This week on the podcast, Isaac Bont and Brooke Smith chatted alot about the upcoming summer youth camps (titled Art in Action Camps), teaching the summer company to be arts educators, and a little about Brooke's first year anniversary being on the St. Croix Festival Theatre staff! For more information about the upcoming summer camps (there's still a few slots available in each camp) check out http://www.festivaltheatre.org/art-in-action.html
Here's the transcript!
Isaac
H!.
Brooke
Hi!
Isaac
Thanks for doing this thing with me. I think the first one went pretty well and people were excited and wanting to check it out. It's almost been a year that you've been working here which is pretty exciting. I have a lot of questions about that. But first, let's slate. Who are you?
Brooke
I am Brooke Smith and I'm the arts education director and an artistic associate here at Festival Theatre!
Isaac
Of course, I want to talk to you on the podcast anytime because you and I started around the same time and it's interesting to hear from the staff what their lives are like. But I definitely wanted to get you on right now because I know art in action is debuting in a couple weeks so I figured this would be another good chance to approach that from a different avenue and keep getting the word out.
Brooke
Yes art in action! Yay!
Isaac
Yay! Can you tell me a little bit about art in action? What is it?
Brooke
So art in action is our week long theatre summer camp. We do five of those. So it's five weeks, but they're all in different places, which is great because we can bring our philosophy and our teaching artists at Festival Theatre to different cities around St. Croix Falls to different people who we may not have met before at our weeklong summer camp. It's all about process-based learning and allowing our campers to take a hold of the creative process themselves. They will come in and they will create their own play from a game that we play together on the first day. They will be cast in it. They will come up with designs for a set with costume designs. At the end of the week they will put on a play for their family members or friends or anyone who wants to come and see it. It's always a wonderful really inspiring experience to see these young people take hold of these ideas and make it their own.
Isaac
Yeah. I like the sounds of that because it sounds like it really approaches theatre from a very broad perspective. A lot of times when people think of theatre camps as acting, acting, acting. But it sounds like it kind of goes through a lot of the different processes of theatre which I think is really neat.
Brooke
Yeah. Definitely because they are starting up creating a story that's playwriting right there 101 and then they get to also think about technical elements like scenic design. They do paint their own backdrop which is a very fun, messy day for all of us.
Isaac
So, you said that the story is brought up by a game that happens on the first day. Is it kind of an improv game in a way, or what is that game like?
Brooke
Yeah, definitely! It's a game called Story Ball. So one person starts with a ball or any sort of object (it doesn't have to be a ball) and passes it around the circle and when ball is in your hand it's your turn to add something else to the story. The only real rule is that you can't negate anything that was said before you. So you can add whatever you want, you just can't take away something that someone else has said.
Isaac
That's so "Yes and"! Classic improv! Improv starts tonight! .
Brooke
Woo-hoo!
Isaac
Do you remember one of the stories from art in action or a brief example of either if you've trained recently with the teaching company of this year or a story that happened? Like a brief synopsis of what came about from Story Ball?
Brooke
Yes. One of my favorites from last year was a story called "Gus!" Exclamation point and it was about a police chicken working at a local mall who had to stop a group of young adult shoplifters. And the twist was you find out at the end that the chicken's name is Gus. So that's where the title comes from.
Isaac
Wow! I would watch that!
Brooke
Yeah it was beautiful.
Isaac
I would watch adults put that on, but kids? That would be delightful! So last year, you went through the process of being taught art in action to be a teaching artist. This year, you're teaching the teaching artists how to be teaching artists. Can you talk about what that's like or how that transition has been and how Brook Smith teaches art in action in a different way? How do you put your own flavor on it as the arts education director?
Brooke
Yeah, definitely. So you know last year I was a teaching artist and I did three of the four camps that we did last year so I got a lot of experience which was really great. It's really nice to be able to bring that experience into teaching teaching artists. The biggest thing that I have found helpful in teaching other teachers is making sure everything's very clear, which was really well laid out by my predecessor, Rachel Kuhnle, who is fantastic and lovely and wonderful.
Isaac
Yeah, she's great.
