to the public. We would love to see you at the Boyd Vance Theatre at the George Washington Carver History Museum, 1165 Angelina Street, Austin, TX 78702-2034 on May 21^st at 1:30 p.m.

Sharing Skills

2011-04-08T16:05:00.013-05:00

by Sarah Rinner, Elementary School Program Director This past Wednesday Theatre Action Project welcomed three MFA candidates from the Drama and Theatre for Youth and Community program from the University of Texas’ Dept. of Theatre & Dance (DTYC) to be a part of our monthly Skill Share where teaching artists and guests share their skills with attendees. The workshop was well-attended and well-received. Our teaching artists had an opportunity to participate in new activities and share their teaching experiences with our colleagues from UT.

The Skill Share was both inspirational and validating, as we discovered many common methodologies and practices between their work in the DTYC program and our various afterschool classes. We explored the importance of working with students with special needs, creating routines for pre-k and kindergarten youth, and tried our hand at manipulating Cambodian shadow puppets and projected images.

This summer TAP will work with the UT Dept. of Theatre & Dance and the Drama For Schools program during their Summer Institute. We will be offering a World Theatre camp for ages 6 - 15 at the Winship Drama Building at the University in conjunction with the Institute, providing another fantastic TAP camp adventure while inspiring classroom teachers to embed drama into their daily lessons.

TAP's monthly skill shares are free and open to everyone. Call us at 442-8773 for more information about the next meeting. We'd love to see you!

Changing Lives

2011-04-08T15:50:00.008-05:00

by Nitra Gutierrez, Middle and High School Artistic Associate Theatre Action Project’s Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble is comprised of high school artist- activists from all over the Austin area who come together to educate their peers through theatre. This group works together to write, perform and tour original plays that teach local youth about issues like teen dating, healthy relationships, bullying and homophobia. The ensemble uses their artistic talents to lead each other toward positive social change in their communities by starting with themselves. Students in our ensemble are paid for their artistic work. This collaboration between Theatre Action Project and SafePlace has performed for over 15,000 youth since 2003. Jessie, 16 Garza High School Student Being a part of this gives you good self-confidence. It gives you courage to stand up to people. It is a really good experience. I learned how to collaborate and take other people ideas into consideration. Boni, 18 Austin Community College Student We’ve all witnessed kids being bullied or in abusive relationships. I thought of myself as one of those people that would lay back and just say nothing to stop it -- like a witness. But actually being in this program and doing different activities to prevent that and inform the people about these things, I feel different. I think now I would be one of those to actually stand up against bullies or abusive people. I thought even if its just one person that’s really touched by this, it would have made a difference in someone’s life, I would like to do that. Greg, 18 Austin Community College Student My favorite part of the entire production itself is not really anything in the show but just the work of writing the show, because that gave us the tools and ideas to build a relationship. It shows that with just some time and really fun activities that anyone can come together, anyone can build a healthy relationship. We are trying to put the message across that you can give someone some time and they can do great things. Tawnie, 20 Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Student I love theatre and I like to help people in some way, and when I found out what does I immediately signed up for the auditions. Start making great things happen by being a part of the fun! Audition for youth summer workshop on May 5th. For more information, please contact Nitra Gutierrez at nitra@theatreactionproject.org for more details. If you’ve seen a Changing Lives performance, send us your comments. We would love to get your feedback.