11/23/2021 Savannah State’s Theatre Program along with the creative writing club uses the arts to observe World AIDS DayRead NowSavannah State’s Theatre Program along with the creative writing club uses the arts to observe World AIDS Day
SSU Players by the Sea, the Estuary Creative Writing Club & Professor David I. L. Poole’s theater ensemble course, present, “An Artistic World AIDS Day” featuring Watchwomen Savannah, GA: Savannah State University’s Visual and Performing Arts Program and student organizations, Players by the Sea and the Creative Writing Estuary Club, will observe World AIDS Day through a night of performances. The Theatre Ensemble course, taught by Professor David I. L. Poole will present Watchwomen, written by Carolyn Nur Wistrand. Directed by Professor Poole as well, Watchwomen is a play inspired by World AIDS Day. Following their presentation will be a series of creative arts tributes and expressions from Players by the Sea members, Creative Writing Estuary Club members and the Savannah State University community. Members of Savannah’s health community will be present to provide information and actor, filmmaker, and Savannah State University Journalism & Mass Communications staff member Kareem McMichael, will be the emcee for event. “Our goal with this event is to use theatre, performing arts and spoken word to educate about HIV/AIDS Awareness, pay tribute to those that have died and be the voice of their families and those affected by their loss,” said Tiffany Wright, Players by the Sea President. The event will take place in the Kennedy Fine Arts Theater, Wednesday, December 1st at 7:00pm. Admission is free, donations are welcome. For any questions, please contact 912-358- 3189 or [email protected] About Players by the Sea: Players by the Sea is a student theater organization that highlights all aspects of live performance. Connected to the BFA program in visual and performing arts, Players by the Sea produces works as part of the Savannah State annual theatrical season and has the mission of strengthening the academic program by providing creative and artistic theatrical opportunities. About the Creative Writing Estuary Club: The Creative Writing Estuary Club is a place where creative minds mix. All creative spirits are welcome whether reading from the page or performing. Estuary creates a culture of creativity.
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11/20/2021 Georgia Southern Theatre presents School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls, a play tackling teenage girls strugglesRead NowGeorgia Southern Theatre presents School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls, a play tackling teenage girls struggles
Georgia Southern Theatre brings School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls play to Savannah. The show runs Nov. 16-19 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. on the Jenkins Mainstage at the Armstrong campus. Tomica S. Jenkins, visiting assistant professor, is the director of the play. Jenkins was going to see a production of the play last year in Chicago but then covid hit. She eventually found a link to the original production online. “We viewed it during my African American Theatre class. The students enjoyed the show so much, we spent an entire class period discussing the issues presented in the play. Then I decided we should produce it here at Georgia Southern,” said Jenkins. School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls, by playwright Jocelyn Bioh, is about Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Global Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter and Paulina’s hive-minded friends. “Nine actors spent a week getting comfortable with each other, studying Ghanaian culture, discussing intersectionality experienced by Black women, examining videos on colorism, and even viewing footage from Oprah Winfrey’s Legends Ball along with a dialect workshop,” said Jenkins. Directing this play did not come without challenges as Jenkins started the process with eight actors and two understudies. On the first day of rehearsal, we learned that one of the understudies decided to take advantage of another opportunity and could not continue. Later one of the main actors dropped out but an understudy stepped in. “Things have been going steadily ever since. We blocked the play pretty quickly and the actors worked with dialect coach Ibi Owolabi via Zoom once a week. This is a pretty lively group, so we get in a belly laugh every day. I really enjoy watching them perform and try new things,” Jenkins said. This upbeat and biting comedy explores the universal likenesses and evident differences facing teenage girls across the globe. “School Girls tackles the universal teen girl angst of struggling for social acceptance, but also touches upon colorism, body shaming, self-loathing, and vestiges of colonialism that judge dark skin as undesirable,” said Jenkins. Jenkins would like for the audience to walk away with a smile and she hopes the performance will spark a deeper conversation about the themes addressed in the play. “My joy in directing this play has really been serving as representation for these students, all Black, in their collegiate theatre experience. I never had a theatre professor who looked like me when I was an undergrad, so I’m honored to serve in this capacity for these young women,” she said. Tickets can be purchased 11/4/2021 The Art of Health and Wellness youth art initiative present "Out of Africa Mask Project"Read NowYouth at the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club will get to experience learning art and history this fall. The Art of Health and Wellness presents “Out of Africa Mask Project” which will begin on November 8th in partnership with the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club. The youth will learn about African masks while making one themselves.