Brooke
So she had a lot of that information laid out in all these beautiful documents. So it's been so easy to take that over and then take it into the classroom with our interns this year and give them some real hands on experience. This year, I guess a little differently, we've delved more into the psychology of ourselves as teaching artists. We talk a lot about teacher personas as well as the co-teaching relationship. So at art in action, every teacher has a co-teacher; you are both co-teachers for the week. So you always have someone in the room with you helping you out and playing the games and being in the plays. So it's very integrated and fun. And we are a true co-teachers. There are different sorts of co-teaching philosophies like "one teach one observe". That's not as helpful for us. We need both teachers to be just as engaged even if they're not necessarily the person leading the game. So it's been a really great experience seeing how our teaching artists are learning to deal with that and learning to work with each other. And this week, actually, they will all go into turns being co teachers and they will have a great time I'm sure and do wonderfully.
Isaac
How do you figure out that different philosophies like "both teachers need to be engaged"? How do you figure that out? Just from the experience of running these camps last year?
Brooke
Yeah, I think a lot of it is just experience doing it, but also and this goes along with experience, it's seeing how the kids react. If we've got two people who are equally engaged, then the kids are going to be equally engaged. We always say that our best classroom management tool is our teaching persona. So if we come in and we are excited to be there and we are jumping in and having a great time then everyone else will too. And that's pretty much the case across the board. We have very few classroom management issues, which you know, speaks to obviously we're in a great region with some great kids, but it also speaks to the power of our teaching artists and the way they come in and take control of the room and make sure everyone's having a great time.
Isaac
Any funny or weird anecdotes about this process of teaching your summer company? Anything crazy happen?
Brooke
Last week, they have all been experimenting with their facilitation of games which means that while they are facilitating, the rest of us get to be children. So that has obviously been a wonderful time as they all tap into their little child selves and show us exactly what they were like as children and it's exactly what you think if you have met any of these people. So you've got people who are very strict rule followers and then kids who are fun little weirdos who will say whatever comes to their mind, which is true for you know the kids who will be at camp. But it's also true for us when we think back to ourselves as children.
Isaac
That's funny. Yeah now we're all fun big weirdos. I can see how that personality would translate. That would be a fun exercise. While you're on staff here, you also said you're an artistic associate and I feel like summer is where things get crazy for the Arts Education Director because you've got Marvelous Wonderettes. Four girls, they're onstage singing almost the entire time and then Fools, you've got a great part and a huge part in Crimes of the Heart. There's also improv going on. There's a whole lot going on for the arts education director this summer at Festival Theatre. How are you doing with all that?
Brooke
I think I'm doing well. So far you know we're still at the beginning, but we've already got a lot of balls in the air. We've got the resource guides that come out with every show that tell a little about the show and that's Arts Ed. And then we've got teacher training shows, like you said, in improv. We really have a great team of interns this year. I mean, we always do. But this year, you know they're so willing to jump in and help out with everything. It's been so helpful. I'm so proud of them. Just how they're handling all the work that comes their way because sometimes they have more than I do when they come in for work calls: to paint and everything. They're so willing to help each other, which is very helpful for all of us on staff, I think, when they can jump in and help each other with things.
Isaac
Yeah, they're a good group.
Brooke
So they have really made things a lot easier than I ever could have imagined. Though obviously, it is a busy summer and it will continue to be a busy summer. But it's all things I love. So it's a wonderful time.
Isaac
You're doing great work. I love watching you perform. I love watching your arts education stuff. You're an inspiration. Thank you for your time.
Brooke
Thank you.
Isaac
I look forward to hearing more about art in action camp. The first one is in two weeks?
Brooke
Yes, our first one is July 15th in St. Croix Falls. The next week we are back in St. Croix Falls, so two in St. Croix Falls. Then we are in luck. Then Grantsburg then finishing it out in Scandia.
Isaac
And if somebody were, to say, want to find more information they can go to our Web site?
Brooke
Yes, they can go to our website: festivaltheatre.org or come into the box office. We have registration forms here in our lobby and we also have posters hanging up that say a little more about it.
Isaac
Super! Actually one last question! I probably won't get around to interviewing you again before you've officially been here for a year. So, what are your thoughts a year into being on staff at Festival Theatre?
Brooke
It doesn't feel like a year at all. I guess, because we move very quickly here. So that takes away some of the time, but also because it hasn't felt like work. It's been so fun to be around my friends and to be around this community that loves us so much, and who we love so much, that it's gone by so quickly! It doesn't feel like it's been a year at all.
