Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Meeting A Saint

The day I first picked up the phone to call St. Claire from Success Prepatory Academy in Treme, I was shocked because he actually picked up the phone. Getting to people in New Orleans educational facilites can sometimes be a challange. After that phone call things came together quickly. Managintg Director, Marieke Gaboury and myself set up a meeting at Success Prepatory, where we had a chance to meet St. Claire face to face. As he sat behind his desk, in his office I could have sworn he was enveloped in a ray of light. OK, maybe it was due to the window in his office that he sits directly in front of, but be that as it may I still believe him to be a real, honest to goodness saint.

There was no need for a hard sell from us, he clearly understood the benefit of having YO NOLA partner with his school. There were no beauracratic hoops to jump through. Just questions of when and where and a desire to do.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Testing The Waters

I moved to New Orleans from New York in March of 2010, and then recently became the Director of education for Southern Rep. My goal was to take the experience I gained in Arts Education over the past ten years and share it with the folks in New Orleans. First, let me say that New Orleans us unlike any other place I have ever been. Being a native of New york, the center of arts & culture, one might think in comparison, New Orleans would be an easy egg to crack. Not! Like I said it's unlike any other place. The culture down here is thick (that's a good thing). The food is to die for (another good thing). The people are accessible, they move a bit slower, so they are pretty easy to catch up with and make friends, real friends. And for a small city, there is always so much going on, but I'm not sure how much that includes theatre... particularly when it comes to kids who's parents are understandably focused on juggling work and home responsibilities. So, I'm very proud to be a part of YO NOLA.

YO NOLA. Ahhhhhh NOLA! Earlier this fall we held our first test pilot workshop for Yo Nola. We had children between the ages of 5 - 12 who attended. To say they were excited would be an understatement. We started the 90 minute workshop with warm-ups, though some of them seemed ready to go when they walked in the door. The warm-ups were followed by a story telling exercise. The idea of the exercise is to have them use their imagination. First they recite a popular Fairytale. Each participant tells a portion of the story until they are prompted to stop, and then the next participant continues the telling of the story, until the story is finished. In the next round, each kid was asked to tell their own version of the story, inventing new plots and characters. In one version, Goldilocks was exposed for being a sort of sneaky burglar, and the bears really questioned her right to break and enter into their home. It was excellent.

In preparation for our Yo Nola classes, we've also been holding workshops for kids that coincide with the final performance of each production. Parents are able to drop off their kids, while they attend the play. It's been a great resource for the whole family - so we're going to continue it for the rest of the season, and into the future. In the workshops we have again focused on kids between the age of 7 & 12. We have incorporated storytelling, acting, and some directing skill building, utilizing improvisation, staging, and movement exercises.

We're so excited to get into the classroom with YO NOLA this coming January. New Orleans. There's no place like it.

Monday, June 15, 2009

HOW TO ENJOY YOUR SUMMER WHILE TRYING TO FIND A JOB

Out of work? Join the many. Just because the dough isn’t rolling in this summer doesn’t mean you have to confine yourself to cushion patrol. Hell to the No! Sure, you’ve sent out countless resumes, responded to many bogus Craigslist ads, and if you’re lucky you’re collecting unemployment, lol!

This just in…you can have a fantastic summer for no money down. First let’s check the checklist.
Do you have a set of legs? – Check.
Do you have a winning personality – Check.
Do you have any friends (very important) Check.
Do you have access to a computer – (Come on it’s 2009) – Check.
A local event magazine (Timeout) – Check.

OK, now lets work backwards. Check your local event mag for a listing of free concerts, street fairs, parades and such. If you don’t have enough money to pay for a magazine, get to a computer and look up the magazines website. All the info in the magazine should be available on the website. Most cities have a free major arts magazine with information about local events, and in the summer there are many free events.

Go ahead! Check some out. You’ll have a ball!

Now, if you have no luck with that, here’s another option. Here’s where your personality comes into play. Hopefully over the years with your winning personality you have made good friendships and maybe you’re even owed a few favors. Time to reciprocate!
Who do you know?
Maybe you know someone who works at the zoo,
Amusement park or
Golf course.
Never played golf. Well your unemployed, so your ass has got plenty of time to learn now.

Put together a picnic. Call all your friends and organize a gathering at your neighborhood park and instruct everyone to bring a dish, so you don’t have to spend money you don’t have.
Go for a ferry ride. They usually don’t cost much.
Take a walk. Walking around your neighborhood can be cool. Discovering things you didn’t know existed.

So yes, being out of work sucks, but it can also be an opportunity to find out new things about yourself, your friends, your creativity and things we normally take fro granted.

HAVE A GREAT SUMMER

Tuesday, February 26, 2008





Well I have literally reached the end of this road, but there is no brick wall, or a cliff for Thelma and Louise to catapult themselves from, at the end is this great big beautiful world. A world many of us choose to live in, compartmentalized, as it becomes smaller, and we all become more accessible in the global since. Nowadays We have skype, ichat, text messaging, and the BLOG. The world is as close as my index finger and my monthly access charges allow it to be. But somehow as we all become more within reach of one another, this chasm increases. We disconnect more on a human level. We allow CNN, and our misconceptions to inform us about the world and in doing that we cheat ourselves, oh so much. It took me traveling the world to remind myself how important we all are to each other, how beautiful people can be. People make life rich, not more ring tones or new shinny things. That richness comes from our interactions with one another, that face-to-face, that hand shake, that embrace. I went around the world and became closer to myself, but it wasn’t the frequent flyer miles that did it; it was all those wonderful people with their rich culture and welcoming smiles. It was good old-fashioned human contact. So what do you do if you don’t have an opportunity to travel the globe, and experience all of that wonderfulness? You take risk! If I just gave more airtime to the Pakistani brother who runs the corner deli, the Moroccan man at the check cashing place, or when I go to the Mexican restaurant to order food if I just took a moment to try and get to know the people behind the counter, I could have a richer human experience right around the corner from where I live. Like I said wonderfulness is in the people, the places we go to are special because of their smiles, their heart and in some cases their pain. We reap the benefits of life when we take risk, when we challange ourselves, when we trust. Don't get me wrong, this is not coming from some naive twenty-year old who hasn't lived. Risk are risky, and yes, your liable to get disappointed or hurt in the process, but don't be no punk. When that brick wall you have so skillfully built around you all these years tells all who approach, to proceed with caution, tear down the wall and take a chance. Real human contact, what a concept!

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Once upon a night so dreary....




Once upon a night so dreary
Fog so thick we can’t see clearly
Tavern walls, cloaked with hide
We sipped boiled wine
After our sleepy ride
Ravens, peacock, bears and dear
Listen to our hidden fear
Vineyards line the foggy hills
Gargantuan beings drill at will
A sudden stop, a crash, a bang
All are safe we go to sing
The village comes to share the night
They stand and cheer, oh what a sight
The fog is lifted, we eat and drink
I sit to write, ponder and think