June 2019 Blog Post
Welcome to the brand-new TAO website!
We have been busy with plans and programs.
The Spring productions for both the Actors and Playwrights program and the InsideOut Youth Theater Group were performed in May and June.
The Actors and Playwrights put on four performances at Garner CI, which were fully attended and received excellent reviews. The theme “Perception” was addressed and resonated throughout the show. How people perceive of others, without knowing them, was messaged in the original plays, poetry and spoken word pieces. The pieces were funny, poignant and powerful, culminating in an original poem entitled “What Do You See?”, each cast member was called upon to define themselves in a word, defying commonly held stereotypes. The power of live theater to open minds and change them was on full display.
The summer session at A&P has already begun as we start the process of creating work for the new semester and add to our toolkits of both writing and acting technique.
Left to Right: Harry Bell of Color A Positive Thought, Elizabeth Young of TAO, Reuel Parks of Champ Mentoring, & Kenneth Anderson, Board Member of TAO
In partnership with the Center for Family Justice, CHAMP and Color a Positive Thought, InsideOut Youth Theatre Productions delivered a romping revue for the end of it’s Spring 2019 session. Hosted by The Brookfield Theater for the Arts, fourteen cast members took to the stage on a Sunday in June. Some of the original plays were developed from the Color a Positive Thought coloring book by Harry Bell. Members of the Actors and Playwrights program then wrote skits which endorsed the constructive messaging. Another play, “Every Little Bit Counts” followed the journey of a quarter and described how it was put to good use by each of cast member. Lots of music and dancing was also involved!
The afternoon was rounded out by a party featuring of cake, ice cream and talk of the next session, which begins on July 9 and is focused on playwriting. Students will learn the structure and art of writing for the theater. Actors will read the work at a staged reading. We are excited to hear what they have to say!