Updated 7.26.23
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE | 21
Getting " Taboo " Plays to Youth Who Need Them Most Tracks : Applied Theatre , High School , Professional Theatre , Youth Theatre Presenters : Roxanne Schroeder-Arce , Stacey Ardelean , Robyn Flatt , Jo Beth Gonzalez & Mateo Hernandez Location : Crowne Plaza – Parkside – Second Floor
This interactive panel will engage participants in a dialogue around how plays with " taboo " themes can be made more accessible to youth who would find them most relevant and for other youth who need to be more aware of people unlike themselves and lives unlike their own . Facilitator / presenters engage three plays : Spayce Boys , by Mateo Hernandez , Andi Boi , by Bruce Coleman , and Free to Fly by students at Bowling Green High School along with Roxanne Schroeder-Arce and Jo Beth Gonzalez . The three plays collectively engage topics of human sex trafficking , queer youth coming out , and transgender youth attending school . Session leaders will share short videos of each of the plays , produced in different ways ( online and in the theatre ), and discuss the plays ' journeys to date given stigmas about themes they include . The session ' s essential question is : How can plays with " taboo " themes be made more accessible ? Participants will engage with this question as others and learn and think collectively about what material is and is not accessible to teachers and therefore students in theatre programs across the country .
Soft Skills and SEL : The Real Value of Theatre Games Track : High School Presenter : Matt Webster Location : The 5 th Avenue Theatre – Studio B
Theatre games have enormous educational potential , but teachers take the games they play in their classroom for granted . Sure , they ' re fun , and they help create a sense of ensemble , but there ' s no real value beyond that , is there ? YES ! Not only do theatre games create a healthy classroom environment , but they also establish and reinforce the foundations of Social and Emotional Learning . And if that is not enough , theatre games also provide training in the so-called " Soft Skills ". These are the skills such as Communication , Collaboration and Creative Problem Solving that are highly valued and actively sought after by employers and business leaders alike . In this workshop you will learn to unlock the hidden value and educational impact of the games and activities you are already teaching in your classroom !
The Power of Playwriting in Education : Accessing Emotional Honesty in Storytelling Tracks : Applied Theatre , College / University , High School , Playwriting , Youth Theatre Presenters : Jordan Stovall , Mora V . Harris & TJ Young Location : Crowne Plaza – McKinley – Third Floor
Learn the benefit of writing from a place of emotional honesty and authenticity in this workshop , designed to aid educators who wish to encourage their students in accessing their inner storyteller by writing their very first stage play and incorporating playwriting into a theatre curriculum . This educational workshop is meant for educators who wish to engage their students through storytelling for the stage : theatre lovers , writers from other genres / practices , actors , or anyone who would like to learn the art of crafting an effectual piece of theatrical writing is welcome to join .
Theatre for social Change : Analysing theatre ' s contribution to alleviating the spate of xenophobic conflict in South Africa Tracks : Applied Theatre , Professional Theatre , Youth Theatre Presenter : Chijioke M . Uwah Location : Crowne Plaza – Glacier / Sequoia – Lobby Level
The debate around the spate of xenophobic attacks by South African nationals against African immigrants is a very sensitive one and one that has caused a major rift between South African nationals and nationals from the rest of Africa . The need to mend this rift cannot be overemphasised . The South African government has acted decisively ( mostly through the media ) to distance itself from the shameful acts of vigilante groups who have in