Good Lookin' Photo Club (Brandeis HS)

09 May 2011, 4:27 PM by keith, High School

Led by teaching artist Yarrow Lutz, The Good Lookin' Photo Club recently shot portraits of their fellow Brandeis HS students, including members of the drama club. They experimented with using different colored lighting and with directing their subjects to capture different personalities and emotions.  The slideshow below is a collection of some of their best shots.

Also, students have each been working on a self-directed independent project to form the foundation for a portfolio of work created during the year.  To continue to develop their unique style and interest, students each selected a subject of their choice, and then worked to create a body of work around this topic.  Subjects range from the interaction between nature and the man-made aspects of the city, live musical performances and natural light and shadows.  Check out the slideshow below to see the work of these amazing young photographers. 

Type Cast Debuts at Tribeca! Thoughts and Reflections

07 May 2011, 9:38 AM by Elizabeth Rodd, Urban Arts MediaLab

Advanced Playwriting Program Hard at Work on Original Plays

06 May 2011, 11:41 AM by keith, High School

The Advanced Playwriting program is now in its second year, with 9 students from 5 different NYC schools currently participating.  Led by teaching artist Katy Rubin, students have been meeting weekly after school at the UAP offices since January to each develop their own 10-15 minute original play.  After intensive work shopping, the plays will be staged and performed by Life Stories theatre students over a 3 week intensive directing program at the New Group in July, and then will be performed in early August at the Acorn Theater.

The program began with students engaging in exercises designed to help them generate ideas for characters and story ideas for their plays.  They explored character objectives and tactics, and how to create scenes with heightened stakes for the characters.  This in-depth writing process also involves a great deal of peer critique, with students challenging one another to strengthen their plays and ensure that the characters and scenes are true to life.  The group offers one another supportive feedback while also challenging their fellow participants to create the strongest possible work.  Each student also produced a storyboard detailing to plot of their play to help clarify the story they want to tell and how to effectively communicate it to an audience in a short amount of time.  

The group has also participated in a rolling master class series, which also consists of taking students to plays by living playwrights who lead talk backs/tutorials with students after performances.  So far, the students have attended six plays, and they noted that these experiences have helped them gain a deeper understanding of what makes a great play and how to keep the audience engaged.  Overall, these young playwrights have been focusing on developing their own unique voices to bring their authentic personalities and perspectives to their audience.  Stay tuned for more news from this incredibly hard-working group of emerging new voices in theater.

“So far we did a lot of improv exercises to help with character development and objectives, which helps you write dialogue.  The other main focus of the class is conflict.  We worked with character interruptions to bring in different opinions and voices.  What’s really good about this group is that we’re all really into writing and we all bring different perspectives to our feedback.  All the feedback has been really helpful.  It’s a good place to help you make concentrated, focused time to write in a supportive environment.” – Anuradha, 12th grade, Beacon HS

“It’s important personally to me to make time for this class because it’s what I want to do in the future.  I need the practice and performing arts is an incredibly competitive field.  I have an advantage by participating in Urban Arts in being able to know how a play is really written.  It gives us skills for making our plays more real.  We don’t want to write about childish subjects, and the roundtable feedback is so helpful.  I’m writing about one of my greatest fears.  My play is about someone who realizes that someone he loves is actually a figment of his imagination.” – Anthony, 12th grade, Beacon HS        

“I like this class because I like creative writing, but I don’t like writing without a purpose.  I know there’s an end product I’m working toward, and I look forward to having my work read.  The best part of the class is being able to get feedback from other playwrights.  It’s been a real big skill booster.  The program allows teens to write about things that are about real life stuff.” – Genesis, 11th grade, KAPP International HS

Brandeis High School's String Ensemble Rehearses "The Mississippi Sawyer"

06 May 2011, 10:20 AM by keith, High School

Led by teaching artist Erika Kapin, the Brandeis High School After School String Ensemble has been preparing to perform at the annual Urban Arts Festival later this month.  They learned "The Mississippi Sawyer," a traditional American bluegrass composition, and have been working on their stage presence.  To get into the physicality of the music, students practiced moving their bodies while playing.  Check out the video below to see them in action! 

Media Lab Goes to The Social Justice Exposition

04 May 2011, 12:02 PM by frank, Urban Arts MediaLab

The Social Justice Exposition invites a select group of New York City youth to exhibit their social justice projects one day a week in May at NYU.
Topics ranged from gentrification, food justice, restorative practices in schools, housing rights and bullying. It was great to see
how other young teenagers are bringing awareness to such important issues that not only impact them but the overall community.

The day started at 11:00AM. Many people came to our table and were very interested in our work, asking us what can they can do to access fresh fruits and vegetables. I responded that there are farmers markets in The Bronx where people are able to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for a low cost, or they can purchase with their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card. I also said that in communities of color where our income limits us we are able to use these EBT cards and have access to healthier food options and not only the glazed donuts, and fried food. I had healthy snacks set out that people could sample, as well as a ball game to encourage people to exercise and be active.

After we screened the film, myself and Joshua Diaz talked about the film and how important it was for us to bring awareness to Diabetes and our community. I asked "How many of you know someone with diabetes?" by a show of hands almost everyone raised their hands. I was astonished and felt that they would understand my point of view. And they did, judges, educators, and activists and all were greatly impacted by our film. After the screening we had many people come up to us and share their experiences on diabetes. We got many people who pledged and decided to take action to prevent diabetes and raise awareness in their homes, communities, and schools.

These are a few pledges people made:

"Continue to educate others about the causes and effects of types 1 and 2 diabetes, and to continue to push for equal access to healthy food options in all neighborhoods"

"Research healthy supermarkets and the proximity of these to low-income neighborhoods and spread the word"

"Eat healthy, exercise daily, take the stairs and walk always"

"Ride my bike more often"

"Keep on doing active things throughout the week"