On August 10,
2015 I participated in Professional Day of Teaching Artists &
Therapists at The National Puppetry Festival at the University
of Connecticut
WORKSHOP HANDOUTS
Professional Day of Teaching Artists & Therapists,
National Puppetry Festival,
The Joy of Creating
with Children: Differences in the roles of teachers and teaching artists
Jacek Zuzanski
Contact Email:
info@dreamtalepuppets.org
DIFERENECES BETWEEN TEACHERS AND ARTISTS
Let me explain how I see differences between artist and
teacher.
A teacher teaches. She passes on her knowledge to students.
An artist creates. She connects with the mysterious universe
of inspiration and brings a new reality into being. When working with students
she does this with them.
A teacher and a school initiate into social norms, they both
represent order and obedience to the expectations of a society.
An artist serves as a liaison between people and their
primordial, intuitive and instinctive source of vitality. She represents and
revitalizes the world of self which is free of societal restrictions.
A teacher inhabits the center of society with its norms and
customs.
An artist resides on the borders of society often contesting
its norms.
A teacher knows. She knows facts, laws, rules, she
classifies objects and categories, and has language and names to describe
reality.
An artist is on a perpetual quest exploring and examining
reality perceived by her senses, inner reality of the mind, and known language,
and she creates language to convey and give an expression of her explorations.
Much of what I am saying here follows how mythologist Joseph
Campbell writes about these matters. Also psychology of creativity has a lot to
say about this and how important the arts are for the well being of an
individual, sanity of a society, and development of the creative faculty of the
mind.
There is also the art teacher in schools, and of course
teachers use hands on and project development in teaching, but for the purpose
of this presentation I would like to make a strong distinction between a
teacher and artist.
TWO MODELS OF COOPERATION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND ARTISTS
Artists and teachers can work together. Let me delineate two
models of cooperation artists and teachers working together in school.
In the first model an artist adheres to the needs defined by
the school, educational system, teachers, curriculum standards, norms and culture
of the school.
In second model artist is invited to the school because of
originality of the culture, world, norms and standards he or she represents by
his work, art and life.
In first model artist could be instructed by school
authorities on procedures and may even be trained in pedagogical techniques of
controlling class dynamic or discipline.
In second model artist’s experience in work with children,
methodologies she or he developed or lack of such an experience is recognized
and valued.
In the first model artist serves teachers in their work with
children.
In the second model teachers support and help the artist in
his work with children.
At this point you may notice that these models may be seen
as complementary and that in a real situation of cooperation between artists
and teachers both approaches could and should coalesce. Sure, but it would also
be beneficial for all sides involved if teachers are aware of these models, and
of the difference between teachers and artists. They would better understand what conditions
makes artists work most enjoyable, efficient, creative, enthusiastic and
beneficial for children. Children will benefit and grow into better human
beings when they learn from great teachers and work with wonderful artists.
They have teachers in school everyday. When they meet artists they benefit from
an experience very different from this one they have with a teacher.
WHO I AM
I am a visual artist, puppeteer, actor, and stage director. I am also a teacher, but when I work as a teacher I allow myself as much as possible to be an artist. Most often I work with children as a director. I design and conduct the creative process and then I embody and demonstrate the application of my own creative self, and I make possible creative dialog between myself and my young actors and collaborators. I teach them acting skills and other skills needed in setting up a theatrical creative process and producing a theatrical presentation, but after they learn skills, we all launch into a creative adventure.
I am a Pole. I grew and obtained my theatrical education and experience in my native
I obtained my directing certificate by directing shows in Wroclaw Puppet Theatre theatre. Early, straight after my study, I started work as a theatre and acting teacher, but it was primarily by training my young actors and directing shows with them that I learned to teach. One of my teachers from the
I came to United Stated from the world where puppet theatres most often operate in their own buildings and where schools regularly visit theatres. A school field trip to the theatre is celebrated and valued. Puppet theatres play an especially important role in offering programs for elementary schools and their students. Polish schools themselves offer much less theatrical activities and programs than the schools in
PRINCIPLE OF PARTNERSHIP
One principle was and reminded fundamental. No matter if I worked with adults or children, I always considered them to be, and approached them as, partners. Dialog between me as a director and teacher and them as actors was fundamental. I taught 7 year olds and I taught 50 year olds professional actors. Most of my shows were and still are explorations. I gather knowledge and experience from many sources and I bring this experience to my actors. Often teaching techniques or developing techniques of acting were and remain a part of my productions, no matter if I work with professionals or children. This is especially apparent when in a project new kind of visual elements, performing objects, or puppets are introduced, and where actors first have to find ways to act with such objects. So some kind of training is placed at the beginning of the project and when technique is developed and internalized it is implemented into the creative process of building the show.
PUPPET THATRE DIRECTOR AS A GUIDE INTO CREATIVE PROCESS
As a director I use my rational intelligence and also I trust impulses and inspirations coming from within and from the process itself. My actors, collaborators, writers, co-writers, artists, musicians, teachers, technicians are all part of the same organism that I build to work and create as one. My job is to guide everybody be creative, reach his or her highest potential and surpass what they know about themselves while enjoying the process. I have to build clear and strong guidelines to make this happen. How to keep open my own sources of creativity and inspiration is a part of this work. Without keeping access to my own resources open, I can not lead others into a new reality beyond the borders of the known. Over the years I have developed ways to do this, but I can only do it when I am trusted and given the freedom to use my own methods, and when my actors and my collaborators want me to lead.
