Happy #FrontRowFriday, Encore fans! Today we’re shining the spotlight on a brand-new Encore program: Flip the Script. Perhaps you’ve heard a bit about our new student-devised project at the Benefit Breakfast or at a County Board meeting during our recent advocacy efforts. Today we’re answering all of your major questions about this awesome new opportunity to bring “Theatre by kids, for kids” to audiences near you:
WHAT: We invite 9th—12th grade students to create an original student-devised play. This project will incorporate both young people and the arts as a medium for preserving, sharing, and learning from local history. Research, create, act, dance, direct, and more through this new program, geared toward bringing untold stories of Arlington’s African American community to light.
WHO: Our program will be headed by Education Programs Director, Madaline Langston, with co-direction by local theatre artist Aakhu Freeman. Between them, these women bring numerous years of professional performance and teaching experience to the devising process.
We are excited to partner with Arlington’s community-wide efforts to examine and promote African American voices, “Changing the Narrative.” Both local and collegiate historians will support the Flip the Script team in the search for resources, testimonies, and valuable on the ground site visits.
Most importantly: YOU! Encore is looking for diverse high school students in Arlington who are interested in acting, dancing, or researching history for our Flip the Script production. Whether you love the History Channel or the Tony Awards, prefer Twitter debates or dance class, there is spot for you on our team!
WHEN: The fun kicks off with our first introductory meeting on Monday, June 10th, 2019. Research and site visits will occur periodically throughout the summer, with rehearsals and performances ramping up in the fall. Visit our landing page for a full proposed rehearsal schedule.
WHERE: While Flip the Script will utilize Encore’s Main Campus as a primary rehearsal space, this devising project will take you all over Arlington for site visits and research opportunities. The program will culminate in a final public performance, as well as tours to schools, civic associations, and more in order to present the work to a diverse audiences in Arlington. The team will also have the opportunity to perform as a part of the 2020 Martin Luther King Day celebration in Arlington.
HOW: We plan to use first person accounts from locals who experienced the desegregation of Arlington County Schools and utilize Arlington County Library’s recorded histories, in addition to site visits and support from historians. In rehearsals, actors will implement the technique of Moment Work, originally introduced by the Tectonic Theater Project.
WHY: We are excited to collaborate with students in our community to highlight stories that may not otherwise get told. By bringing “Theatre by kids, for kids” to this new level, we hope to shed light on relevant stories from Arlington’s history to honor and celebrate them through new creative work.
Interested? Visit tinyurl.com/y2h5yfva to complete an interest form, by May 20th. For questions, please contact Madaline Langston, Education Programs Manager, at madaline.langston@encorestage.org or (703) 548-1154.
Photos by Aileen Pangan Christian, Larry McClemons, Clarence Chan, and Cindy Kane Photography. Flier design by Alana Gibson. Blog contribution by Shannon McCarthy.