Isaac
That's great! All right. Thank you Brooke.
Brooke
Thank you Isaac.
Here's the transcript!
Isaac
H!.
Brooke
Hi!
Isaac
Thanks for doing this thing with me. I think the first one went pretty well and people were excited and wanting to check it out. It's almost been a year that you've been working here which is pretty exciting. I have a lot of questions about that. But first, let's slate. Who are you?
Brooke
I am Brooke Smith and I'm the arts education director and an artistic associate here at Festival Theatre!
Isaac
Of course, I want to talk to you on the podcast anytime because you and I started around the same time and it's interesting to hear from the staff what their lives are like. But I definitely wanted to get you on right now because I know art in action is debuting in a couple weeks so I figured this would be another good chance to approach that from a different avenue and keep getting the word out.
Brooke
Yes art in action! Yay!
Isaac
Yay! Can you tell me a little bit about art in action? What is it?
Brooke
So art in action is our week long theatre summer camp. We do five of those. So it's five weeks, but they're all in different places, which is great because we can bring our philosophy and our teaching artists at Festival Theatre to different cities around St. Croix Falls to different people who we may not have met before at our weeklong summer camp. It's all about process-based learning and allowing our campers to take a hold of the creative process themselves. They will come in and they will create their own play from a game that we play together on the first day. They will be cast in it. They will come up with designs for a set with costume designs. At the end of the week they will put on a play for their family members or friends or anyone who wants to come and see it. It's always a wonderful really inspiring experience to see these young people take hold of these ideas and make it their own.
Isaac
Yeah. I like the sounds of that because it sounds like it really approaches theatre from a very broad perspective. A lot of times when people think of theatre camps as acting, acting, acting. But it sounds like it kind of goes through a lot of the different processes of theatre which I think is really neat.
Brooke
Yeah. Definitely because they are starting up creating a story that's playwriting right there 101 and then they get to also think about technical elements like scenic design. They do paint their own backdrop which is a very fun, messy day for all of us.
Isaac
So, you said that the story is brought up by a game that happens on the first day. Is it kind of an improv game in a way, or what is that game like?
Brooke
Yeah, definitely! It's a game called Story Ball. So one person starts with a ball or any sort of object (it doesn't have to be a ball) and passes it around the circle and when ball is in your hand it's your turn to add something else to the story. The only real rule is that you can't negate anything that was said before you. So you can add whatever you want, you just can't take away something that someone else has said.
Isaac
That's so "Yes and"! Classic improv! Improv starts tonight! .
Brooke
Woo-hoo!
Isaac
Do you remember one of the stories from art in action or a brief example of either if you've trained recently with the teaching company of this year or a story that happened? Like a brief synopsis of what came about from Story Ball?
Brooke
Yes. One of my favorites from last year was a story called "Gus!" Exclamation point and it was about a police chicken working at a local mall who had to stop a group of young adult shoplifters. And the twist was you find out at the end that the chicken's name is Gus. So that's where the title comes from.
Isaac
Wow! I would watch that!
Brooke
Yeah it was beautiful.
Isaac
I would watch adults put that on, but kids? That would be delightful! So last year, you went through the process of being taught art in action to be a teaching artist. This year, you're teaching the teaching artists how to be teaching artists. Can you talk about what that's like or how that transition has been and how Brook Smith teaches art in action in a different way? How do you put your own flavor on it as the arts education director?
Brooke
Yeah, definitely. So you know last year I was a teaching artist and I did three of the four camps that we did last year so I got a lot of experience which was really great. It's really nice to be able to bring that experience into teaching teaching artists. The biggest thing that I have found helpful in teaching other teachers is making sure everything's very clear, which was really well laid out by my predecessor, Rachel Kuhnle, who is fantastic and lovely and wonderful.
Isaac
Yeah, she's great.