When I direct I bring my techniques, methodologies, and my culture. Schools have their own cultures, regulations, dress codes, and ways to move around and to behave. Inviting an artist to school to teach is one possible way to give children an opportunity to know something about the arts. But inviting artist to actually create with children is something very different and much more significant. When an artist creates with children, she not only teaches techniques and leads children to create, she leads a process where she and children create together. When the artist is a puppeteer, actor, acting coach, and director, the process involves many facets of creativity and provides opportunity for unique intensive experience where everybody learns by exploring and integrating multiple levels of cognitive, physical, sensory and emotional, and joyful experiences.
AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT PROGRAM AT HYANNIS
EAST ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
A good example of a project where I was invited to a school
to work with teachers and children as a puppeteer and director was the after
school enrichment program at Hyannis East Elementary School on Cape Cod, which
I conducted in 2005. The following year I directed a similar project at the
same school. After that I worked as a
teacher, I directed school productions, I conducted summer or after school
workshops, and I performed independently; but I haven’t had a chance to work with
children in schools as a visiting artist.
A puppetry format in which the actor is visible for the
audience, as in Jan Dorman’s style, is very good when working with children.
When children play with a doll they project an imagined character onto the doll
and do not care if they have an audience.
In puppet theatre they switch from using the puppet as a doll to
presenting it to the audience. Artists and teachers can help with this
important element of children’s puppetry experience.
Manipulating techniques are not easy to master, but for the
purpose of creating inspiring experiences for the child there is no need to
master them. It is more important to
ensure that a child is actively involved in the process, and that the puppets,
as well as other aspects of the process, motivate and stimulate his/her
imagination and creative experience.
The first Hyannis East Elementary workshop was exemplary in
its use of the strategies I mentioned before, and for creating an environment
where teachers supported the artist’s work with children.
About 40 children and 5 teachers were involved. We worked on
the production of a play, which was an adaptation of a Polish folk tale
transcribed by renowned Polish writer Gustaw Morcinek. In our adaptation three
families present in Morcinek’s tale grow in numbers to accommodate the number
of participants of the project. The project lasted 7 afternoons from 4:30 to 6:00 .
I was visiting the first, third, fifth and seventh days. In between on the second, third and fifth
days, teachers worked with 4 groups
following guidelines we prepared together, practicing texts, and scenes,
designing and building sets and creating masks.
During my first visit we met in the gym, introduced children
to the project, and played initial warm-up, expression and name games. Then we
read the play. Next we split the group into two halves and we continued playing
games. This time the games were chosen for their usability for the production.
They served to develop expressiveness in physical acting, introduced patterns
and rules of organizing scenes. This all was done in a big gym, split in two,
one side for each group. I was moving from group to group, initiating games and
exercises and watching children for their natural skills and talents. This part
of the work served also as an audition, giving me and the teachers some clues
for casting. Then we gathered all the children in a big circle and announced
the cast, creating 5 groups for further work. Then each one of these five
groups read its own part of the script.
We had a group of Storytellers whose task was to read
narrative parts of the story. The second group was a family of the Poor
Shoemaker: The Shoemaker, His Wife and Children. The third group portrayed
family of Poor Shoemaker’s brother – a rich Miller: The Miller, His Wife and Children.
The fourth group was cast as an allegorical figure of Poverty and her children.
The fifth group was responsible for designing and creating sets for the
production. One remaining character, Wise Man/ Beggar, worked interchangeably with
two groups.
The second day teachers worked in
four groups practicing lines, drawing, designing and paining masks, discussing
and designing costumes, designing sets and priming cardboard.
The third day, work in groups was
continued. I was visiting and I worked with each group, blocking actions and
helping in shaping expressiveness of the actions and voices, and advising and
praising designers and painters.
The fourth day teachers continued
work in groups practicing, what we developed during previous meeting and
painting scenery on prepared sheets of cardboard. Designers continued work on painting
scenery and they started work on posters, invitations, and program.
On the fifth day I again joined the process. The actors
started together, checking costumes and warming up. Then we continued rehearsing
scenes in order and practiced transitions between scenes. Designers continued
their work.
The first part of the sixth day children worked in groups
practicing their parts. Then they gathered together and did a run through of
the entire play.
The last, seventh, day I was leading the dress rehearsal.
Then parents and friends were invited and children presented their work to
them. The short party followed.
This project was exemplary for cooperation between a visiting
artist and teachers. I brought an idea backed by years of experience in the
theatre and creative theatrical work with adults, youth and children. I came with enthusiasm toward the project and
received wonderful support from teachers and trust and enthusiasm of children.
Teachers helped on every level of the work. They helped adapt the play. They
participated in designing the schedule and planning work with groups and
facility usage, so transitions from room to room, activity to activity, and teacher
to artist were smooth and energizing. My task was to provide my expertise in building
a dynamic creative process and team to inspire, coach, introduce techniques,
ignite creative energies, and lead toward the final experience.
This was
great and I was happy to see children perform.
