CLASS FINAL FOR INTRODUCTION TO THE PRODUCTION PROCESS AT DEPAUL UNIVERSITY

March 11th-22nd, Growth Theatre is excited to invite Grace Needlman for a workshop on Reed Puppets. Reed is an extremely flexible material for creating giant, lightweight sculptures which can become puppets, masks, lanterns, kites, or more. This introductory class will cover basic techniques for building 3D forms with reed. Our ensemble will learn to bend, fasten, and cover small-diameter reed with their own hands using recyclable items such as, string, paper, and different fabrics. Grace will also introduce basic strategies for mounting and performing with reed objects. Growth's ensemble will create their own reed armature that will be presented in our showcase on May 28th!

Over a two week workshop, our ensemble will spend the evenings visiting Congo Square Theatre and The Lincoln Center, working hands on with each practitioner, and asking questions about the professional theatre scape. By the end of the workshop our ensemble will have an understanding of different theatres and the multiple roles that help build a theatre.

Growth Theatre will be joined by Chicago theatre practitioners:

Stage Manager- Lauren Lassus,

Technical Director- Daniel Fiddler,

Executive Director- Kate Piatt-Eckert,

and actor Christopher Donahue.

Ensemble members will be taking a trip to the Chicago Botanic Garden located in Glencoe, Illinois. The students will learn about our impacts on the planet and sustainability and how professions such as scientists and engineers can further sustainability. After a 30-minute lunch, they will also get a hands-on experience with microscopes to study photosynthesis in plants and learn about the role plants play in our ecosystem. This trip will be used to fuel ideas for the upcoming Passion Projects that will begin a week later.

Our ensemble will be encouraged to choose a passion project to work on. Week one we will focus on choosing the right passion project for each member, looking at examples from the previous years. Week two will focus on beginning projects. Week three the ensemble will continue to work on projects and get feedback from peers and our staff. Week four members will finalize projects and present them to other students. The public will be able to come and see a showcase of this years passion projects on May 28th!

Growth Theatre spends one day a month in April, May, June, and September cleaning up Mandrake Park. This is the second year of the Clean Our Home Initiative. While cleaning around Mandrake Park, our students also collect items that they think may be able to be used for props or other workshops and passion projects for the future. This practice of volunteering in the community not only instills an appreciation for the beautiful park surrounding the auditorium among the ensemble, but puts innovation and creativity into practice.