“THROUGH OUR EYES: TELLING UNTOLD STORIES” PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY FOR THEATER EDUCATORS & DIRECTORS

REGISTRATION HERE

DATE & TIME: Saturday, February 26 (1:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.)

LOCATION: The Hennepin – An arts and cultural event center – 900 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403 https://thehennepin.org/ and Jungle Theater, 2951 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN 55408

DESCRIPTION:
Along with our partners at Hennepin Theatre Trust, we’re excited to announce our next professional development day for theater educators and directors on Saturday 2/26! First, join the artistic leaders of Exposed Brick Theatre for a workshop on expanding the theater canon, decentering whiteness, and working with students to create the multiracial and multicultural stories we want to see. Next, we’ll have a restorative yoga session with local artist Kenna Cottman, followed by the introduction of new tools for evaluating theater syllabi from an antiracist perspective. After a dinner provided by Hennepin Theatre Trust, we’ll head to the Jungle Theater for a viewing of Redwood by Brittany K. Allen and directed by H. Adam Harris. The entire day will be filled with learning, artistry, and community building; you won’t want to miss it!

DETAILS:

• NOTE: Availability for this event is limited! Register now to secure your spot!
• CEUs (Continuing Education Units) are available for these sessions.
• Masks are required at The Hennepin unless actively eating or drinking and our Studio 900 event space has plenty of room for social distancing.
• Parking validations for the FAIR School ramp (10th & Hennepin) will be provided.
• Registration is capped at 20, and if there is enough interest on the waiting list, we may offer a second session.

REGISTRATION FEE:
Your registration fee will help offset the cost of the presenters and cover your catered dinner. The fee is $20 and you can pay on the registration page by credit card to hold your spot for this event. If cost is a barrier, scholarships are available. Reach out to spotlighteducation@hennepintheatretrust.org.

TARGET AUDIENCE:
K-12 Theater Educators and Directors.

SCHEDULE:
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Through Our Eyes: Telling Untold Stories
Exposed Brick Theatre is dedicated to telling untold stories, centering omitted narratives and creating art at the intersection of identities. Their newest project commissioned eight playwrights in 2020 to write about the multiple pandemics impacting their communities. EBT’s artistic leadership Aamera Siddiqui, Eliza Rasheed and Suzy Messerole will share how invisibility impacts BIPOC students when the canon taught does not represent them and they will also share their approach to creating a theater ecosystem that is more accessible.  Join us to imagine possibilities for decentering whiteness in theater education, and to engage in an arts activity to inspire students to create their own stories.

3:15 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
SouLit Yoga with Kenna Cottman

4:15 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Evaluating the Syllabus in Terms of DEI
In her essay Navigating Anti-racism in an Anti-black Landscape, dancer and educator Nyama McCarthy-Brown examines the ways in which she has upheld structures of whiteness and racism in her own teaching practice. In this session, Theater Education Specialist Stephanie Lein Walseth will lead a discussion of McCarthy-Brown’s discoveries and introduce a tool for evaluating theater syllabi from an antiracist perspective.

5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Happy Hour and Dinner (at the Hennepin)
Dinner will be provided by Hennepin Theatre Trust. Please complete the form on the registration page to inform us of any dietary restrictions.

7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Travel to the Jungle Theater
The Jungle Theater is located at 2951 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55408. Participants will need to arrange their own transportation and parking.

7:30 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Redwood at the Jungle Theater
Join us for a 7:30 p.m. viewing of Redwood, directed by H. Adam Harris and written by Brittany K. Allen: Meg and Drew, an interracial couple, are thrown into crisis when Meg’s uncle discovers Drew belongs to the family that owned Meg’s relatives in an antebellum Kentucky. What are the ways love can and cannot transcend both modern social barriers and historical power structures? Meg and Drew must learn if it is possible to forgive, champion, or fully understand a person who is beloved but fundamentally other.
**Please note that the Jungle Theater will be requiring masks for audience members, as well as proof of vaccination or proof of negative Covid-19 test within 72 hours of showtime.