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Talleri McRae leads third grade students in StageOne Family Theatre’s
EcoDrama program. Photo courtesy of New Albany News. |
Interview
by Scott Dowd.
Entire
contents copyright 2013 by Fearless Designs, Inc. All rights reserved.
Next
month, StageOne Family Theatre presents two productions in celebration of Black
History Month. The first, Jackie and Me by Steven Dietz, tells the story of
Jackie Robinson and the breaking of baseball’s color barrier. The second, an
adaptation of Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters, is the result of a developing
partnership with the University of Louisville conceived to broaden the
University’s connections within our community and contribute nationally to the
Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) scene. Leading that effort for StageOne is
Associate Education Director Talleri McRae, who developed her passion for TYA
while an undergrad at Northwestern University. McRae arrived in Louisville two
years ago with a freshly-minted M.F.A. from the University of Texas at Austin.
TM: As a
teenager I worked at a children’s theatre in which I had been a participant. It
was my first paid job, and I found that I really enjoyed working with the kids.
When I started my college career at Northwestern, I wanted something that set
me apart from the other theatre students. So instead of doing just theatre, I
told people I worked with young people in theatre. It started off as a persona
of sorts; and before I knew it, that point of view had become my passion.
SD: Like
automatic writing, some part of you knew what was really important to you.
TM: Something
like that. It ended up being the perfect fit. I like young people; I like art;
I like talking to young people about art – all the elements merged.
SD: One
of the productions this season was a musical version of Suzan Zeder’s Wiley and the Hairy Man. It
has been a while since StageOne Family Theatre regularly staged new pieces.
TM: Yes,
historically StageOne Family Theatre has been responsible for adding to the
repertory of plays for young audiences. Moses Goldberg, the company’s former
producing director, wrote hundreds of new works. The theatre has also
commissioned works by playwrights such as Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God)
and Katherine Paterson (Bridge to
Terabithia). It feels like we are in a new
breath of StageOne Family Theatre in asking not only, “What are the plays we
can bring to Louisville?” but, “What plays can we make for Louisville?” Wiley feels like the first
step in reinvigorating that part of the company.
SD: I
know it takes a lot to bring a new work to stage. What are you working on for
next season?
TM: We
are in the early stages of a new collaboration with Le Petomane Theatre here in
Louisville.
SD: They
are so talented.
TM: It
is a wildly creative company, and they are working on a piece around the Robin
Hood legends. That should be really fun, and we are hoping it will be ready as
part of our next season. We are also looking at a piece on young Cassius Clay
that is slated for the 2014-15 season. I think that one in particular will have
a lot of meaning for the Louisville community. Those are both in the early
stages of development, but we feel good about them. We like to reserve at least
one spot each season for something new and unique.
SD: It
sounds as though you are working hard at developing partnerships within the
community. I understand the company is also working in a new way with the
University of Louisville.
TM: One
of the things I love about StageOne Family Theatre is that the company is always
open to new opportunities. Peter Holloway (our producing artistic director)
mentioned that UofL was looking for ways to connect with the city of Louisville
in different ways. One of the many projects in discussion was a college-level
course on the professional production of theatre for young audiences. When
Peter asked if anyone would be interested in teaching such a class, I raised
both hands. When I discovered professional theatre for young people as a
college student, it opened my mind to so many opportunities I had never
considered. I began to realize that you don’t have to be in New York, Chicago
or Los Angeles to perform professionally. Some of your most honest, helpful,
intelligent audiences are going to be the young ones who tell you the truth.
Adults can be really polite. If something is not working for a kid, they are
going to let you know. I am really excited about spreading that to other
college-age artists who want to work in this field. So I put together an
outline for the course based on the conversations we have here in the education
department.
SD: What
would be your main foci?
TM: There
are three key aspects to that discussion: arts experience, process and
instruction. What is the arts experience we want for young people? How do we let
them know about the arts process? How do we integrate the underlying concepts
of the two into the classroom instruction? That got me thinking about some of
the conversations I could have with college students. For instance, we can talk
about the qualities and characteristics that make young people a unique
audience. What are some ways children are sometimes overlooked by the adult
community, and how can we speak to that through art? How can we tell a story so
that they all feel like storytellers?
SD: This
course is designed for education and theatre students. How will this course
benefit young educators?
TM: I
want to think about how the arts can change the way we educate young people. I
hope to get them thinking about the potential impact on pedagogy regardless of
subject. The arts can inform our class preparation whether we are teaching
science, math, social studies or art. We need to unlock a student’s creativity
and their own unique point of view so that it can be part of learning for them
throughout their lives.
SD: You
mentioned the education department at StageOne Family Theatre. What is your
mandate?
TM: We
work with educators in 20 to 50 schools throughout the Metro Louisville area
during any given school year. We believe that bringing the arts into the
classroom can improve teaching and learning techniques.
SD: What
exactly does that mean?
TM: When
you are considering art, learning isn’t always a matter of finding the right
answer. We encourage teachers to discuss young people’s points of view and
interpretation of a given subject matter. That can cross over into reading and
writing, for example. I might ask a group of young writers: “How do you write
exactly what you observed? How do you articulate your personal opinion in
writing? How do you draw a conclusion about a group’s opinion that is separate
from your own?”
