Final Performance Details

PIECES FOR THE FINAL PRESENTATION were selected last night (this is not the order they will be performed in). Mathenee will be contacting the writers/directors of each piece to put together a schedule for Sunday's rehearsal.

POSTERS are available today (Friday, July 25) in the box office after lunch. Please distribute them around campus and in your dorms.

REHEARSALS
Sunday, July 27 -- 12 noon to 3 pm (begin with ensemble pieces - other pieces will be scheduled)
Monday, July 28 -- 7 to 10 pm (Dress Tech)

PERFORMANCE
Tuesday, July 29 at 8 pm -- Rauh Theatre
(Run-through at 7 pm)

Boal Intern Performances this Weekend!

Friday, July 25 at 9 pm - Rauh Theater
"By Myself: Judy and Jon-Michael Together Again"
Jon-Michael tells the epic story about the man who got away as Judy Garland sings poignantly placed songs from her career. Suggested donation: $5

Sunday, July 27 at 5 pm -- Rauh Theater
"It's the Coming Back That's Hard"
Written by Dan Moyer

Featuring Boal Interns: Peter Albrink, Mathenee Trecco and Michaela Watkins
Suggested donation: $5

Parents' Weekend Performance Video

Parents' Weekend Boal Workshop performance including: Why?, Too Gay to Function, Silent Children and What's Going On?

60 Minutes Darfur Story - Recommended by Jill Wadsworth

(CBS) This segment was originally broadcast on Oct. 22, 2006. It was updated on July 16, 2008.

"It hardly seems possible, but the genocide in Darfur continues. Correspondent Scott Pelley first reported this story two years ago, as the government in Sudan launched a new offensive of ethnic cleansing.

Today, more than 300,000 people are dead and more than two million are refugees in the Sahara.

To understand what is happening in Darfur, 60 Minutes came upon on the story of a boy named Jacob. We know him only because his name is on schoolbooks found in the ashes of his home. Jacob's village was wiped out. Our team saw his books in a museum. We didn't know whether Jacob was alive or whether we could find him, but we decided to try. Our search turned into a remarkable journey into a place we were forbidden to travel, looking for a boy swept up in the 21st century's first genocide."

Boal Workshop Video - The Ball Exercise

A new video of the 2008 Boal Workshop company doing the ball warm-up. From one of the first sessions on July 10.

Movement Inspiration Videos - PUSH and DV8

Physical Theater blurs the line between dance and theater and provides a wonderful source of inspiration for movement and music. The two videos below are from PUSH and DV8 Physical Theater:





Other examples can be found favorited on the Boal Workshop YouTube page.

Parents' Weekend and Final Demonstration Schedule

Please remember to bring $15 tonight (Thurs. July 17) for your Boal t-shirt. The entire company will wear these t-shirts for demonstrations and performances.

Here is the schedule for upcoming rehearsals and performances:

PARENTS' WEEKEND DEMONSTRATION

Sat. July 19
10:00 am -- Entire company meets in the RAUH
10:15 am -- Begin 40 min. warmup (parents and guests are invited to watch)
11:50 am -- Entire company goes to the CHOSKY for demonstration

Anyone who would like to rehearse their images beforehand can meet at the Rauh at 9:30 am.

FINALE PERFORMANCE

Mon. July 28
7:00 pm -- Dress Tech for finale in the RAUGH

Tues. July 29
7:00 pm -- Run through the images/finale (1 hour)
8:00 pm -- Finale Performance

Amnesty International's "Visual Petition"

A global day of action on Saturday 12 July used human aerial art to call on the Chinese authorities to ensure a positive human rights legacy for the Beijing Olympics.

Thousands of Amnesty International supporters from around the world teamed up with Circle Up Now, to create large images on the ground which are only fully visible from above.

From Delhi to Bamako and Asunción, thousands of people in over twenty locations joined together to form words such as "Freedom", "Dignity" and "Justice" representing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights -- which turns 60 on 10 December 2008.

Created on the eve of the anniversary of Beijing being granted the 2008 Olympics, this powerful "visual petition" was an appeal to the Chinese authorities to honour the commitment they made in 2001 to improve human rights.



Recommended by Boal Workshop intern Rose Arscot.

