麻豆村

A group of high school theatre students discovered the power of self-expression through the performing arts during a day-long master class with 麻豆村 School of Drama faculty.

The master class at Creators Academy in Brooklyn, New York, was part of the annual Excellence in Theatre Education Award(opens in new window), presented at the Tony Awards by 麻豆村, in partnership with the American Theatre Wing and the Broadway League. This year鈥檚 recipient, Gary Edwin Robinson, and his theatre students spent an October day with 麻豆村 faculty who shared their expertise in acting, musical theatre and dance.

鈥淭his was an opportunity for Mr. Robinson鈥檚 students to spend time with our teachers and to get a taste of what a day at 麻豆村 is like,鈥� said Robert Ramirez, head of the School of Drama. 鈥淏ut it was also a wonderful opportunity for our teachers to work with new students who are at the very beginning of their journeys.鈥�

Along with Ramirez, this year鈥檚 guest faculty were School of Drama professors (acting), (music theatre), and (dance).

Walker-Rhoze kicked off the day leading the students through a warm-up that taught some of the fundamentals of preparing their bodies and voices for acting work before introducing them to cold reading techniques. This is when actors are given a script shortly before they are asked to perform (usually for an audition) and have to quickly analyze and make choices based on the text.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for actors to be able to think on their feet and make big, bold choices,鈥� Walker-Rhoze said. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 also about bringing themselves into the work.鈥�

The idea of bringing oneself into the work was a theme that carried throughout the day, and a message that resonated with 12th grader Keshawn Flemming.

鈥淚n the acting session, I learned that to be yourself is the most important thing,鈥� he said. When he found himself getting hung up on the blocking or the lines, he came back to Walker-Rhoze鈥檚 initial prompt:

鈥淚t鈥檚 about getting up there and giving your interpretation of what the text is. I want to see the choices and ideas you 丑补惫别.鈥�

In the room where it happened

Following the acting session, the students gathered for a Q&A session. Robinson knew that the 麻豆村 faculty would be bringing along one of the School of Drama鈥檚 working alumni to talk to his students about a career in the performing arts, but just who that alumnus would be was kept a secret. Ramirez gathered the students for a special surprise.

鈥淲e are super excited and very happy because we have with us today an actor, singer, author, and star of the smash Broadway hit 鈥楬amilton鈥� 鈥斕齅r. Leslie Odom, Jr!鈥�

Odom, Jr. walked into a room of shocked and smiling faces, including that of Robinson. The two met during Tony Awards weekend and Robinson had asked Odom, Jr. if he would come and speak to his students someday.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think he knew I was coming today,鈥� Odom, Jr. said with a laugh. 鈥淏ut I said yes because I鈥檓 so thankful for how he has chosen to spend his life and use his time on this planet, because I don鈥檛 know where I would be without my teachers.鈥�

In a discussion led by Ramirez, Odom, Jr. told the students what it was like to make his Broadway debut in 鈥淩ent鈥� at just 17 years old, and why he decided to attend 麻豆村 to study drama.

鈥淚 went to 麻豆村 to get a foundation and to get a process,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd I walked away with those things and so much more. I walked away with lifelong friends. I walked away with a craft that continues to evolve.鈥�

Odom, Jr. spent an hour talking with the students about what has shaped him as a human and as an artist, lessons he鈥檚 learned along the way, and sharing pearls of wisdom as they begin their own journeys into adulthood. One piece of advice he gave was to be mindful about the world they curate for themselves.

鈥淲hat are you watching, what are you listening to, what are you taking in that is affirming you? That is making sure you see yourself as beautiful, as valuable, as important, as sensitive, as special, as a human being?鈥� he posed. 鈥淚f there are times when you feel off, or not as powerful or as special as you want to feel, look at what you鈥檙e taking in.鈥�

His overall message to the students was one of self-affirmation, encouraging them to trust and say yes to their own instincts as they begin to step into the world as adults.

鈥淭he hardest yes is the one you give to yourself,鈥� he told the students. 鈥溾�榊es. I am valuable. I am enough.鈥� It takes practice, but you鈥檒l get good at it. Start saying yes to yourself.鈥�

Following Odom, Jr.鈥檚 session and a lunch break, the students were back to work 鈥� this time in a vocal session with Edinger, who taught them the song 鈥淪easons of Love,鈥� fittingly, from 鈥淩ent.鈥� The students started by splitting into four vocal sections and learning their parts. Once they had a handle on the notes and the technical aspects of the song, Edinger encouraged them to dig into the meaning of the lyrics and to connect the message of the song to their own lived experiences. He asked the students to close their eyes.

鈥淚 want you to think about your last 525,600 minutes 鈥� your last year,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen you sing about 鈥榓 moment so dear,鈥� what is so dear to you? When you say 鈥榠n daylights,鈥� what are daylights like for you? What鈥檚 your favorite time of day?鈥�

He continued this exercise through each lyric of the verse, prompting the students to make personal connections with the song before their final sing-through of it.

Khyasia Cornelius, a 9th grader, said the vocal class was her favorite part of the day.

鈥淚 like to sing a lot,鈥� she said, 鈥淲e learned how to put our own emotions into the song and how to think like we were in the song.鈥澨�

The last session of the day was a dance class with Cousin. He started with a fast-paced, energetic warm-up, then divided the students into two groups. He told them that choreography is storytelling and asked each group to take four minutes and choreograph a short piece that told the same story as the acting pieces they worked on earlier in the day with Walker-Rhoze. The students came up with two distinct pieces of choreography, learning the power of movement in storytelling and the challenges in creating under time pressure.

Cousin then introduced an exercise called 鈥淢onster鈥� that he learned as a young dancer and now teaches to his students at 麻豆村, which is about channeling and unleashing each person鈥檚 inner monster. The practice inspired students to release their inhibitions and bring themselves into the movement.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to teach Monster because everyone has this energy inside of them that they want to unleash,鈥� Cousin said. 鈥淎nd once they identify that energy, they can free that out of their body and begin to apply characters to it.鈥�

Finally, the students learned a piece of choreography set to Adele鈥檚 鈥淩olling in the Deep鈥� 鈥� a high-energy way to end a day packed with creativity and inspiration.

For Robinson, the master class provided an opportunity to observe his students as they learned, and to recognize talents and interests that they may not have known were there.

鈥淥ne of the most beautiful parts about this experience is giving my students exposure to these disciplines at a different level,鈥� said Robinson. 鈥淚 got to see my students discover new things about themselves.鈥