Acting for Critical Thought (Group B)

(In-Schools Program)

Sep 20,2013, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM @ Downtown High School

After another successful partnership last year, we are back at Downtown High School for the semester-long project "Acting for Critical Thought" with Ms. Nuval and Mr. Ayala's classes. We are looking for a dedicated group of tutors who can commit to working with students on their monologues, short plays, and essays about theater once a week on Fridays from September through December. This is the first of two groups, and you can sign up for one, the other, or both. As a tutor, you will have the opportunity to see the students' work come to life at an exhibition in December.

Check out some of the incredible performances from past years!

See below for a letter from the teachers:

Dear Tutors,

First, we want to thank you for participating and sharing your time. Your commitment to working with youth and their written work makes a monumental difference in the public education system. During the semester with ACT, (Acting for Critical Thought) Project students are studying scriptwriting and theater performance techniques. This is a very exciting time for our school because this is the second year we will be exhibiting a full theater production in collaboration with American Conservatory Theater. We are building this new project from the ground up and look forward to working with 826 Valencia tutors the entire school year. This semester our theme is, focusing on gender as a social construct. The overarching question we are investigating is, “What role do I play?” Through collaborative work between students, teachers, family and community organizations, students will be required to write a 3 monologues and a 10-minute play addressing the issues we face around the theme.

We need your expertise helping students from their first drafts to the final drafts of their monologues and plays. During your time with ACT, you will have the opportunity to help students begin to value the writing process. Together, you will inspire new ideas, give constructive feedback, edit, edit and edit and edit. This is one of the most exciting aspects of our project because students are able to understand their thoughts and opinions about systems of oppression in their community, history, family, and culture—through a creative writing process. In the final exhibition you will see your written collaborative work come alive in a theater performance where their words are heard and honored.

An inspiring quote that we use for the foundation of this project: “Theater is a language through which human beings can engage in active dialogue on what is important to them. It allows individuals to create a safe space that they may inhabit in groups and use to explore the interactions, which make up their lives. It is a lab for problem-solving, for seeking options, and for practicing solutions." —Augusto Boal, Theatre of the Oppressed

Sincerely yours,

Eunice Nuval and Robert Ayala

Contact Christina with questions about this project at christina@826valencia.org.

Grade: 10-12

Address:
693 Vermont Street San Francisco, CA 94107