IMAGINE YOUTH HANDBOOK 2014

Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination

IMAGINE YOUTH

from our imagi-NATION to YOURS The Summer Arts Programme 2014 Handbook

About the Summer Arts Programme The Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination (EBCCI), of The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus’ focus is to deliver training, exposure and conduct research in the creative and performing arts of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. The Centre's key objectives are to develop projects and programmes that stimulate interest and further development of the region in visual arts, music, dance, theatre and film . EBCCI is keen on inspiring creativity and innovation and promoting the use of digital technology in the region’s youth. Imagine Youth is our summer outreach programme to engage young people in the arts.

What does Imagine Youth do? 

Provides quality instruction in the arts for young people ages 11 to 18

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Familiarises students with an arts institute environment and the discipline required for pursuit in the arts

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Contributes to participants overall personal development

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Builds on participants existing knowledge of the arts and artistic production

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Enables participants to gain better appreciation and understanding in the arts in their own cultural context and environment

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Opens the expertise of arts tutelage to young Barbados

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Provides opportunities for practicing artistes to share their knowhow with budding artists

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Creates a national arts conservation to encourage continual visionary and creative and critical thinking

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Showcases the arts as still a valid tool to assert national identity

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Re-instils appreciation for our heritage & history

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Continues to complement early attempts at regularising the arts as a mainstream subject area, e.g. the existing CXC Programme in Theatre Arts and the Associate Degree in Applied Arts offered by the Barbados Community College.

Currently Imagine Youth focuses on instruction in the following areas;

T H E A T R E Participants of Theatre will be exposed to Movement, Writing, Voice, Technical, Theatre, Improvisation, Acting, Directing and Introduction to Theatre.

Movement Classes limbers the young thespians and will serve as warm-ups giving discovery to the concept of agility in drama, support the impromptu notion of improvisation which is also a scheduled course, igniting their creative imagination.

Movement Classes will include general exercise, mask and mime, aspects of Pilates and Yoga and Laban.

Introduction to Theatre for 2014 will focus on World Theatre; students will be introduced to the work of persons like, Barbadian Kamau Brathwaite, St. Lucian Derek Walcott, Europeans William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer and Americans such as Tennesse Williams and Lynn Nottage. Students will be given scripts to read weekly.

Critique and reflective writing will be encouraged as well as research on playwrighting.

Scripts will also serve as teaching aids for classes in Acting/Voice/Directing and Technical Theatre Acting will focus on the teaching and learning of body control, voice control, pantomime, interpretation, characterization and stage movement. Students will also be exposed to basic script analysis and acting in periods as identified in Introduction to Theatre and opportunities for skill transference for acting for film. Mentorship in this

area will be complemented by actress and playwright Mrs. Carla Springer Hunte of the local television series Secrets and formerly part of the ensemble cast of Laff It Off. Trained by the late Earl Warner, Mrs Springer Hunte is part of the team here at the EBCCI. Voice will take students through a range of exercises to develop resonance, range, flexibility, intensity and control of voice. This class may find itself partnering with Directing to reiterate the skill development which seeks to liberate the personal voice, discuss the connections between body, feeling, thought and voice. This session showcases an increased vocal range and resonance, improved articulation, an application of articulation skills to the thinking and speaking of text. This class will take place in-studio and in the Walcott Warner Theatre to practise vocality.

Improvisation will be a fun class where students will demonstrate their acting skills in studio. Each week scenarios will be put into a hat and students will have 10 minutes to prepare an improvised act of approximately 5 minutes. One person will pull and decide on how many actors they need. Students in this class use their imagination/creativity and ensemble work.

Writing Classes will be dedicated to the development of the written voice and the writing of spoken word pieces. This class will be led by guest tutor award winning Mr. Adrian Green .The pieces lend way to the discussion for Directing as each in essence would be a one act monologue. Each writer may seek direction or direct themselves using the techniques and vocabulary discussed in each class.

Technical Theatre is designed to bring the students’ attention the support of the stage elements, lighting design and cues, programming, costuming and makeup.

The overall concise is taught in relation to scripts and the audience experience.

All classes will be presented in 3 hour blocks to allow each class to be presented in workshop format –practicum and theory achieved as each lesson will move from Theory to exercises in practicum.

