For Immediate Release: Contact: Laura Camien Blue School PR Consultant 917-689-3688 LauraC@blueman.com
Blue School Partners with NYC’s Trusty Sidekick Theater Company To Create Original Theatrical Experiences Blue School students, acting as co-theater-m akers, will develop original production via in-school workshops and also contribute to new Trusty Sidekick piece; both productions to debut in Spring 2014 October 8, 2013 New York, NY Blue School will partner with Trusty Sidekick Theater Company to create an innovative artist-in-residence education program over the 2013-14 academic year. Using their model of developing new theater alongside young people, Trusty Sidekick will generate content for their new production in collaboration with Blue School students, who will act as dramaturgs and co-theater-makers. Beginning October 2013, a team of Trusty Sidekick artists, led by TSTC Associate Artistic Director and Blue School Dramatic Arts Teacher, Drew Petersen, will conduct a series of weekly in-school workshops with students from October 2013 through January 2014 to generate and explore content around Blue School’s 2013-14 school-wide inquiry question, “How do we connect?” Using inspiration gained from these workshops, the Trusty Sidekick team will lead an ensemble of Blue School students in the devising and creation of their very own theater piece during the winter and spring. In the spirit of previous Trusty Sidekick work and the Blue School lenses, the participants (Blue School students) will be researchers and devisers of the work and Trusty Sidekick will help the students to glean inspiration and creative content from the workshops to create their performance. The students will perform their original piece in Spring 2014 as a culmination of Trusty Sidekick’s year-long residency at Blue School, the intent being to reimagine the traditional “school play” model. This unique partnership will allow true artistic experimentation and creative inquiry to be embedded in the Dramatic Arts curriculum, and will create a symbiotic relationship between the theater company and the Blue School community. In conjunction with the development of the school performance, the Trusty Sidekick team will enter the rehearsal room in winter 2014 to create its newest production for young people and their families. This project will be inspired by Trusty Sidekick's work at Blue School and will act as a companion piece to the Young People's Performance in terms of source material. The production will premiere in Spring 2014, with dates and location to be announced at a later date. About Blue School Blue School is an independent pre-primary and primary school in New York City with a public purpose, designed to reimagine education. 214 children age 2 through 5th grade are enrolled for
2013-14. Blue School’s mission is to develop and share an inquiry-based approach to education that fosters creativity, promotes academic excellence, nurtures human relationships and inspires a growing passion for learning. The school’s approach to teaching and learning builds on the great progressive educators and thinkers of the past such as Montessori, Vgotsky and Dewey. It is also inspired by co-constructivist theory, the Reggio Emilia approach, and current research from the fields of human development, neuroscience, and the study of creativity and innovation. Blue School is a lab school where faculty, students, families, and other partners work together to develop educational practices that unleash children’s power of discovery, investigation and creativity. The three original members of Blue Man Group, Matt Goldman, Chris Wink, and Phil Stanton founded Blue School in 2006 with Renee Rolleri, Jen Wink, and Jennifer Stanton. In September 2011, Blue School moved to its permanent home at 241 Water Street in Lower Manhattan. Allison Gaines Pell, Head of School, leads a team of 35 full-time faculty members and 15 administrators. Leaders from the fields of education, psychology, design, and neuroscience such as Sam Chaltain, Larry Cohen, John Maeda, Sir Ken Robinson, David Rockwell, and Dr. Dan Siegel serve on Blue School’s Advisory Board and partner with the school to turn its vision into reality. Blue School is accepting applications for 2014-15 and will host Open Houses on October 15th, 29th and November 12th. Open Houses are a great opportunity to meet our leadership team and tour our school. Prospective parents may sign up to attend an Open House or Tuesday Tour and begin an online application by visiting www.blueschool.org/admissionsprocess. More information about Blue School’s programs and curricula can be found at www.blueschool.org. About Trusty Sidekick Theatre Company Trusty Sidekick Theater Company is a New York-based theater company creating bold, sophisticated and high-quality artistic performances for young people and their families. The company combines immersive staging and inventive theatricality to tell old and new stories, challenge preconceptions of live performance, and introduce theatre to a new generation. The company’s work is multidisciplinary, and its ensemble of collaborators includes artists trained in physical theater, puppetry, music, dance, animation, and video projection. Since its founding in early 2011, Trusty Sidekick has developed and presented new work at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, The New Victory Theater, Cleveland PlayhouseSquare, Old Stone House (The House of Ichabod Crane), Abrons Arts Center (The Little One and the Sea of Letters), and The Performance Project @ The University Settlement (Shadow Play; Off the Map).