Main Campus - Merritt Hall, First Floor - Room 5145/46
In this 10-week course offered in both the Spring and the Fall, students will explore a variety of Community-Based-Theater (also often referred to as Documentary Theater) practices and learn how to create a theatrical community-collaboration from start to finish. The basics of writing for stage, including dialogue, character, and story, and how to turn source material gathered from community input into engaging CBT will be covered. Coursework will include in-class writing exercises, screenings, discussions, lectures, and story circles.
Community-Based Theater (CBT), is a unique form of devised theater that engages a community in the creative process. This collaborative model relies on participation of community members to help shape the written text by engaging community members in informal interviews, or “story circles.” Community members come together in a group setting to share stories about the project topic and respond to one another. This story circling provides ample source material for writing the script and fosters ownership of the work for the community participants. CBT strives to involve community members in every aspect of the production, including as actors, stage crew, and audience members. This course is an opportunity for students to craft theatrical works that resonate within their community.
Format: classroom instruction, exercises and feedback; community information gathering sessions (Story Circles) with the public; student research in CVCC library and archives, local media, as well as other locations and online.
Description: While the classes will provide instruction for writing and developing CBT plays, the ultimate goal of these two course offerings is to begin the process of writing a CBT project detailing the six-decade history of Central Virginia Community College (CVCC), along with its role in the history of education in Lynchburg. The end goal will be to have a presentation of the play (either a Full Production or a Staged Reading).
Click HERE to register or call 434-832-7606.