Degree Type
Honors Capstone Project
Date of Submission
Spring 5-1-2010
Capstone Advisor
Steve Cross
Honors Reader
Lisa Nicholas
Capstone Major
Drama
Capstone College
Visual and Performing Arts
Audio/Visual Component
no
Capstone Prize Winner
no
Won Capstone Funding
yes
Honors Categories
Creative
Subject Categories
Acting | Performance Studies | Theatre and Performance Studies
Abstract
For my Capstone Project, I chose to teach drama in Port St. Johns, a rural village in South Africa. My original intent was to develop a drama curriculum to implement at the Sisonke School, a local primary school and the Eluxoweni Boys Home, a nearby orphanage for boys. I spent the summer researching Augosto Boal’s work and ultimately developed the curriculum based on my research, past teaching experience, and material I had learned as a student here in the drama department. My original goal was to have some sort of final production, to give the children the empowering tool of putting on a production solely based on their creativity; on their mind, body, voice, and imagination. While we did accomplish this goal, I could never have anticipated the many happy accidents that occurred during my time in South Africa, which ultimately led to the jumpstart of several theater projects in the community. My work over the month included conducting 5-7 hours worth of drama classes per week at the school, a final production, dramatherapy workshops at the orphanage, maskwork, street theater, interactive educational skits, and teacher training workshops. I also developed a method to use drama as a form of conflict mediation and resolution. Although I was not able to fulfill the sustainability model of creating a program that could function without my facilitation, I did learn the importance of using theater as a vehicle to help others help themselves.
Recommended Citation
Lever, Arielle, "Port St. Johns Theater Project" (2010). Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All. 311.
https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/311
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