Photos from Thursday, July 10 Boal Session

Guest Speakers Lost Boys of Sudan and Invisible Children

Tuesday's guest speakers included Panther Bior, from the film "God Grew Tired of Us," and Janet Checkley from "Invisible Children."

Panther, one of 27,000 "Lost Boys of Sudan" spoke of the oppression of the Muslim Sudanese government during the late 1980s. He described his experiences as a refugee and his relocation to Pittsburgh in 2002. Panther recently graduated with a degree in Accounting and three months ago his wife, Nyathiec, joined him in the U.S. Panther is hoping to raise enough money to build a school in Mareng, his home village in Sudan, through the Sudanese School Project. If you would like to make a donation, please visit www.iwashungry.org.

Janet Checkley showed a portion of the film, "Invisible Children," and spoke about the organization working to help the children of Uganda. As a volunteer for the group, she described the various ways that high school and college students can become actively involved in making a difference. The Invisible Children website is filled with information, including how to arrange for a screening of the film at your school.

If you would like to see more of the "Invisible Children" film it is available on Google Video.

Thanks to Panther Bior and his wife Nyathiec, Becky Kirkwood from Heaven's Family, and Janet Checkley from Invisible Children.

Rose Arscott Recommendation - "Talk, Talk" Video

Rose suggests that you watch this British commercial for "Talk, Talk." This is part of a series showing people coming together and using their bodies to create shapes and images. Other commercials from the "Talk, Talk" series are on YouTube... so check them all out. You might find something to inspire you!

Thursday's Speakers Jackson Ndizeye from Rwanda Ambrose Nyandemeh from Sierra Leone

Jackson Ndizeye and Ambrose Nyandemeh spoke about the issues and challenges facing the people of Rwanda and Sierra Leone.

Mr. Ndizeye is trying to help his people in Rwanda by bringing wind energy to them. For more information about him and his wind energy project, read the article on allAfrica.com. You can contact Mr. Ndizeye on Facebook by sending him a message and he will add you as a friend. A paypal link is also on his page if you would like to make a donation to his project.

Mr. Nyandemeh spoke about Sierra Leone and "blood diamonds." A portion of the film "Cry Freetown" was shown. This documentary is in very limited release and not yet available on Amazon.com.

Our deepest thanks and gratitude to both Jackson Ndizeye and Ambrose Nyandemeh.

Movies to Watch about Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Sudan

As we continue to raise our awareness about some of the issues and challenges that people are facing in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Sudan, you might want to watch the following movies. If you purchase any of them from amazon.com a small percentage of the sale will come back to the Boal Workshop group to donate to some of the groups working in these countries.

Sierra Leone


Rwanda


Sudan


Uganda

Photos from Tuesday's Audition

If you would like to view the album, click the person icon on the left to take you to the gallery.

Audition Information and Schedule

Because we did not get through all of the image audition pieces last night, auditions will continue for the first hour on Thursday, July 3. Please limit your pieces to 3 minutes each so that we can complete them. Everyone who is interested in participating in the Boal Workshop should come on Thursday, even if you have already auditioned.

Thursday, July 3
7:00 to 8:00 pm Auditions continue - please limit your pieces to 3 mins.
8:00 t0 10:00 pm Visitors/guest speakers from Rwanda and Sierra Leone

Tuesday, July 8
7:00 to 10:00 pm Visitors/guest speakers - Invisible Children and Lost Boys of Sudan

Sessions involving guest speakers are open to all pre-college drama students.

Guest Speaker Panther Bior "God Grew Tired of Us"

Panther Bior, featured in the film "God Grew Tired of Us," will be a guest speaker on Tuesday, July 8. You can watch a clip featuring him and some of the other Lost Boys of Sudan below.

Website and Video Recommendation The Boy from Centreville

Jill Wadsworth recommends that you look at this website and watch the video documentary.

The Boy From Centreville, a devised theatrical piece, tells the story of the Virginia Tech shooting, and the lead-up to it, using verbatim text, cutting edge video and sound, and ensemble movement. This remarkable show blends the suspense of a horrific thriller with the impact of graphic documentary to explore this event. This is an emotionally resonant and beautiful hour of pure theatre. Directed by Catherine Alexander for the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

A documentary video about the making of this piece along with links to more detailed background information, both on the Virginia Tech tragedy and on rampage shootings, can be found on The Boy From Centreville site.