TF Teaching Artists at Bassick High

TF Teaching Artists at Bassick High

Building a Community

In recent years, Theatre Fairfield has invited local high schools to see our productions in hopes of inspiring and exposing young students to the power and importance of theatre. When our production of Titus Andronicus was cancelled, the students at Bassick High School in Bridgeport, CT missed this chance.

Theatre Fairfield, in collaboration with the Quick Center for the Arts, the Bridgeport Public Schools, and Bassick High School's drama teacher Megan Brockway, created a week long program designed to educate Bassick students in our themes and messages of Titus Andronicus, and aid them in their own projects based around theatre both on and off stage. Our team of teaching artists included Kiersten Bjork, '21, Tracy Ferguson, '22, Kierstin Jones, '21, Park Lytle, '21, and Samantha Millette, '20. Dr. Marti LoMonaco served as program advisor. This was the beginning of an exciting new Virtual partnership, "Arts for All," spearheaded by the Quick Center and Alicia Robinson, Director of Performing & Visual Arts for the Bridgeport Public Schools.

The Synopsis

Before we met with our Bassick students, it was important they gained a clear understanding of Titus Andronicus. To prepare the students, we put together a brief synopsis explaining many of the key plot points and themes throughout the story.

"Taking on an entire synopsis of Titus Andronicus wasn't going to be easy. It's a long play with a lot of big moments that have to be touched upon, but I'm proud of what I and my fellow TF students were able to accomplish and feel that we ended up with a fun and informative video that really helped expose the students to this play." - Park Lytle (Class of 2021)

Day 1: The Q & A

After getting a crash course in Titus Andronicus, it was important for us to listen to what the Bassick students had to say. On our first day we held a Q & A Session in which we answered any and all questions about Titus, working on a college level production, advice on pursuing theatre, and general questions related to college.

"It was interesting how most of the kids wanted to know the logistics behind what we do at Theatre Fairfield or college in general. It was great answering all their questions and hopefully putting them at ease." - Samantha Millette (Class of 2020)

Day 2: A Lecture on Making Theatre

With the immediate questions out of the way. We spent the next session breaking down everything that went into putting on Titus Andronicus. Our five TF students broke down the work that goes into understanding a Shakespearean script, the physical and vocal work that goes into performing at the highest caliber, the technical process related to designing and building a sets, costumes, and lights, and finally, how it all comes together after weeks of collaborating and creating a fully formed production.

“I was so glad to explore theatre with young artists, and I hope that our work with with them will inspire them to continue theatre more in the future.” - Tracy Ferguson (Class of 2022)

Day 3: A Discussion of Social Justice

Titus Andronicus is a story that touches on many social issues including sexism, racism, violence, and tyranny. It was always Theatre Fairfield's goal to promote discussions on these topics from the beginning. However after the events following the murder of George Floyd, it became clear these discussions were going to be far more relevant and raw than expected. Our five TF students lead in-depth discussions breaking down how characters such as Lavinia, Saturninus, and Aaron relate to the world of today, while Bassick students joined in sharing their own opinions of the world today and how we as a theatre community can use our art to promote positive voices and opportunities for all.

“One of the students I worked with created a play about social justice for her final project and chose to write a piece centered around the Black Lives Matter movement. It was truly inspiring to read her work, and while I tried to give her advice about the structure of her writing, I also wanted to make sure she knew how important her voice was in writing a piece like this, or any piece for that matter. Theatre is a fantastic vehicle for social justice, and is a great tool to make our voices heard.” - Kiersten Bjork (Class of 2021)

Day 4: Building Final Projects

Finally after days of discussing and understanding how theatre is made, the Bassick students went to work creating their own art. Students used their TF mentors to help build their projects, taking their advice on how to research or write a monologue to perform, create their own design, write their own play or write an essay on the importance of social justice in theatre. The end results proved to be a powerful statement for the student's growth and the bond created between Bassick High School and Theatre Fairfield.

Megan received a total of 10 high-quality final projects, 3 of which you can view below:

- 2 monologues written and performed by the students

- 2 monologues from source material, performed by the students

- 2 set designs

- 1 costume design

- 2 plays about social justice

- 1 plan for how to use theatre at Bassick in the future

"Even though we were all disappointed that we weren't able to perform Titus in the traditional fashion, we were able to use the work we did to help others in ways I never anticipated. Getting to help budding artists in their passions and encourage them in their pursuits was truly special and I'm glad I got to be a part of it!" - Kierstin Jones (Class of 2021)