D A N C E This year’s Dance Programme will feature the genres of Caribbean Folk and Jazz, Modern/Contemporary, Hip Hop and Choreography.

The programme for 2014 will also be complemented by the standard class in Technique, and a new addition - flexibility which will introduce techniques in Hip-Hop/ Break Dancing/Gymnastics/Street dancing.

Dancers will also be introduced to; Writing for Dance; giving consideration to dance as an artform to the audience and will allow for journaling, creative writing for dance, bios, nutrition discussion, and Social Issues. In this module dancers are encouraged to craft their movement in words.

Acting for Dance; which develops the theatrical skills for dancers, expression through fluid movements: develops the presentation expression skills of dancers, use of body, emotive features, characterization observation and imagination, emotional sense and sense memory.

Technical Theatre is also a component in this programme designed to draw the students’ attention to the importance of the stage elements, lighting design and cues, programming, costuming and makeup in dance. The overall concept is taught in relation to choreographies.

Choreography is a practical experience for young dancers to delve into the creative process of dance. Students will be guided to focus on the choreographic devices, use of improvisation to generate movement, creating meaning through use of time, space,

theme and music. Students’ dance vocabulary will expand and they will be able to discuss, analyse and critique dance as well as create their artistic statement.

The Dance Curriculum will be complemented with Imagine Youth Colloquium weekly, allowing for showcasing and getting to know your exchanges through group/ cross-fertilizations with theatre and film and Friday afternoons will be a recap and reflection time.

F I L M The Summer Arts Programme’s Film Curriculum will focus on Digital Film Making and for 2014, students will be introduced to the wonderful art of animation by visiting guest tutor Mrs. Camille Abrahams, Programme Director, Centre for Digital Media, University of Trinidad and Tobago. Each participant will be part of the team producing films of their imagination. Research and practice will be pivotal in this course. Digital Filmmaking provides the holistic means to teach the core elements of filmmaking, developing computer skills using the most up to date software in the industry. Participants in this year’s installation will commence training in 2D Animation.

Young filmmakers will have the opportunity to use the following software available in our state of the art Macintosh computer Laboratory such as; Adobe Suite; imovie (maker); Flip Boom Classes will be presented in photography, cinematography, animation and introduction to film where students will learn about different types and styles in film, be introduced to technical terms and technical equipment related to the genre, critiques

will be written and class discussion. Photography will be used for individual narrative.

Students should be organized into production teams therefore engaging in the tenets of Production

Management, they should be engaged in Directing and all types of

filmmaking.

For four full weeks, students will be engaged in; 

Digital Storytelling

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Digital Narrative

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Personal Narrative

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Digital Photography

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Cinematography

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Scriptwriting

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Editing

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Costuming

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Film Shoots

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Voice for Stage & Screen

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Stop Motion Animation

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2 D Animation

Exposure will be through lecture and practicum and the end result promises to be films on an issue important to the young filmmaker.

Participants will experience the

theatrical aspects of film making as well as the literary elements to fully complete the curriculum. As discussed this is the continuous learning experience for these young filmmakers in this very digital age.

MEET THE IMAGINE YOUTH STAFF Ms. De Carla Applewhaite Programme Director

Dance Counsellors Mr. Andrew Green Ms. Lisa King Ms. Jai Clarke

Ms. Jeannine Jones Programme Coordinator Ms. Nicole Pinder Programme Secretary

Theatre Counsellors Ms. Danielle Jones Ms. Vernee Sobers

Ms. Angela Bowen Programme Administrator

Film Counsellors Ms. Donai Lovell Mr. Anton Nixon Mr. Stefan Forde Mr. Nathan Mack Ms. Toni Ann Johnson

Ms. Paula Mascoll Technical Director Ms. Olivia Hall Head Tutor– Dance Ms. Rachel Crichlow Head Tutor– Theatre Mr. Philip Arthur Head Tutor– Film

GUEST TUTORS Mrs. Carla Springer Hunte Mrs. Camille Selvon Abrahams

CONTACT NUMBERS EBCCI Administrative Office

(246) 417-4776

Emergency Contact/After Hours

(246) 230-7030

ebcci@cavehill.uwi.edu