A WORD FROM THE FOUNDER/CEO
JANET I. THOMAS
Wisdom is Power. My father had an 8th-grade education, but was empowered with a wealth of wisdom. A great, godly man and father, he hammered in me at an early age that without wisdom, we shall perish from lack of knowledge. Today, I thirst for wisdom.
We were all created for a purpose,and my purpose was, is, and will continue to be the application of my God-given talent; to reach and academically teach all children and youth through the fundamentals of the theatrical stage .
Too often, through no fault of their own, our children and youth grow frustrated in their inability to learn in normal school settings.Thus, we sometimes see the result of this frustration in insecurity issues, low self-esteem, violence,and even terrible crimes.
BSTFPA, is dedicated to developing the total child by using educational theater programs and fully staged productions to build self esteem, confidence, and a sense of community while celebrating diversity in a supportive, noncompetitive atmosphere. The performing arts are rigorous academic disciplines, which require active learning through creation, practice, rehearsal and performance of works of art. Studying the performing arts involves significant creative thinking and problem-solving skills. The performing arts have intellectual and emotional components. They build a bridge between verbal and non-verbal, between the strictly logical and the emotional - the better to gain an understanding of the whole. Imagine if you will, the joy and ful-fillment our children and youth experience upon completion of the created dances, music, and theatrical works of their own hands. They grow in their ability to comprehend the world and learn to communicate with others.
Our Inner City children, youth and young adults will participate in our newly created project five days a week for eight weeks, year round. They will receive several one-act plays written by a local writer, a freelance playwrights and director, who will develop four-to-six “starter” plays on various topics of interest to young people. He/She will guide the young apprentice in writing the middle and ends of the plays they select. When they are finished the group will read all the works and select a person to act as the playwright for the remainder of the project. All apprentices will also study stage production, acting, directing camera operation, and film editing with the playwright and a staff videographer.
The child, which I like to call, the apprentice may then select or try out for assignments related to producing the play and videotaping it as an artistic film. Some will become actors, others set designers, camera operators costume designers, film editors, etc. Complete plays/productions will be performed live, and filmed and edited as short features for broadcast on public-access television or streaming to the Internet. Oh, the beauty of that child's personal, social, and family development!
The eight-week course includes:
· Acting I
Intro to Acting
This beginning actors workshop is ideal for any student who has not had much experience on the stage. The workshop will involve acting games, confidence building techniques and basic scene study. All students will finish the program with two contrasting monologues.
In addition, the theatre hopes to invite professional art critics to evaluate main stage productions and nominate students to compete for national scholarships.
Introduction to Theatre Practicum
Historical and Cultural Context
The apprentice will develop a knowledge and appreciation of the richness and complexity of human history and the diversity of world cultures through the arts.
Stagecraft
Artistic Expression and Creative Expression
The apprentice will use experience and imagination in composition, improvisation and interpretation of the arts, and develop necessary technique and appropriate vocabulary to communicate artistically.
Highlights of the project:
Shakespeare
The Art Of Vice Dictation Voice
Dictation, pace and volume may be used to explore multiple possibilities for a live reading. Demonstrate the emotional traits of a character through gesture and action in a variety of tones.
Title: Doing Shakespeare My Own Way !
PREVENTION OF YOUTH VIOLENCE
Project Description: The apprentices depict their understanding of a play (Shakespeare) through movement and vocal interpretation.
Procedure:
1. Apprentices will hear a sample of how Shakespeare used words to express an idea, tell a story and to teach his audience.
2. Speech will be read aloud and students are broken up into groups to break down the passage in their own words.
3. Questions asked: What type of character might be speaking (man, woman, old, young, etc)? What is the main message? Paraphrase it in your own words.
4. Group translations are read aloud.
5. Our apprentice will then make comparisons to each other’s translations to deepen understanding. Students will compare and contrast use of speech in modern day instances.
6. Guiding question will be: How many comparisons does Shakespeare use in the speech “All the World’s a Stage”?
Objectives:
How words are used to express ideas, etc.
Character building. Who am I as a character?
Intensive study of voice projection and articulation (speaking clearly and being heard)
Comfortably and confidently speaking in front of an audience
Vocabulary: Shakespeare, articulation, resonance, projection, metaphor
Artistic Perception -
- Use the vocabulary of theatre, such as plot, conflict, climax, resolution, tone, objectives, motivation and stock characters to describe theatrical experiences.
- Identify a character’s objectives and motivations to explain a character’s behavior.
So why, you might be asking, why the life of Queen Nefertiti,as our first major production ?
Two reasons: first, History.Keeping in mind the goal of BSTFPA... fight against illiteracy in our children and youth. But, above all else, learning that with our choices come consequences.
In no way am I glorifying the life of Queen Nefertiti, but simply attempting to bring to the stage a visual of her painful existence for serving false gods.
Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for the many ills of our existence today. God gave a book that addresses every situation we may encounter today. HE knows what each of us will go through, and provides us with a blue print to life...The Holy Bible.
So, our attempt in this production, coming in Summer 2010, Nefertiti 18 Dynasty, is to teach the principles in our choices.
No matter what his/her beliefs, every man or woman will agree that the Holy Scriptures contain some of the oldest and greatest truths known to mankind.
We could go on and on, back and forth, but understand this; Psalms 19:7-8, is clear when it speaks to me: "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart.The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes." What is certain, I can not go back to the last generation, nor can I reach the next generation, but, I can serve this one...the only generation God expects me to be concerned about is my own! Thus, my dedication to the fight lliteracy in our child and youth.
Grace be unto you; and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Janet I. Thomas
