StageLab
206 Exchange Avenue
Louisville, KY 40207
Contact: Kathi E.B. Ellis
stagelab@insightbb.com
502-741-8392

StageLab Announces Expanded Professional Development Opportunities

Drama PDs for Teachers Across the Commonwealth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 19, 2009 (Louisville) – StageLab announces a series of professional development sessions for teachers of Drama and/or Arts and Humanities. StageLab Principals are theatre professionals and experienced teaching artists. The sessions are offered throughout the school year at StageLab’s Louisville studio, each PD session is $100 and six (6) hours of PD credit is offered for each day. Registration forms at www.stagelablouisville.googlepages.com/stagelab or email stagelab@insightbb.com.  StageLab accepts POs up to ten days before date of service.

Whether you have experience teaching drama or are just beginning, StageLab has something for you.  StageLab’s hands-on, participatory approach to teaching drama can be tailored to the school level review of arts programming that KDE will introduce between now and 2011.  If your high school is considering specialization in an art form, StageLab offers specific topics that will support your curriculum.  Producing or Directing your school musical or play?  StageLab’s PDs on these topics will bring you practical solutions for your productions. 

Exploring all the elements of drama encourages students to become better readers and to develop critical thinking skills that strengthen their capacity to articulate ideas verbally and in written form. StageLab’s Drama PDs offer cross-curricula connections to language arts, social studies; dance, music and visual arts; and practical and vocational living. StageLab aligns the content of its PD sessions with the National Standards for Arts Education, the Kentucky Program of Studies and the Core Content.

Details of each Professional Development session:
Saturday, September 26 – Overview of Elements of Drama
Provides an overview of Literary Elements, Performance Elements, Production Elements, and Social Studies Connections.  Take back to your classroom resources, activities, and units of study to enhance your curriculum. This PD is designed for teachers and media specialists who are relatively new to teaching drama or an Arts & Humanities Class in their school; also relevant for arts specialists and teachers certified in another art form who find themselves teaching drama units or for teachers looking for new ideas to energize their curriculum.

Saturday, October 3 – Performing & Creating in the Drama Classroom
The PD session will provide a comprehensive approach to integrating voice, movement, and imagination for your students for classroom studies and productions.  This PD will help teachers gain confidence with performance-based activities. Take back to your classroom activities and units of study that are designed to help your students create characters, read, analyze, and perform scripts, and improve their speaking skills for classroom presentations.

Saturday, November 7 – Directing the School Musical
This is a hands-on exploration of directing the school musical.  Topics covered include: collaboration between director and musical director; conducting the audition; balancing book scenes, music, and dance rehearsals; acting the song; staging crowd scenes; staging combat to music; character development in words, song, and movement; and resources for selecting and designing your show.

Monday, January 18 – Approaching Shakespeare
Learn a variety of activities and techniques to bring Shakespeare’s language and characters to life during this PD session. This session is designed for language arts and drama teachers, media specialists, etc. in middle and high schools.  Whether you’re studying Shakespeare’s plays in class or preparing for a production, you’ll take back to your students practical tools to make the Bard’s plays accessible.

Saturday, February 20 – Overview of Elements of Drama
Provides an overview of Literary Elements, Performance Elements, Production Elements, and Social Studies Connections.  Take back to your classroom resources, activities, and units of study to enhance your curriculum.  This PD is designed for teachers and media specialists who are relatively new to teaching drama or an Arts & Humanities Class in their school; also relevant for arts specialists and teachers certified in another art form who find themselves teaching drama units or for teachers looking for new ideas to energize their curriculum.

Tuesday, May 18 – Producing and Directing the School Play
Bring back to your schools and communities organizational tools for choosing the script, casting the show, rehearsing, and post-production wrap-up; strategies for working with students, colleagues, and parents; ensemble building games and activities; inexpensive technical theatre solutions; marketing and administrative tools.

Summer 2010  Professional Development Opportunities will be announced later this semester. New Professional Development Session coming! – Differentiation in the Arts Classroom. Check http://stagelablouisville.googlepages.com regularly for updates.
 

All classes, workshops, and professional development sessions are held at StageLab Studio,
 156 Mellwood Arts and Entertainment Center, 1860 Mellwood Avenue, Louisville

StageLab is a member of Theatre Alliance of Louisville

www.stagelablouisville.googlepages.com/stagelab                                                           502-741-8392