“We are excited to be partnering with the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club. There are 50 kids participating and 54 countries in Africa. The kids will get a mask, a flag and do five fun facts about the country they choose,” said Evelyn Williamson, the program founder and the host of The Art of Health and Wellness podcast. The Art of Health and Wellness labor of love is their Youth Art & Cultural Enrichment program, also known as "ACE”, which serves as an enlightening, educational, historical, and enriching cultural experience for youth and educational administrators. Serving historically underserved communities is one of the key philanthropic priorities of the ACE Arts program. This youth program was originally launched in Illinois 2014 where at the time Williamson found that a lot of children in these underserved communities had not been exposed to art and didn’t have access. Williamson recalled the time when she was on the board of the African American History Museum in Illinois and she had a group of 65 kids for the Urban League Summer project. She decided to have an event day field trip but she just didn’t know where. She asked the group by show of hands, how many of them had gone to a museum and only one kid raised their hand. Williamson then asked, “how many of you know, an artist or artist yourself? And one little kid in the back room said, ``My cousin draws and that sort of thing.” This moment inspired her to launch this program seeing there was a strong need for it. She had access to a museum and she took the kids on a field to the museum and it was an eye-opening experience. From that moment on the program grew over the years offering youth various cultural and enrichment programs. The program went on to win a Department of Interior award for providing art and cultural enrichment to the youth of Illinois. Now Williamson is expanding the program to Savannah by partnering with the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club and the program also received funding from the City of Savannah Weave-A-Dream program. “There is a need for art and cultural enrichment here. Kids need to be able to express themselves and be exposed to art,” said Williamson. ACE instructors will present a curriculum that engages the youth to learn through creating. The program instructor’s/program producers include art & design graduates and students from The Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) & The Art Institute of Atlanta. “Here in Savannah, we have amazing artists from SCAD. They're just amazing. They're just coming on board and they have accepted my labor of love as their labor of love. I'm so grateful and thankful for that,” said Williamson. Youth at the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club ages 6-13 will learn about the history of African masks, take virtual tours of exotic African countries, and experience hands-on design and then exhibit their own mask. The mask will be on permanent display at the Boys & Girls Club. “The program continues to inspire and will instill confidence, and empower young artisans in the Savannah and surrounding area to be creative, competitive, while embracing all cultural exchanges and art is the perfect tool to help them channelize their energy and efforts towards something that can help build a lot of character,” said Williamson. The Art of Health and Wellness will also be providing a series of ongoing ACE projects for the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club and the youth of Chatham and surrounding counties. To fund this initiative The Art of Health and Wellness will be hosting weekly paint & sip both virtually and in person beginning October 2021 in the Savannah/surrounding area. They just partnered with The Beach Institute African American Cultural Center to host the in-person sessions. While the adults are enjoying paint and sip, ACE is working on a separate program for children called Doodle Art which will have the same step-by-step instruction method. Doodle Art will be a virtual art event for youth ages 5 and up. “I used to take my children to the museums in Atlanta and my daughter became a graphic designer. You never know what will happen when you expose a child to something, how it can impact them, you never know. So, I always say, no, I'm not an educator, but I guess you can say I am,” said Williamson. More information about these programs and ways to join the fun or support can be found at https://www.ooahc.com/ and on Facebook and Instagram @ahwelw. |
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