“Storytelling through the Arts” with Roundabout Theatre Company
These workshops will be held in person at St. George Library Center. Attendance at all sessions is highly encouraged. If you need large print material, please email [email protected]
Join us for curated artistic workshops designed to spark the creative process. Teaching Artists, Carrie Ellman-Larsen and Nick Simone will guide participants to create their own pieces of original theatre by telling stories and sharing memories with words, movements, and soundscapes. Through the exploration of theatre games, improvisation techniques, playwriting, and technical theatre elements such as costume design, sound, and lighting, participants will dive into ensemble building and begin creating their own original piece of theatre.
We will be kicking off this exciting program with theatre games centered around Roundabout’s production of Primary Trust, where participants will recreate scenes from this story of friendship, hope, and healing through the community. In the following inter-generational workshops (all ages welcome), participants will collaborate to create their own 10-minute plays exploring various playwriting techniques which will culminate in an original theatrical production in the summer. Free tickets to see Roundabout shows will be available, please see Library staff for more information.
Join us as we explore the universal themes of honoring our family stories, identity, and the power of connection to hold these experiences, as we collectively answer these questions: What stories are part of your family history? How can your family history help you connect to your community?
Primary Trust Meet Kenneth is a 38-year-old man living in a small town outside of Rochester, New York. For 15 years his life has been exactly the same: he worked at the bookstore during the day and enjoyed mai-tais with his friend Bert at night. However, when the bookstore owner closes the shop, it forces Kenneth to make changes and push past his comfort zone — sometimes that means making new friends and sometimes that means reconciling with the past.
ROUNDABOUT THEATRE COMPANY celebrates the power of theatre by spotlighting classics from the past, cultivating new works of the present, and educating minds for the future. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills that mission by producing familiar and lesser-known plays and musicals; discovering and supporting talented playwrights; reducing the barriers that can inhibit theatergoing; collaborating with a diverse team of artists; building educational experiences; and archiving over five decades of production history. Learn more about Roundabout Theatre Company.
Teaching artists’ bios
Carrie Ellman-Larsen (she/her) (Acting/Devising/Applied Theatre) is a born and raised NYC theatremaker and teaching artist. Carrie has been a proud Roundabout teaching artist since 2008. She holds a BFA in Drama from NYU Tisch and an MA in Applied Theatre from CUNY SPS. Her passion is devising theatre with young people based on social issues that they care about. She also works in classrooms using theatre as a tool for language acquisition of ELLs, community building, connecting to literacy and social studies curriculum, and developing life skills with students with disabilities. Carrie created and produced The Staten Island Dialogue Project, a documentary theatre piece where she interviewed Staten Island residents about the life experiences that influence their vote. Carrie is dedicated to being part of the revolution that professionalizes Staten Island theatre and can be seen acting and directing with local theatre companies such as Ghostlight Theatre Productions and The Staten Island Shakespeare Company.
Nick Simone (he/him) has worked in the performing arts field for many years. He currently has several titles including an engineer, musician, and teacher. Starting out as a trained musician and learning many instruments, his talents allowed him to perform at various venues such as the renowned Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. He became a music teacher at the Staten Island Conservatory of Music which gave NYC schools the opportunity to have after-school music programs. After many ventures with performing music, Nicholas began to understand the art of recording these accomplishments. Shortly afterwards he became greatly intrigued by the audio industry and sound design. Working for several studios paved the way for him to become a Chief engineer for Fenix Studios. With such a demand for sound engineers for live events in the theatrical field, he felt it necessary to be familiar with all aspects of the stage and sound. After designing many performances, recordings, and other media, Nicholas then became a teaching artist for the Roundabout Theatre Company which allowed him to share his craft and experiences as a sound designer with students. Educating young minds has been his passion for the past several years and continues as he works on new projects and sound design.
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Time: 11:00 am-2:00 pm EDT
Free!
