Changing Lives gets a visit from Guest Artist, Krissie Marty

Part of theatre’s magic is that, when done well, it can look like real people walking and talking. This appearance of ease can lure an audience into forgetting that every action is a carefully thought out choice.  Ideally, these choices should offer us more information about a character, relationship or other aspect of the story.  If a stage direction reads, “She crosses to laundry basket and begins to fold clothes,” the script is telling us that the character is doing laundry.  It is the actor’s job to discover the “HOW” of folding laundry.  We ask, “How can I fold laundry in a way that reveals my character’s inner life?”   This is the fun part!   An audience takes away something different when I choose to fold clothing meticulously at a fast pace OR I choose to slowly linger over a single garment, folding it over and over OR I choose to start and stop the task repeatedly without accomplishing any actual folding.  Information about my character lives in the “HOW” of my folding – not necessarily in the folding itself.

When working with young actors, it takes coaching and rigorous work to discover the HOW of our actions.  In an effort to heighten the artistic rigor of our youth theatre ensemble, we approached professional choreographer and movement coach, Krissie Marty to join us for a handful of rehearsals to help us discover the HOW of our movements.

Krissie’s energy in rehearsal was fun, relaxed and inquisitive.  She’s been a professional movement coach with impressive credits for years, yet remained approachable throughout the whole process.  She led the group through a movement series that helped us create a vocabulary of gestures for each of the characters in our play.  How does the Popular character greet a friend?  How does the Goody Goody express frustration?  How does the Loudmouth breathe when she’s afraid?  How is the Outsider’s posture affected when he retreats inside himself? How does that posture change when he’s alone with his best friend, the Drama Geek?  What does this tell us about their relationship?

After a couple of rehearsals with Krissie, I notice the nuance and subtlety of the choices my students are making.  I notice their increased confidence as they make larger physical choices.  I notice them creating characters that look more like real people walking and talking and less like teen actors reading lines.  As a teaching artist, I feel my own toolkit strengthened by working with her on these sessions.  Thank you, Krissie Marty for enriching our process with your creativity, presence and talent.

Come see Outside the Box, the latest original play from the Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble!   We’ll be featured at Teen Night at Travis High School on March 22^nd at 7pm.  Check our public calendar for other shows in our 14-stop spring tour.  All performances are FREE.

Lina (as Romeo) advises Gary (the Player) about his troubles staying faithful as he searches for true love.

The Drama Geek (Lilly) discusses her struggle with Juliet (Madi) when her best friend reveals he’s interested in more than friendship.

Changing Lives Winter Sharing

Changing Lives students performed to a full house at their winter sharing, December 15th, 2011. Family members, friends, teachers and students came for a potluck dinner and a staged reading of the show the CLYTE members will be taking on tour this spring, called Outside the Box. Stay tuned for the touring schedule. Come join us at a performance near you! All photos credit Carol Park.

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The Play Begins!

The Changing Lives Students were given a task to form characters based on stereotypes they had witnessed in school, online or offline. Students formed groups and began to flesh out their characters to figure out why they were they way they were, why they were given their stereotype, and what they were really like beneath it all. Some of our students are pretty good artists!

Then, we wrote “I Am” poems, which gave each student the opportunity to give voice to their character, and allow them to stand up against their stereotpe. Stay tuned for some of the highlights of these poems.

Finally, after a week of fleshing out our stereotypical characters, students met for a workday where we tried to figure out how all of our characters worked together. We made a character connection map to figure out our characters backstory. This was some intense work!

Our characters are much more then just stereotypes. But by starting with their stereotype and then delving much further, we can get to know them, and be able to write for them, on a deeper level.

Our Creative Process

Most people wonder how a group of 25 ensemble members can work together to create a play.  We try our best to make the process as much fun as the final product. Using a variety of techniques to build our story helps us from getting caught in a rut.  Some things we do to mix things up . . .

We do LOTS of fun teambuilding activities — here we are trying to race against each other in teams.

The catch? We all have to stick together or we must start over from the beginning!

Did you know?? Playwriting on Your Feet is called “DEVISING.”

Here we are making tableaus — frozen pictures that suggest some kind of larger story.

What do you see happening in these pictures?

Sometimes we even just sit down and write!

 

 

 

 

 

Group Bonding

Some of our super CLYTE-ers decked out in their T-shirts already!

Imagine sitting in a circle with a group of strangers. You are nervous, unsure of what the year ahead of you might bring, unsure of what friendships might be formed, adventures undertaken, challenges met in the year to come. You are assured you will become friends with each other. You will learn, grow, change, create, motivate and support each other. Unlike school, where many times a group of thirty can go months or even years without talking to everyone in their class, Changing Lives is different.

Last year I watched in awe as the group formed, quickly, and real friendships were made. Over the summer, students became a mini family- and the retreat we took together solidified those bonds. Now, in week two of the Fall session of CLYTE, the bonding is beginning. We spent the first week getting to know each other- learning names, backgrounds, sharing bits and pieces of who we were. Week two, thing begin to gel even more quickly.

The students are promised that they will become friends, real friends “no fake-sies,” and have each others backs for the year to come. In our social contract we emphasize support, encouragement, a safe place to learn and grow creatively together. What we have in CLYTE is something special, and I can’t wait for what the year will bring.

