Lend Me Your Ears Project
“Lend Me Your Ears’ is a writing project that pairs student playwrights with professional actors and allows them to examine and explore relatable themes through such Shakespearean works as Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, and The Tempest.
By participating in a series of ten 90-minute classes led by Teaching Artists, students read plays, work on writing prompts, and tackle thematic questions in relation to both theatrical characters and their own lives.
Working with such themes as the importance of identity or duty to self versus duty to the greater good, students learn to create monologues that represent their comprehension of Shakespearean language and inspiration derived from studying universal observations of the human condition.
Legislative Theater Project
Inspired by Augusto Boal's forum and legislative theaters this class aims to promote youth civic engagement through scene work that explores issues related to the first real community in which people engage with public life: the school.
Throughout the course, students identify school-related problems and bring them to life on stage with the ultimate goal of collectively brainstorming solutions to said problems. After, students present their scene work to personnel with the power to make a policy change: teachers, principals, and other school administrators Ultimately, the objective is for students to grow as performers, change agents, and people, with a deeper appreciation for theater and civic engagement.