Fremont High School Teams Up With Theatricum to Bring Arts Eduction to Its Students

The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum takes Social Science and World History "Off-the-Page" with Fremont High School students this fall as part of two long-term arts-education residency programs, Americana off the Page: Viva La Raza! and Americana off the Page: African-American History.

Fifty Fremont High School Beyond the Bell students work with Theatricum artist-educators to learn the basics of theater collaboration, improvisation and ensemble work. The project is made possible with support from the Los Angeles City Cultural Affairs Department, the Boeing Foundation and Fremont High School's Beyond the Bell program.

Student-generated performance pieces will be rehearsed and presented both at Fremont High School on Friday, October 17, 2008 and at a public performance at The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum on Sunday October 19, 2008 at 2 pm.

Beyond the Bell (BTB) - Extended Learning Academy, has been a part of the LAUSD since 2003. Under the guidance of Simone Charles, Extended Learning Administrator, the Beyond the Bell program is dedicated to ensuring that the students at Fremont High School have academic intervention and enrichment opportunities during their "off-track" sessions and after school.  The BTB program has worked with local colleges such as Trade Tech College, to encourage and support a "college-going" culture and, as a result, students have even graduated Fremont with college credit.  Each year the Fremont High School BTB Program serves over 3,500 students and has expanded its repertoire of classes to include theater as is the case now in working with Theatricum.

Americana off the Page: African-American History is being integrated into the program's African-American History and Literature course, taught by Classroom Teacher Ms. Nassir. Americana off the Page: Viva La Raza! is being offered as a special program supervised by Classroom Teacher Ms. Charles. The students in the class are a cross section of at-risk youth  some in the class by choice to increase their educational opportunities, others required to attend due to low grades received during regular on-track classes.

To jump-start both Americana off the Page programs, students see professional performances of Theatricum's Americana Concert Assemblies Viva La Raza! (a trip through Latino History using the songs, speeches, poems and writings of great figures and individuals) and Black History in North America (a journey from slavery, through the Civil Rights Movement and into the present day told through songs, poems and speeches of participants in all areas of Black History).

Says the show's writer/director (and Theatricum's Artistic Director) Ellen Geer, "These history programs came from a need.  Black History in North Amercia was created in the 80's when African-American students were not offered the opportunity, in public schools, to learn about their own history. More recently, we've seen the student body within our schools changing and felt compelled to tell the story of the great men and women who have given the Latino and Mexican peoples a claim to their rightful place within California.  Viva La Raza honors and passes on the history of those that have become the majority in L.A. area schools. We are excited to see how both shows, and this program, stimulate students of all races to discover more of our shared history."

Students will have an opportunity to speak with performers Tim Halligan, Earnestine Phillips, Melora Marshall, Gerald Rivers, Aaron Hendry, Luis Fernandez-Gil, Daniel Chacon, Marissa Herrera and Angel Felix after each presentation and discuss moments, figures, songs and speeches that inspired them.

For six weeks, two hours a day,3 three days a week, as part of their Beyond the Bell classes, Artist-Educators Gerald Rivers and Daniel Chacon help the teens use theater skills to work together to build student written/created performance pieces inspired by moments in African-American and/or Latino History that appeared in the initial professional performance.

Artist-Educator Daniel Chacon states, "the exploration of their own history fused with the creative expression of theater arts is an imperative experience for high school students, enhancing imagination, team work, confidence and communication. Theater is one of the most powerful educational devices available to teachers and students. By examining their past, students make personal connections, bringing history out of the textbook, onto the stage and into their bodies."

In addition to their work with artist-educators, student participants will also continue their regular curriculum with Beyond the Bell instructors thus integrating the Performing Arts component with the Social Science curriculum.

Americana off the Page is supported in part by the Youth Arts Services Grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, in part by the Boeing Foundation, and in part by Beyond the Bell. Last year, we brought Americana off the Page: Viva La Raza! to Fremont with great success. Both Theatricum and Beyond the Bell had a desire to expand the program to include African-American history specifically to help address the inter-racial tension within Fremont's changing community. We are proud to be returning with this expanded version of the program and look forward to continuing the program in the future.

For more information about the program, final performance, or to cover or support Americana off the Page: Viva La Raza! and African-American History please contact Lucy Pollack at 818-887-1499 or lucy@lucypr.com or School Programs director Elizabeth Tobias at 310-455-2322 x300 or classroomenrichment@hotmail.com.

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