education programs
black odyssey junior
black odyssey junior is an age-appropriate adaptation of Marcus Gardley's black odyssey, taking on the themes and stories from the original play but told through a child's lens. The Front Porch Arts Collective partners with the Community Art Center in Cambridge to bring this story to life for their annual school-age production. Students from the art center help write the script over a six-week period and will perform their adaption to an audience May 13 - 14, 2019 at Central Square Theater.
Elementary and Middle School Students Workshop
The Front Porch partners with Castle of our Skins (COOS), a concert and educational series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music, to bring the essence of Daniel Beaty's Breath and Imagination to elementary and middle school students. Breath and Imagination tells the story of Roland Hayes, the first world-renowned black classical singer who also published musical scores for spirituals. He is often credited with bringing African-American spirituals into the classical repertoire. In honor of Hayes’ contribution to classical music, COOS will design a course for students learn how to write spirituals based on their own lived experiences.
High School and College Students Mentorship Program
During each production of the 2018 - 2019 season, one designer serves as a mentor to a high school or college theatre student of color. Students from the Boston Arts Academy Theatre Department and Boston University School of Theatre will work with a costume, set, and lighting designer helping us to address Boston’s need for more theatrical designers of color. This program exposes students to the process of theatrical design to inspire them to remain in Boston when they’ve completed their studies.
Assistant Director Program- Early Career Directors of Color
Boston has a lack of directors of color working in equity theatres. To address this issue, directors of our 2018 - 2019 season will support an early career director of color as an assistant on their shows. The tasks of the Assistant Director include dramaturgy, actor coaching, design meetings, among other potential areas of learning. The goal is to give early career directors the opportunity to network and work with established Boston union theatres who have the power and ability to hire and elevate diverse talent.
black odyssey junior is an age-appropriate adaptation of Marcus Gardley's black odyssey, taking on the themes and stories from the original play but told through a child's lens. The Front Porch Arts Collective partners with the Community Art Center in Cambridge to bring this story to life for their annual school-age production. Students from the art center help write the script over a six-week period and will perform their adaption to an audience May 13 - 14, 2019 at Central Square Theater.
Elementary and Middle School Students Workshop
The Front Porch partners with Castle of our Skins (COOS), a concert and educational series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music, to bring the essence of Daniel Beaty's Breath and Imagination to elementary and middle school students. Breath and Imagination tells the story of Roland Hayes, the first world-renowned black classical singer who also published musical scores for spirituals. He is often credited with bringing African-American spirituals into the classical repertoire. In honor of Hayes’ contribution to classical music, COOS will design a course for students learn how to write spirituals based on their own lived experiences.
High School and College Students Mentorship Program
During each production of the 2018 - 2019 season, one designer serves as a mentor to a high school or college theatre student of color. Students from the Boston Arts Academy Theatre Department and Boston University School of Theatre will work with a costume, set, and lighting designer helping us to address Boston’s need for more theatrical designers of color. This program exposes students to the process of theatrical design to inspire them to remain in Boston when they’ve completed their studies.
Assistant Director Program- Early Career Directors of Color
Boston has a lack of directors of color working in equity theatres. To address this issue, directors of our 2018 - 2019 season will support an early career director of color as an assistant on their shows. The tasks of the Assistant Director include dramaturgy, actor coaching, design meetings, among other potential areas of learning. The goal is to give early career directors the opportunity to network and work with established Boston union theatres who have the power and ability to hire and elevate diverse talent.