NextGen stops by Teaching Artist Training at Columbia University!

This week NextGen students had the opportunity to observe and participate in part of CSC’s training for their teaching artists. The teaching artists consist primarily of current third year grad students at the M.F.A. Acting Program at Columbia University, with a few alumni of the program thrown in. Many of the teaching artists will also be starring in the upcoming Young Company production of The Tempest.

The teaching artists will be training for their positions all week, and the NextGen students observed only a piece of their training. They stopped by for a section of training devoted to sharing different theater games. This part of training required the teaching artists to think of a game they knew, and come up with a way to share the game that was engaging, while still accomplishing the goal of the game. The teaching artists were extremely happy to have the input of NextGen, who were able to test out the games that the teaching artists brought, and give them feedback about how they could improve the game, or improve the way in which it was taught.

The teaching artists also gave each other feedback on their games, and the group together tried to brainstorm ways in which games could be changed to reflect the themes in The Tempest. The students had a blast trying out all the different games, and couldn’t wait to bring some back to their friends, and to have experience with them when The Tempest workshops come to their schools.

Coming up soon is the first TEEN TAKEOVER performance of A MAN’S A MAN, in which the NextGen students will be helping to run the event, look out for them if you are attending! The performance will feature $10 tickets and a talkback with the artists, on Sunday, January 19^th at 3pm at CSC. To book your tickets for TEEN TAKEOVER check out: http://www.classicstage.org/nextgen/ for more information!

NextGen meets with Stewart Kramer, Music Supervisor for A MAN'S A MAN

This week at NextGen the students had the opportunity to meet with Stewart Kramer, the Music Supervisor for CSC’s upcoming production of A MAN’S A MAN. They were introduced to how he works side by side with composer Duncan Sheik, and how he is able to take Duncan Sheik’s vision of the music, and use it to make a reality. Sheik composes using a computer program, and Stewart transposes that into sheet music. A MAN’S A MAN’s dialogue is written by Bertolt Brecht, and the musical elements (although the show is not a musical) are reimagined and reinterpreted by Duncan Sheik.  The students were also given an introduction to Brecht, and on his approach to theater.

Stewart told the students about Brecht’s life, and about what Brecht was drawing upon when he wrote A MAN’S A MAN. Brecht uses music and other techniques to distance his audience from emotionally connecting to the characters because he wants them to think objectively about the injustices in their own world, and how they can make their own choices. A MAN'S A MAN was written during the rise of Nazi Germany, and Brecht was thinking about Hitler's ability to influence people when he created the main character of A MAN’S A MAN, Galy Gay. He let the students listen to one of the tracks from the upcoming show, and then also had them listen to a recording from the original production. He was then able to explain some of the choices that Duncan was making by updating the music and some of the differences between the original production and CSC’s.

At the end of the meeting the kids had a chance to sing the song, with Stewart accompanying them on the piano. Although it may not have been performance quality, it was definitely cool for the NextGen members to experience firsthand what the music from the show is like, and how to sing it. After Stewart gave the kids a taste of his world, and the world of this show, the kids were able to give Stewart a taste of their world by talking with him about the beginning of his career, and since the NextGen kids have college on the brain, they were very interested in how college had affected his life so far.

The meeting ended with NextGen excited to participate in their first TEEN TAKEOVER performance, of A MAN’S A MAN. Which will take place on Sunday, January 19^th at 3pm at CSC. All are welcome to experience TEEN TAKEOVER, featuring $10 tickets and a talkback with the artists. Check it out below!

http://www.classicstage.org/education/students/nextgen/

JIMMY MAIZE, director of THE TEMPEST, stops by NextGen

Last week at the NextGen meeting the students had a chance to talk with the director of CSC’s upcoming production of The Tempest, Jimmy Maize. Jimmy was also the director of CSC’s Much Ado About Nothing. First Jimmy prompted the students to go around the room and describe the most memorable moment of theater they have experienced so far, many citing CSC productions from this year and years past, particularly moments in which they felt a personal connection to the action onstage, moments they found extremely funny, and visually stunning stage pictures.

From there Jimmy was able to guide the conversation towards his thoughts on why specific moments in productions stay with us, and talk about how thinking of these powerful moments can impact his choices as a director. The students were filled with different questions to ask Jimmy about the upcoming production, and about being a professional director. The group discussed some of the themes in the play, the ability to cross gender cast various roles, and one of the play’s most interesting characters, Caliban. The group briefly examined one of Caliban’s most famous speeches. The speech is interesting because it captures the beauty of Caliban's words even though he is considered to be physically ugly. Caliban is a challenging role for a director to work on, because he is full of so much contrast. He is both a man and an animal, both a beast capable of trying to rape Miranda, and a creature capable of speaking in beautiful language. It is extremely important for the designers and directors to find a way to convey the imagery that Shakespeare's audience was accustomed to hearing with visuals for today's audeinces (Elizabethan audiences spoke of going to "hear" a play, while a modern audience speaks of going to "see" a play. 

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,

Sounds and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not.

Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments

Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices

That, if I then had waked after long sleep, 

Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,

The clouds methought would open, and show riches

Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked,

I cried to dream again.

Jimmy talked about what it is like to collaborate with not only a cast of talented actors, but a team of different designers as well. The Tempest’s design team will include a costume designer, set designer, lighting and projection designer, sound designer, as well as a choreographer. While classic plays don’t always feature choreography and projections, Jimmy talked about how he will use these design elements to make the play more accessible to a young audience.

As the discussion wrapped up the NextGen students began to get an idea of which member of the production they would like to interview in the coming months, whether it be a specific designer or an actor in the show. At next week’s meeting they will get a chance to officially decide who to interview, as well as began preparation for the first TEEN TAKEOVER performance, featuring $10 tickets and a talkback with the artists, for A MAN’S A MAN on Sunday, January 19^th at 3pm at CSC. To book your tickets for TEEN TAKEOVER check out: http://www.classicstage.org/nextgen/ for more information!