ARTICLE: ArtsEmerson Blog

The Speaker’s Progress: A Journey Between Cultures

By Alyssa Mulligan

“Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them” (Twelfth Night, Act II Scene V).

Perhaps you are familiar with the 17^th century script written by a renowned bard, or perhaps not. Regardless, The Speaker’s Progress will certainly provide a fresh outlook on this olden tale. The play is based on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night- however, this is a Shakespearean production unlike any other you’ve seen before. What makes writer/director Sulayman Al-Bassam and the SABAB theatre company’s adaptation so unique? One must first examine their artistic mission and theatrical process.

“sabab (verb): to cause, bring forth, provoke, trigger, arouse, inspire, prompt; (noun): reason, cause, motive”

Born in Kuwait and now based in London, Al-Bassam is dedicated to creating a space for the Arab voice to be heard. He often uses a classic text as the “poetic starting point” for his work. In addition to Hamlet and Richard III, Al-Bassam has drawn inspiration from Molière, allegorical animal fables and a medieval morality play. The Speaker’s Progress is the final installment of Al-Bassam’s trilogy dedicated to reinterpreting Shakespearean works through a Middle Eastern lens. In an interview Al-Bassam shared, “Theatre challenges the accepted world views and breaks the mirrors of authority. Shakespeare understood that power very well.”

SABAB theatre company, comprised of pan Arab and international artists, approaches the text as a framework to engage audiences in a dialogue about Arab and Muslim culture, perspectives, and politics. Their work centers on a voice that is often disregarded, misinterpreted, or not represented in the English-speaking world.

Come share in their experience: The Speaker’s Progress is playing on the Paramount Center Mainstage from October 12-16!

http://artsemerson.tumblr.com/post/11317665824/the-speakers-progress-a-journey-between-cultures

ARTICLE: AATE Conference

Theatre Ed Students Make a Splash in Chicago

August 19, 2011

By Guest Blogger

This summer more than a dozen current Theatre Education MA students, faculty members, and alumni attended the American Alliance for Theatre & Education’s (AATE) annual conference in Chicago, Illinois. This professional development organization offers resources and networking opportunities for teachers, teaching artists, university researchers, artistic and education directors, playwrights, students, and more. The conference, which took place July 27-31, provided students with the opportunity to develop and host their own workshops and network with other theatre professionals.
When I first arrived on campus in Fall 2010 I was thrilled by the energy and excitement surrounding the informational session we hosted about the AATE conference. Many of the Theatre Education graduate students who attended this session immediately began developing their proposals for the November deadline. Several graduate students shared information about the GSA travel grants and as soon as many of them put the finishing touches on their work, they started applying for funding.
Over the summer, we hosted the first AATE Workshop Pilot Session, in which presenters got to “rehearse” their sessions with students who came out to provide support and feedback for their colleagues. We even Skyped in one of our collaborators who works in New York City, making the most of our technology, resources, and time. This workshop provided a forum for students to apply the skills they were learning in their classes in a practical setting and assess, reevaluate, and head back to the drawing board (if necessary) before presenting at the national conference.
Theatre Education Program Director Bob Colby beamed, “Everywhere in the conference, people were coming up to me to talk about how impressive the Emerson students were, both leading and participating in the workshops.”
Several of these sessions included “Let the Seventy-Fourth Hunger Games Begin: Experiencing and Reflecting Upon Young Adult Literature through Dramatic Exercises. And May the Odds be Ever in your Favor!” facilitated by Jessica Batey and Daniel Mahler; “The Right to Play: Engaging Young People in a Reflection on Human Rights Issues through Theatre Games,” which I facilitated with Melissa Bergstrom, Lindsay Weitkamp, and our colleague Alex Sarian, who is the Director of Education at the MMC Theatre in New York City; and The Playwriting Network’s Debut Panel, which featured the work of Alyssa Mulligan.
We look forward to even more Emerson College participation at the “Charging Ahead in Theatre Education” AATE 2012 conference in Lexington, Kentucky next summer!

http://admissionblog.emerson.edu/graduate/index.php/2011/08/19/theatre-ed-students-make-a-splash-in-chicago/

TEACHING ARTIST REVIEW

At the end of April, Kristy Mandour & I co-taught a 60 min. Playmaking Workshop at Triton High School's Triton Original Play (TOP) Festival.


The description of our workshop in the fesitval program:
"Playmaking: We will be guiding the students through multiple playwriting techniques through collaborative and individual exercises. By using various sensory stimuli we will explore different avenues of inspiration. "


Feedback from TOP Fest Program Director, Sharon Riordan:
"Thanks again for all you did to make TOP Fest such a success. People raved about the oral critiques, and the kids really enjoyed the workshops... It was a great day!"

ARTICLE: Emerson Peer Award

Graduate students win first annual GSA Awards

Bridgit Brown
May 9, 2011

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) gave awards to some of the College’s most promising grad students on May 7 in the Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre. This year marked the first time that the GSA has ever awarded graduate students for their achievements, scholarship, and research activities.

