wee players
Artistic activity stimulates a range of sensibilities, from sensory and physical awareness to the intellect and emotions, thereby expanding one’s powers of perception. Engagement with art is a process of self-exploration, alteration and expression. One learns to ask questions, and through the artistic method poses creative solutions to her questions. Through a collaborative process, students develop a sense of pride and ownership in the work they create. This is extremely empowering – to be an active participant in the arc of an idea, from its inception, through its evolution and culmination. Students learn that they too can begin with an idea and through curiosity, experimentation, conversation, and playful hard-work can actualize that dream.
Academically, students develop their critical thinking skills, through reading, analyzing a text in order to perform it, and by developing a complex understanding of the project theme. Reading comprehension and writing skills are developed through text exploration and creative writing assignments. Students learn to effectively articulate and communicate ideas, as well as develop their skills of focus and memorization.
Both Ava and Lauren run programs with youth, and We Players makes a concerted effort to include local students in project creation and facilitate youth attendance at our events. If you are an educator who would like to collaborate, or if you want us to contact you when group reservations become available, please contact us.
Youth Perspectives
Spring 2011
Developed at the San Francisco Juvenile Justice Center
To be presented on Alcatraz Island
Facilitated by Lauren D. Chavez
Our Alcatraz project themes of incarceration, isolation, justice and redemption are central to the lives of all who have been affected by the justice system. Who more so than our youth? Using awareness exercises, theater exercises, text exploration, writing exercises, forgiveness and grief rituals, we will listen, foster creativity, and support the JJC youth in sharing their stories and perspectives on the Alcatraz themes. Material from these programs will be presented in our gallery and during the October 2011 Culminating Symposium, and youth participants will be our special guests on Alcatraz.
Click here to see a gallery of our JJC students wearing their masks.
The Garden of Wild Wonders
Winter/Spring 2005
Presented at Sobrante Park Elementary
Oakland, CA
Conceived and directed by Ava Roy
This eight week program integrates creative writing assignments, theater games and exercises, movement and vocal exploration, reading, scene study, art projects and garden work. The theme Journeys and Quests fuels our explorations and helps to inspire and unify our thinking. Performances occur outside in the playground and garden, in which we attempt to perceive and use familiar spaces in new and interesting ways. Together we create a new journey through the space and visually map our movement through performance.
Performances of The Garden of Wild Wonders completed session one of a six-month residency at Sobrante Park Elementary. Session two followed a similar format and culminated with performances in June 2005.
WallScapes
Winter 2003
presented at Lenox Memorial Middle and High School
Duffin Theater, Lenox, MA
Conceived and directed by Ava Roy
WallScapes explores the theme of WALLS – boundaries, obstructions, edges, thresholds; walls that are illusory, concrete, political, social, comic, tragic; walls of stone, walls of light, and the construction and destruction of these barriers. Composed both of scripted scenes and ensemble generated material, including scenes written by 8th graders involved in a concurrent writing workshop. WallScapes incorporates such elements as expanding the bounded stage and audience participation. This event was developed over a ten-week session, and involved an ensemble of over 50 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. The ensemble included actors, a movement troupe, and a tech-crew that arranged a technically advanced show (complete with live-feed projection, student generated slide show, audio recordings and complex lighting design).