SD: Can
you also expand on the advantages of shared experience?
TM: I
believe theatre can have a transformational effect on the teacher/student or
adult/child relationship. Children are constantly in the role of being
instructed by adults; theatre provides an opportunity for children and adults
to share an experience. Rather than the teacher asking questions that require
specific answers, it makes room for a discussion in which young people’s
insights are validated. I particularly like it when theatre offers young people
and adults an opportunity to laugh together. It is probably funny to them for
different reasons, but it is still funny. One of the things I love about
Louisville is that we raise patrons of the arts. Through the education programs
here at StageOne Family Theatre and the other arts organizations, we have made
attending the arts commonplace. At StageOne, we give the youngest audience
members an opportunity to support the arts.
SD:
What do you mean?
TM:
With our Play-It-Forward program, any student can invest in the experience of
another student. If a kindergartner gives a dollar, for instance, we will use
that dollar to subsidize another kindergartner who might not otherwise be able
to experience live theatre.
SD: How
would you define the benefits to the community – aside from having a thriving
theatre for young audiences?
TM: There
is ample evidence to support the idea that we must engage young people in the
arts before the age of eighteen. Most people who remain unexposed after that
age will not seek out the arts on their own. It won’t automatically be part of
their lives. I don’t think it’s an accident that great artistic cities also
have outstanding programming for young audiences.
SD: Speaking
of that, are collaborations such as the one you are involved with at the
University of Louisville very common?
TM: If
you look carefully, creative partnerships are out there. One example is
Childsplay in Tempe, Arizona. Arizona State University provides several courses
about theatre for young audiences on the undergraduate and graduate levels.
They have a close relationship with Childsplay, and the students enrolled in
the courses at ASU have the opportunity to watch this theory employed by
professionals in the theatre.
SD: What
is your vision for the class work at UofL?
TM: It’s
important to me that the class has a strong connection to what really goes on
at StageOne Family Theatre. Assignments imbedded in the class involve, of
course, seeing a production at StageOne Family Theatre – preferably one with a
student audience. They will also have the option to watch a StageOne Family Theatre
educator work in the classroom with a teacher and students.
SD: Do
you think these will all be traditional college students?
TM: I
hope not. In fact, if we have a student who is a classroom teacher, I would
like to be able to have them try a new arts-informed lesson and report the
results of that experience. I want this class to have a strong practical
component, because that is what will help build the relationship between us and
UofL.
SD: Do
you foresee any collaboration on stage?
TM: Yes!
StageOne is presenting a UofL production, Mufaro’s
Beautiful Daughters, in February. That
production is currently in the schools, so we are talking not only about the
production but also about the critical importance of the support materials and
the logistics of meeting the teachers’ needs in terms of scheduling, etc. We
are helping them with the things we do every day, and things that are
commonplace at the University will be very helpful to us.
SD: What
kinds of materials are you offering teachers these days?
TM: We
take a holistic approach to our materials, so we have lessons for multiple
disciplines within the classroom (math, science, language arts, social
studies), for art teachers and also for use at home. The conversations that
begin in the theatre may not necessarily be over by the end of the school day.
The keys to a good lesson are “juicy” discussion questions about the play and
how elements of the play might represent aspects of their life. For teachers,
we put that into language that mirrors the state standard teaching requirements
for a particular grade level. It took me several years, but I speak “teacher”
pretty well now. I’m working to become fluent in “administrator” so I can
understand how the materials will read for a principal or superintendent
looking at the lesson plan. This season, we’ve also developed a new
tabloid-style piece for students that we hope will be taken home and discussed
with their families.
SD: Do
you find that you are still fighting the image of “children’s theatre” as cute
and fun, as opposed to an important aspect of childhood development?
TM: Adults
are often nostalgic about their time as a young person. But I’m not interested
in remembering what it was like for me to be young. I want to find out what
young people today have to share about their experiences right now. They have a
perspective on the world that I don’t. If I can offer an interesting, provocative,
complex piece of theatre that addresses relevant questions, then I have been
successful. I think there are a lot of enjoyable experiences for young people,
and I hope StageOne Family Theatre takes the next step to say, “Have a great
time! Enjoy yourself! And, at the same time, understand that you have a lot to
offer to this community and to the world.”
SD: So
you are providing a way for them to begin the conversation.
TM: Young
people have a lot to say and are already saying it. I think we need to be smart
enough to listen.
StageOne
Family Theatre and University of Louisville present Priscilla Woods’ adaptation
of John Steptoe’s traditional African tale Mufaro’s
Beautiful Daughters on February 17 at
2 p.m. On February 23 at 2 and 5 p.m. StageOne offers two public performances
of Steven Dietz’s Jackie and Me, the story of time-traveler Joey Stoshack’s 1947 encounter with
Jackie Robinson, the man who, with the help of Louisville’s own Pee Wee Reese,
broke Major League Baseball’s color barrier. Both productions will be in The
Kentucky Center’s Bomhard Theater. Tickets are available at KentuckyCenter.org or
through the box office at 502.584.7777.
