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PROCESS     Gregson Theater engages all of the participants in the entire theater making process

mask


I learned many new techniques and games. Your knowledge helped me as a seasoned professional to learn and have fun. Thank you. - Judy Nelson (theater director and international peace advocate - after the “Theater Artists Play” two-day workshop at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival, Sept 2018)

The Gregson Theater PROCESS engages all of the participants in the entire theater making process. Everyone involved in the workshop, full scale production or simple piece does everything needed to design it, write it and then perform it from beginning to end.  

These workshops and residencies are for adults, teachers, professionals, beginners and children, for all people, students and participants with and without disabilities. 

The process for all of our theater arts programs (workshops and residencies) begins with physical and vocal warm ups.  Then mime, acting training, voice, scene writing, improvisation and other techniques are incorporated as needed.


Theater Games & Warm-ups

warm-ups
The Place, Norwich, NY  

 

warm-ups
Herkimer BOCES students  

Mime

mime
  The Place, Norwich, NY

 

warm-ups
Philedelphia Fringe Festival   

Acting

acting
Herkimer High School students

 

Performance
Rehearsal at Guernsey Memorial Library, Norwich, NY

Mask Making

mask making
"KIDS SPEAK", The Place, Norwich, NY

 

mask making
Easel Arts Center, Palm Beach, Florida

 

mask making
Chenango Arts Council, Norwich, NY

Mask Performance

mask performance
Herkimer BOCES students

 

mask performance
Chenango Arts Council, Norwich, NY

Adding Music

adding music
Eric Porter's music for "At Last I Found", Oneonta, NY

 

adding music
Eric Porter accompanying "Peace Tales"

Backdrops & Set Design

set design
Set painting, Oxford Veterans Home

 

set/backdrop
Backdrop for "At Last I Found," Oneonta, NY

 

set/backdrop
Painting backdrop with a wheelchair

Props & Costumes

props & costumes
John Grizzly Adams character

Putting it all Together

Performance
Mountain View Players performance

 

Performance
Chenango Historical Museum pavillion

 

Performance
"Pandora's Box," Red Door Church, Oneonta, NY

 

warm-ups
"Jack and the Beanstalk"   

 

Performance
The Players and Pirates Along the Chenango Canal

Some previously used themes:

  • Your Ancestors/Family Histories
  • "What did she bring with her?"
  • Social Studies
  • New York or Pennsylvania history
  • William Penn
  • First Nation's Peoples: "From Our View"
  • "My Life Stories" told in song and mime
  • Poetry/Haikus
  • Flash Fiction
  • Adapted Stories from Fairy Tales
  • Create your own Fairy Tale

Some past performances:

  • "A Long Walk to Water" book by Linda Sue Park, adapted by 7th and 8th graders at BOCES, Apalachin, NY
  • "The Ancients" - Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures, performed by 6th graders at West Winfield Middle School, NY
  • Recovery programs: "The Door" performed by men from the Return program at Girard Medical Center, Philadelphia
  • Short fiction and poetry turned into mime pieces with live music
  • "It's Not Easy Being a Kid" - 5th graders' stories and poems adapted into mime, song and theater pieces
  • "I Am Just a Kid, Give Me a Chance to Grow" - from 3-6 graders' own stories
  • "Snatch the Book" - SESTU (Youth Development Center)
  • "My Life on the Streets" - performance of rap, mime and live music
  • "Wandering Home" - vignettes and poems by Mt View Social Club
  • "Moonlight Mayhem" and "Mt Marmalade" - a vaudeville show with mime and music at the Oxford NYS Veterans Home

My Disclaimer: I am not a therapist, but am a theater artist. I like to work with people who maybe in various stages of recovery, in transition or who are institutionalized. I don’t need to know why they are there or what they did to be there. I see everyone through the lens of a fellow artist and that is how we connect.

I give my students access to the creative form (in my case it is theater) and show them how to express themselves in this art form.

Call Today (607 895 6032) for a Free Consultation to find out how you or your organization/group can work with Gregson Theater to participate in a workshop or other theater experiences.

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