–Susie Gidseg, Managing Director, Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble

Awesome Auditions!

When I was a young actor, I approached auditions with a mix of anxiety, challenge and excitement. I would get nervous and feel the heat rise to my cheeks as my heart beat fast with anticipation. Once or twice, I decided that avoiding the audition process altogether was a safer choice than facing someone who would tell me whether I was ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ for the part.

It’s a high-stakes experience. When we want to perform, we want to share ourselves with the world. What could be more deflating than sharing yourself with a group of strangers only to be rejected? Performing is an act of tremendous courage. It takes a lot of courage to take risks. It takes guts to put yourself in front of people.

I empathize with young actors who enter any audition process. I know it can be scary, so I work to make our auditions as positive an experience as I can. It’s not competitive. It’s not stressful. Trying out for Changing Lives feels more like attending a rehearsal than an episode of America’s Got Talent.

I think it’s most important for youth trying out for the program to decide whether they are a good fit for the ensemble. I ask them, “Do you enjoy this? Is this the kind of work you can commit to with your whole self? Do you see yourself giving the ensemble the time and dedication you’d give to an extra-curricular sport or a part-time job?”

People ask what ‘we’re looking for’ in Changing Lives auditions. My response is always the same. “I want team players, not divas or stars. I want strong voices but not necessarily the loudest voices in the room. I want kids who have something to say and are also ready to listen to others and collaborate artistically. Most importantly – I want youth who are willing to be themselves and commit fully to the play-making process.”

Heartfelt thanks to all who came out & auditioned for the Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble yesterday. The turnout continues to grow year after year and we couldn’t be more pleased to meet you all!

Have you ever had to audition for something?
What was your experience like?

Post a thought on it here! Maybe your audition experience will give me some ideas for our next round of try-outs.

Don’t You Wanna Be A Changing Lives Member?

Join Changing Lives!

 

 

Are you interested in joining the 2011-12 Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble?

 

•Are you a student between 8-12 grade?
•Do you have access to reliable transportation?
•Do you have availability T/Th evenings from 7-9 pm?
…•Can you commit to participating in the fall and the spring?
•Do you love theatre and writing?
•Do you want to create art that speaks to teens about healthy relationships– and get PAID for it?
•Do you have the time to dedicate to this ensemble?If this sounds like you– we would love to have you audition for our ensemble. Changing Lives accepts new students every fall.

Email sgidseg@safeplace.org or text audition to 361-537-6163 to get an audition slot! Auditions will be held Wednesday, August 31st at SafePlace. No prior theatre background is needed, just a desire to participate fully in the experience.

Who are we?
The Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble is a collaboration between SafePlace and the Theatre Action project. We are a group of high school age artist/activists who create original performances about issues that affect teens. During the school year, our students create a play in the fall semester which we tour in the spring to various middle schools and community events. Our goal is to ignite dialogue about issues like …bullying, dating violence, prejudice, homophobia through the art of theatre. During the school year, our students are paid a stipend for their work.

Changing Lives Summer Workshop

Changing Lives is back for the summer!

We are three weeks into our program with an ensemble of enthusiastic and super talented teens. These ensemble members have been writing monologues inspired by different prompts including visual art, video clips, and their own personal experiences. They have also begun to do improvisational activities and acting work as well.

We would love to share some pictures from our first couple of sessions.

Colton and Marielle hanging on every word Nitra says.

Time to look at some art to inspire our monologues!

Pure awesomeness

A little creepy

Woa.

Karla found inspiration in her piece.

Nick deep in writing.

Colton interacting with the art while making custom messages for us.

Continue following us in the coming weeks with more news about what we’re up to.

Thanks for stopping by!

Join the Free Summer CLYTE!

Are you a teen who’d enjoy creating art that makes a difference?

Is there a young person you know who inspires other youth to be their best?

Are you connected to someone who works with teens that could help us spread the word?

Some more info . . .

Who are we?

Changing Lives is a program of SafePlace and the Theatre Action Project. The Changing Lives Youth Theatre Ensemble is a group of high school age artist/activists who create original performances about issues that affect teens. During the school year, our students create a play in the fall semester which we tour in the spring to various middle schools and community events. Our goal is to ignite dialogue about issues like bullying, dating violence, prejudice, homophobia through the art of theatre. During the school year, our students are paid a stipend for their work.

What’s up this summer?

Right now we are looking for creative, outgoing youth ages 13-20 to be a part of our FREE summer program. This program will run from June 14th through August 4th. We will meet twice a week from 1-3pm at Paragon Prep school on Tuesdays & Thursdays. We will also host a FREE retreat to the Hill Country the weekend of July 16th & 17th. Positions for the summer are unpaid but if a student enrolled in the summer program is interested in committing to the program for the following school year, they will have the opportunity to fold into a paid position with the ensemble without auditioning.

Please reply to this email (please no ‘reply all’) or contact me via cell (361-537-6163) with interest or questions. Text & talk is OK – before 10 PM please.

If this message reaches you after June 14th, find me anyway — there’s always room for one more person if it’s the right person.