Brooke
So she had a lot of that information laid out in all these beautiful documents. So it's been so easy to take that over and then take it into the classroom with our interns this year and give them some real hands on experience. This year, I guess a little differently, we've delved more into the psychology of ourselves as teaching artists. We talk a lot about teacher personas as well as the co-teaching relationship. So at art in action, every teacher has a co-teacher; you are both co-teachers for the week. So you always have someone in the room with you helping you out and playing the games and being in the plays. So it's very integrated and fun. And we are a true co-teachers. There are different sorts of co-teaching philosophies like "one teach one observe". That's not as helpful for us. We need both teachers to be just as engaged even if they're not necessarily the person leading the game. So it's been a really great experience seeing how our teaching artists are learning to deal with that and learning to work with each other. And this week, actually, they will all go into turns being co teachers and they will have a great time I'm sure and do wonderfully.
Isaac
How do you figure out that different philosophies like "both teachers need to be engaged"? How do you figure that out? Just from the experience of running these camps last year?
Brooke
Yeah, I think a lot of it is just experience doing it, but also and this goes along with experience, it's seeing how the kids react. If we've got two people who are equally engaged, then the kids are going to be equally engaged. We always say that our best classroom management tool is our teaching persona. So if we come in and we are excited to be there and we are jumping in and having a great time then everyone else will too. And that's pretty much the case across the board. We have very few classroom management issues, which you know, speaks to obviously we're in a great region with some great kids, but it also speaks to the power of our teaching artists and the way they come in and take control of the room and make sure everyone's having a great time.
Isaac
Any funny or weird anecdotes about this process of teaching your summer company? Anything crazy happen?
Brooke
Last week, they have all been experimenting with their facilitation of games which means that while they are facilitating, the rest of us get to be children. So that has obviously been a wonderful time as they all tap into their little child selves and show us exactly what they were like as children and it's exactly what you think if you have met any of these people. So you've got people who are very strict rule followers and then kids who are fun little weirdos who will say whatever comes to their mind, which is true for you know the kids who will be at camp. But it's also true for us when we think back to ourselves as children.
Isaac
That's funny. Yeah now we're all fun big weirdos. I can see how that personality would translate. That would be a fun exercise. While you're on staff here, you also said you're an artistic associate and I feel like summer is where things get crazy for the Arts Education Director because you've got Marvelous Wonderettes. Four girls, they're onstage singing almost the entire time and then Fools, you've got a great part and a huge part in Crimes of the Heart. There's also improv going on. There's a whole lot going on for the arts education director this summer at Festival Theatre. How are you doing with all that?
Brooke
I think I'm doing well. So far you know we're still at the beginning, but we've already got a lot of balls in the air. We've got the resource guides that come out with every show that tell a little about the show and that's Arts Ed. And then we've got teacher training shows, like you said, in improv. We really have a great team of interns this year. I mean, we always do. But this year, you know they're so willing to jump in and help out with everything. It's been so helpful. I'm so proud of them. Just how they're handling all the work that comes their way because sometimes they have more than I do when they come in for work calls: to paint and everything. They're so willing to help each other, which is very helpful for all of us on staff, I think, when they can jump in and help each other with things.
Isaac
Yeah, they're a good group.
Brooke
So they have really made things a lot easier than I ever could have imagined. Though obviously, it is a busy summer and it will continue to be a busy summer. But it's all things I love. So it's a wonderful time.
Isaac
You're doing great work. I love watching you perform. I love watching your arts education stuff. You're an inspiration. Thank you for your time.
Brooke
Thank you.
Isaac
I look forward to hearing more about art in action camp. The first one is in two weeks?
Brooke
Yes, our first one is July 15th in St. Croix Falls. The next week we are back in St. Croix Falls, so two in St. Croix Falls. Then we are in luck. Then Grantsburg then finishing it out in Scandia.
Isaac
And if somebody were, to say, want to find more information they can go to our Web site?
Brooke
Yes, they can go to our website: festivaltheatre.org or come into the box office. We have registration forms here in our lobby and we also have posters hanging up that say a little more about it.
Isaac
Super! Actually one last question! I probably won't get around to interviewing you again before you've officially been here for a year. So, what are your thoughts a year into being on staff at Festival Theatre?
Brooke
It doesn't feel like a year at all. I guess, because we move very quickly here. So that takes away some of the time, but also because it hasn't felt like work. It's been so fun to be around my friends and to be around this community that loves us so much, and who we love so much, that it's gone by so quickly! It doesn't feel like it's been a year at all.
Isaac
That's great! All right. Thank you Brooke.
Brooke
Thank you Isaac.
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