Creative Writing in Marin: The Path With So Much Soul
by Dana Teen Lomax

Through Performing Arts Workshop, I have had the opportunity to teach Creative Writing to students at Marin Juvenile Hall’s Loma Alta High School and Phoenix Academy in Marin County.  My gratitude for their hard work and incredible written work this past year is now displayed in their recently published anthology entitled The Path With So Much Soul.  The poems included in this anthology were written in the Spring and Summer of 2009.  The talents and hard won wisdom in these poems speak on their own behalf.  There is one student and poem, in particular, that comes to mind.

In the months I've worked with the Workshop, I've watched her bounce from Juvenile Hall to Phoenix Academy, a Court & Community School for kids with addiction issues, and back again.  For many weeks she decidedly would not participate in class.  In fact, during some classes, she'd say, "I can't write!" and worked hard to get kicked out of the class; often she was successful in this effort, but I kept coming back.

After about 10 weeks, something shifted. We read "The Rocking Horse Winner" in class, D. H. Lawrence's short story about a boy trying to fix his family dynamic at a very high cost.  In response, she wrote a poem.  It was the beginning of her responsiveness in class and the beginning of her career as a poet.  Here's the piece that was included in the recent anthology:

If My Walls Could Talk

if the walls in my house could talk
they would say come back home
the walls would talk in a calm voice
the unspoken feeling in my home is
loud with kids running around
music playing all day long
sisters yelling and baby crying
i don’t think there’s anything that
could change it because that’s just our
family and without me it is not complete.

Project ARISE Linked to Federal Blue Ribbon Award
by Karena Salmond

The Workshop is pleased to share that two of our Project ARISE (Arts Residency Interventions in Special Education) partner schools are recipients of the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon Schools Award. The purpose of the award is to recognize schools that are either academically superior or demonstrate dramatic gains in student achievement. Both Robert Louis Stevenson and Edward Robeson Taylor received the award in San Francisco, and Project ARISE was referenced in Stevenson’s application. The award sets rigorous standards for excellence. In 2009, only 314 public and private schools nationwide won the award. They will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., November 2-3. We are pleased to have both schools as partners and thrilled to know our ARISE program is making such an impact!

Click here to learn more about Project ARISE.

Volunteers Needed!
By Brian Wiedenmeier

The Workshop is seeking volunteers to help with events and administrative tasks. We’re looking for individuals that are available on the following dates and times:

Thursday, November 5th, 4pm-9pm
Sunday, November 8th, 12pm-4pm
Tuesday, November 10th, 2pm-8pm (for 2-3 hour shifts)

If you are interested please contact Brian Wiedenmeier at brian@performingartsworkshop.org. If you aren’t available during the dates and times listed above, but are interested in learning about volunteer opportunities in the future, please let us know, as we are beginning to compile a volunteer list.

Over 9,000 Youth Served!
By Anne Trickey

During the 2008-2009 academic year, Performing Arts Workshop served over 9,000 youth! This is the largest number of youth served in our 45 year history. Not only have we grown to meet the demand for high quality arts education in the San Francisco Bay Area, but we did it on a dime. Just like most other nonprofits struggling to respond to the the increased need for services during the recession, Performing Arts Workshop experienced a decrease in revenues from our traditional funding sources: corporate donations, family foundations, and individual contributions. But even in tough economic times our dedication to youth remains paramount, and the Workshop has been successful at leveraging limited resources to strengthen our programs and maintain our capacity to provide young people with the education they need and deserve.

Youth Served by Program

Performing Arts Workshop’s Artists-in-Schools program provides services for youth during the curricular school day. Our Artists-in-Communities program serves youth in after-school programs, homeless shelters/housing facilities, and county community/court schools. Traditionally we have served more youth through the Artists-in-Schools program. However the number of youth served through our Artists-in-Communities program this past year grew by 50%.

Youth Served by Ethnicity

Asian and Asian American youth are not only the largest percentage of our youth served, but also the fastest growing. This group of youth served has increased by over 200% in 4 years. The second largest group of youth served were Hispanic and Latino youth.

Youth Served by Population

Through two research grants from the U.S. Department of Education (in 2003, and again in 2006), we are proving what we have always known to be true: that Workshop programs have a positive impact on students’ lives. We are also learning to better understand how our programs help youth often refered to as at-risk. For example, our programs are successful at increasing leadership, creating focus, and strengthening peer and educator relationships. We've learned this is particularly true for both Special Education designated youth and English Language Learners.  

Services Provided in Relationship to Budget

To put this past year in perspective, it helps to look at the big picture. On average, the Workshop’s budget grew by 20% before the current recession. Our services provided also grew by about 25%. Yet during this recession year our budget grew by 4% while our services rendered jumped 70%! This speaks to the Workshop’s ability to provide youth with great arts education opportunities even when faced with administrative challenges. Revenue for 2009-2010 is expected to slightly decline due to the recession, but the Workshop staff and board are working hard to maximize our resources in order to maintain the quality and breadth of our services to youth.

Artist Spotlight: Beverly Sotelo
by Anne Trickey

The Artist Spotlight, a new re-occuring section of Workshop Notes, gives the Workshop a chance to showcase artists currently igniting young minds in schools and communities. This month we are featuring Beverly Sotelo, a recent addition to our artist roster.

What brings you to Performing Arts Workshop?

I left LA to pursue a career as a Teaching Artist. I didn't want to teach acting to create new actors, I wanted to teach acting to create more creative, more motivated, more self-reliant human beings. In Los Angeles, I felt that most acting classes were geared to make a new generation of film or tv actors, which is fine. However, BEING an actor is only one path of the art form.

I believe learning acting is a journey of self-discovery. I was a very shy kid growing up in my home town of Daly City, and had difficulty relating to people in general. Acting was my playground where imagination was king, and people worked together as a team to create magic. From acting, I learned teamwork, calculated risk-taking, and that my voice had worth. I wanted to pass on those kinds of lessons to kids. I felt that the San Francisco Bay Area was a better area than Los Angeles to create that kind of atmosphere based on PROCESS and not END-PRODUCT.

I had heard of Performing Arts Workshop, but it wasn't until I met Gary Draper that I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Gary was the kind of teaching artist I wanted to be. I could tell he asked questions that were specific and open-ended all at once; questions that kids wouldn't be too intimidated to answer, but that also forced them to think deeply. Although I have many years working with kids under my belt, I knew I wanted to be that kind of teacher. I was sold.

Where can we see you in action?

• Ellen Webb Dance Studio located at 2822 Union St., Emeryville, CA from 4-6pm on Monday nights starting October 19th: In collaboration with Elena Wright, we will be conducting a 4 week drop-in series of workshops in "Physical Theatre Experimenting/Ensemble Building/Collaborative Art-Making" based on Suzuki movement, Viewpoints, slow-tempo, and dance. Come join us! We promise it will be fun and grueling all at once!
  
  
• Julia Morgan Theatre, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley on January 15-17th, 2010. 7pm performances on Fri/Sat and 2pm matinees on Sat/Sun: I am assistant directing the show "Mulan Jr." with Kimberly Dooley (of Shotgun Players) for Berkeley Playhouse.

To read more about Beverly, click here.