Taught by Raymond Bobgan
Deadline for application is August 21th 2014
CLASS DESCRIPTION
Theatre Creation Class (10 weeks) is for theatre directors, writers, actors, designers, and composers who wish to explore the rigors of leading the creation of original performances. In this class everyone will direct, act and create. Participants will also be paired to collaborate on some assignments. The class will not follow a conventional curriculum and will evolve throughout the process. The class will include the creation of 3-4 scene assignments in order for participants to explore the class topics and develop new work.
Director/Creator Raymond Bobgan’s work centers on collaborating with performers to create performance. Deep work with actors on the creation of physical, mental and emotional scores, montage of these scores with original text, layering of various elements, song creation, storytelling, and the moving of objects to transform space are all hallmarks of his unique approach to theatre. Raymond will also share techniques for engaging people in making and writing story.
The class will meet on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm, September 20 – December 6, 2014. Students may only miss one class and must make up work for that class. This is a working classroom environment and students will be expected to come to each class ready to dive in. Students must also be prepared to cast, create, and rehearse 3-4 scenes for in-class presentation. CPT space may be available to students for class work on a limited basis.
We are seeking a class with diverse backgrounds and skill sets. The class will be limited to 6-10 students and enrollment will be based on an application process.
The fee for the class is $750. CPT will accept up to ½ of this fee to be paid in “sweat-equity” volunteer work.
Raymond is in his ninth year as CPT’s Executive Artistic Director. He was the founding Artistic Director of Wishhounds (aka Theatre Labyrinth) and has directed and collaboratively conceived and created more than thirty new theatrical works. Raymond’s theatrical work seen in Romania, Brazil, Denmark, Serbia, Turkey, The United Kingdom and Canada and featured in American Theatre Magazine, Canadian Theatre Review, Theatre Journal and in Lisa Wolford’s book Grotowski’s Objective Drama Research. Raymond was the first person to win a Cleveland Arts Prize award in the discipline of Theatre. As a theatre artist, Raymond was an inaugural Creative Workforce Fellow in of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, funded by the Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, He won this honor again in 2014 for his work in composing original music. He is an alumnus of Theatre Communications Group/Pew Charitable Trust’s National Theatre Artist Residency Program and the TCG/NEA Career Development Program for Directors. Recent creations include: Cuando Cierras Your Eyes (for Teatro Público de Cleveland), Air Waves (central plot line); Rusted Heart Broadcast; Year 25 Vigil, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood with Karin Randoja for Humber College at Theatre Passe Murraille (Toronto), Insomnia: The Waking of Her Selves with Holly Holsinger and Chris Seibert, Cut to Pieces with Chris Seibert and Open Mind Firmament: An Evening of William Butler Yeats. Raymond is also known for his reinterpretations of classics including Thornton Wilder’s Our Town and Tennessee Williams’ Summer and Smoke. In 1994, Bobgan initiated the Student Theatre Enrichment Program, a job training program that engages at-risk youth in writing, producing and performing new plays. Raymond was the premiere director/creator of CPT’s Y-Haven Theatre Project and Teatro Público de Cleveland.
CLASS APPLICATION
Thank you for your interest in Raymond Bobgan’s Theatre Creation Class. Please complete the application and submit it with your supplemental materials to CPT Education Associate, Faye Hargate, fhargate@cptonline.org. Applications will only be accepted by email.
Deadline for application is August 21st, 2014
General Information
Name:
Address:
Cell Phone (or best number):
E-Mail:
In the past selection for this class has been quite competitive. We want this class to have a strong impact so we are seeking people who have interesting weaknesses and who will most benefit from working with Raymond. We are also looking to “cast” a good mix of people who will create a strong environment and may play well off each other.
Attach up to two sheets for the following questions:
- How do you define yourself in theatre? (ie: “director first, playwright second” or “primarily an actor”)
- Why do you want to take this course and what do you hope to learn? Is there something particular in Raymond’s work that you are hoping to gain insight into?
- What is your prior experience in creating new work?
- If not answered in #2, what are the most important things you are working on as an artist? What’s really exciting you? What weaknesses are you addressing and what strengths are you building on?
- Explain why you think you have the resources to create 3-4 scenes for this class? (ie can you commit the time for conceiving, creating and rehearsing these scenes? Do you have access to actors? Etc.)
- If you would like to apply for a sweat-equity scholarship (up to $375 of the $750 class cost), please list skills you could offer or ideas for volunteering.
Supplementary Materials
Include a complete theatre resume.
Application Materials will not be returned to applicants.
Thank you!
Faye