GSA Special Award winners (from left): Molly Martin, Meredith Jordan, Sarah Ehrich, and Jessica Harms

Molly Martin took home one of three GSA Special Awards, each one consisting of $2,500. The award supports her Theatrical Therapy project, which aims to create an interactive program for Alzheimer patients at the Alzheimer’s Services of Cape Cod & the Islands.
“This project came out of two classes that I took last fall,” said Martin, who is studying Theatre Education. “One was on the study of Brazilian theater director Augusto Boal’s techniques that I took with Professor Gail Burton. The other focused on the use of story circle and it was with Professor Robbie McCauley.”
The second GSA Special Award went to Jessica Harms for her project on Drama Activities for K–8 students at the Edward Devotion School. Harms’s project will involve producing a seventh-grade fall musical staffed by Theatre Education students.
The third GSA Special Award went to second-year Creative Writing graduate students Sarah Ehrich and Meredith Jordan for their Poets of Place (POP) project, a program for high school sophomores and juniors.
The Graduate Student Association Council determines the GSA Special Awards winners after a selection process that involves reviewing the applications submitted for the award. This year, a total of 22 graduate students applied for the GSA Special Award. “It was really difficult for us to make those final decisions because all of the applicants were great,” said Paul Caron, president of the GSA and a Communication Management major.

From left: Graduate Studies Dean Richard Zauft with 2010-2011 GSA Executive Council: Paul Caron, president; Daniel Huynh, treasurer; and Mumbi-Michelle Kimani, secretary.

The GSA Peer Awards, which provide $500 to graduate students, are selected based on nominating statements written by graduate students about their peers. Eleven students received this award. Several of the winners said that they plan to use the funds from their awards to celebrate each other’s success. “I’m planning to take all of the other Theatre Education representatives to dinner because the four of us really worked together and I wanted to do something to celebrate all of our success,” said Alyssa Mulligan, a graduate student in the Theatre Education program.

“I will definitely be doing something nice for the IMC-ers who have supported me throughout the journey of this last year,” said Integrated Marketing Communication graduate student Sedu Gokuglu.

GSA Peer Award winners with GSA Treasurer Daniel Huynh (second from left) are Cyril Urbano, Huynh, Morgan Bartolomeo, Aviva Schwartz, Melissa Rogers, Nicola Fairhead, Michelle Volz, Seda Gokoglu, Alyssa Mulligan, Paul Caron, and Greg Nichols.

The Graduate Student Dean Service Award went to two recipients, GSA President Paul Caron and GSA Treasurer Daniel Huynh.

“I want to acknowledge the executive council of the GSA because they have been very active and have demonstrated a tremendous amount of leadership in helping to organize the GSA,” said Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies Richard Zauft. “When this year started, we had three graduate student organizations out of the 10 programs. We went from awarding three grants a year ago to 77, and that’s a vision that the leadership organized and managed through great ideas that worked.”
The College offers 10 graduate programs to about 850 graduate students from more than 40 countries across the world.

Photo Credit: Frank Monkiewicz

View the article here

PICTURES: Playwriting Retreat

Kristy Mandour & Alyssa Mulligan
at Emerson's Playwriting Retreat

ARTICLE: ArtsEmerson Blog

Finding Their Voice Through Theatre

As ArtsEmerson student employees and Theatre Education graduate students at Emerson College, Kristy Mandour and Alyssa Mulligan jointly taught an extracurricular theatre course at Citizen Schools in Roslindale this past semester. Here is Alyssa’s reflection on the experience.

By Alyssa Mulligan

“What do YOU have to say?” Kristy Mandour and I proclaimed, as the group of new faces blinked back at us. Through an association between ArtsEmerson and Citizen Schools, Kristy and I found ourselves at Irving Middle School teaching a ten-week Theatre Apprenticeship to 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders. “We want to hear YOUR voice,” we pressed on. We explained that instead of providing scripts for them to act out, they would have the challenging task of creating original material. Then at the end of the ten weeks, they would perform their original pieces for the Citizen Schools’ WOW! Performance. Our enthusiasm for the project was met with a variety of reactions: nervous excitement, mild indifference, and also straight-up resistance. We realized that in order for this to be a success, we would need to both expand their theatre skill-set and help build their self-confidence.

We started each session with exercises to warm-up their body, voice, and mind. Then we began activities to help them learn about character, projection, setting, ensemble-work, and more. The students learned new theatre terminology, like “monologue,” “objective,” and “improvisation.” Another word that we delved into was “Metamorphosis,” inspired by the performance of ArtsEmerson’s Farfalle that they would be attending in May. They utilized the theme of metamorphosis as a jumping off point to write their own monologues. Each of their characters experienced a life-altering change, just like a caterpillar to a butterfly.

Week after week, the students’ confidence in their work continued to grow. They started taking bolder risks in both their acting and written work. And they began to trust us more, and in turn, trust in themselves. Meanwhile, Kristy and I were fortunate to see our Theatre Education graduate studies in action. It was a wonderful balance of give and take: we guided their journey, as much as they shaped ours.

