Summer 5-6 Week Intensive Institute, 20-27 youth

A multifaceted arts institute is held for six weeks in alternating summers staffed by 10 professional artists who apprentice and collaborate with youth to develop them as authors utilizing writing, design and production, and digital fim production.

WEEK 1:

Writing with the Senses Curriculum:
  • The student learns to use existing and new grammatical rudiments, vocabulary and comprehension to create stories, monologues, poems, raps and lyrics which will engage the audience both intellectually and emotionally.
  • The student will take every opportunity to discover and choose words that translate the sight, sound, touch, taste, smell of a person, place, thing and event.
Results:
  • Heightened confidence and esteem discovering the achievement of sophisticated descriptive and narrative writing using existing reading, writing, and comprehension skills and with existing vocabulary.
  • Increased motivation to continue to independently develop reading, writing and comprehensive skills.
  • A script is developed from the authored work.
  • Personal impact of performance tracked.

WEEK 2:

  • Youth and artists analyze script to determine approach for design and production, movement and music. Individual pieces are chosen for development into short narrative films.
  • Youth rotate through each artistic area for orientation and script development.

WEEK 3, 4, 5:

    Youth and artists choose focus areas and engage in intensive development of script for stage and film, including:
  • design and production for stage and film - utilizing visual art and building design for sets, backdrops, and props.
  • movement/choreography to interpret written works and music.
  • film making - how to shoot, develop and produce a narrative short film.
  • stage presentation - breathing, vocal work, blocking, expression.
Results: Youth aquire professional skills and expectations for on-the-job problem solving, behavior and work ethic.

WEEK 6:

  • Production week - work in theatre to set lights, sound, staging, rear screen projection for film
  • Stage and film forum presentations - Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday
Results:
  • Each year, audiences have totalled approximately 600 persons from around the community, representing diversity of race, class, gender and age.
  • Youth experience a full production of their authored work.
  • The community is informed about the issues affecting young people through a multi-media performance art production.
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