The Citizen Schools’ WOW! Performance is drawing near. And the reality is that once the students are met with a large audience, they might get cold feet or forget a line. That’s the beauty of live theatre: you never know what may happen. But for me, it doesn’t matter if they are word-perfect or even the next Marlon Brando. It has been a successful experience, and the proof is in the process, not the product. The students crafted their own voices, and we heard what they had to say. And that is an incredible thing.

Check out the article here

PICTURES: A Chocolate Affair

A Chocolate Affair
Directed by Joan Aniano

Beverly: Alyssa Mulligan
Mr. Goodbar: Rob Lemire
M & M: Summar Elguindy

ARTICLE: Emerson College Graduate Admissions Blog

Theatre Education Graduate Association—Bigger & Better Than Ever!

May 4, 2011
By Kathryn Cuca

Emerson’s Theatre Education program has re-charged its graduate student
base by re-activating TEGA, the Theatre Education Graduate Association. I sat down recently with Alyssa Mulligan, a first year graduate student and TEGA representative, to get the latest scoop:

TEGA Members, Photo Courtesy of Kristy Mandour

How did you become affiliated with TEGA?
I work in Performing Arts Department and heard about TEGA, and about how it had lost steam. A few other Theatre Ed grad students and I wanted to re-charge TEGA, and with Bob Colby (Theatre Ed’s Program Director), we got it back up and running. Kristy Mardour, Lindsay Weitkamp, Melissa Bergstrom and I are the TEGA representatives.
What is new about TEGA now?
We re-vamped the TEGA Constitution. Our current mission is to build a stronger community for theatre education graduate students. There are tons of clubs and groups for undergrads; not as many for grads. In addition to providing a social connection for grad students, TEGA also supports career goals and professional development needs. TEGA recently held a series of workshops for grads teaching grads. For example, Joan taught a dance class to other grad students, but at the same time, she learned leadership in the classroom. The students may or may not have a dance background, so they learn to dance. Grads in the Theatre Education Master’s program come from all backgrounds and used this opportunity to explore other areas of performance-related skills.
Another recent event was our Theatre Game Swap. We got together to share theatre games that we’ve used or seen in our experience. It’s a great way to pool our resources. Afterward, we went out for dinner to build community. We always include a social aspect with every event.
What’s on tap for TEGA?
Our TEGA End of Year Bash is coming up in May! We’re gathering to celebrate with the graduating students. We’re also inviting local artists & teachers [from] where grads have taught, so there will be a networking aspect, too.
We’re also planning an Orientation Welcome Event in the fall—we’re thinking of a clam bake or BBQ so that new incoming first year students and second year graduate students can meet and bond!
Future event ideas also include speaker events and discussion panels.
Tell me about TEGA’s First Annual Graduate Run Production:
It was actually Adam Wright’s idea—he’s a current grad student. Adam and TEGA are collaborating to launch an entirely graduate produced, directed, designed, performed production! We’re finalizing a Proposal Handbook with guidelines—it’ll be available later this spring. Proposal submissions will be due early September 2011, with a production tentatively scheduled for late Fall 2011 so that first year grads can participate.
What do you hope will come out of this event?
We hope to establish ourselves among Emerson’s student organizations and to set a precedent for future years. We will be creating a TEGA manual so that events can continue for future students. And with elections each fall, it’ll help with TEGA’s continuation so that we stay strong.
In regards to the First Annual Graduate Production, we’d like to offer all grads an opportunity to participate in the experience, add to their resume, build community, and have lots fun!
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE!

EMERSON COLLEGE

I am currently pursuing my MA in Theatre Education at Emerson College in Boston.

My coursework includes:

Drama as Education I & II
Adaptation (Ensemble Play Devising)
Contemporary Issues in Education
Playwriting With & For Youth
Playmaking
Contemporary Women Playwrights
Theatre for Young Audiences
Literary Office/Dramaturgy/Outreach

My capstone project consists of Student Teaching & a Student Teaching Seminar.

Playwriting Retreat for Playwriting With & For Youth: Spring 2011

In addition to my coursework, I am also a Graduate Assistant to Dr. Robert Colby, Program Director of the Theatre Education Graduate Program at Emerson College. In addition, I am employed by ArtsEmerson in the Education/Outreach department. Through ArtsEmerson, I am also currently affiliated with CitizenSchools, teaching a 10 week Theatre Course at Irving Middle School.

Check out some of my blog articles for ArtsEmerson's website:

A Tug-of-War Between Two Cultures

Keeping Up With the Kennedys.

"Shylock is me."

"I'm more than Amadeus."

"Anything can happen. I'm proof of it."


Also, I will be returning to Walnut Street Theatre this July for my fourth summer with Camp Walnut. I am the Director of the 8-12 years Development group, and we will be creating a new musical together in the span of 4 weeks!