A video of the residency and performances can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2gp2DIY.
HOUSTON (PRWEB) January 10, 2017
The Village School is pleased to announce that Frantic Assembly, the renowned UK-based theater company celebrated for its unique physical style and currently the movement directors behind the award-winning production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, will return to Houston next year for two weeks to teach Village high school students how to express story-telling and creativity through movement and physicality.
Frantic Assembly’s three-day residency with Village in September marked the company’s first visit to Texas in its 21-year history. Village students spent that time working with two Frantic Assembly practitioners and experiencing a unique approach to theater that combined movement, design, text and dance. Students were challenged to create their own verbal and physical material, based only on an initial theme, culminating in a public performance for the school and parents. A video of the residency and performances can be viewed here: http://bit.ly/2gp2DIY.
“This workshop we were able to bring to Village was an exciting first for any student in Houston or the state of Texas,” said Yvonne Oaks, Assistant Director of Theater at The Village School. “Frantic Assembly is the most progressive and one of the most admired theatre companies around, inspiring innovative practice and unlocking creative potential. Watching our students experience the creative process and design their very own performance was one of the proudest moments of my teaching career. While the instructors left after three days, the passion for the arts and the lessons in self-expression they taught our students had a lasting effect.”
In 2017, Frantic Assembly will partner with The Village School’s theatre program for two weeks to produce two performances, including workshops with its International Baccalaureate (IB) theatre students, as well as its IB Literature students who will participate in the creative story telling.
Frantic Assembly is the recommended theater company worldwide for study at the International Baccalaureate level and multiple other theater programs. The company works annually with more than 10,000 young people ages 14 and up in high schools, colleges, universities and youth theater. Frantic Assembly has toured extensively across Great Britain, and worked in 40 countries internationally, collaborating with some of today’s most inspiring artists.
“Our mission is more than performing and entertaining audiences. We’re committed to training and liberating the potential of future theatre makers,” said Neil Bettles, Associate Director for Frantic Assembly and Associate Movement Director for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. “The experience we had with the students at Village was amazing. Those young kids are so bright and passionate, and they put everything they had into their performances. Our first trip to Houston was so wonderful that we’ve already worked with Village to schedule a two-week trip back in 2017.”
Village’s theatre curriculum is a rarity among Houston-area public and private schools, and sets the school apart in the area of fine arts. Students are introduced to theater arts in grade school, building an early foundation of skills, and continue through middle and high school. The programs are designed to expand students’ creativity and self-expression, and build on acting techniques through scripted and improvisational exercises, devised performances and ensemble building activities. This unique instruction provides students with a safe arena in which to hone their skills and explore their craft.
About the Village School
The Village School, founded in 1966, has a tradition of rigorous and highly personalized learning paired with hands-on innovative methods of teaching. Located in the energy corridor of Houston, Village offers an American educational experience to its diverse and international student body who represent six continents and more than 60 countries. The Village School is known for its excellence in math and science, and recently announced a new collaboration with The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which will enhance its widely-recognized STEAM curriculum.
Of the top 15 engineering, undergraduate programs, as ranked by US News and World Report, the Class of 2016 had 69 students admitted to 12 of the top 15 schools, such as MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley. In August 2016, The Village School opens its French-English Bilingual Program. Limited placements for Preschool 2’s through grade 12. An International Baccalaureate School. For a private tour contact admissions(at)thevillageschool(dot)com or 281.496.7900. Visit http://www.TheVillageSchool.com for more information.
About Frantic Assembly
Award-winning theatre company Frantic Assembly’s method of devising theatre has been impacting theatrical practice and unlocking the creative potential of future theatremakers for 21 years. One of the most exciting theatre companies in the UK, Frantic Assembly is led by Artistic Director and co-founder Scott Graham, and has toured extensively across Great Britain, and worked in 40 countries internationally collaborating with some of today’s most inspiring artists.
Frantic Assembly is currently studied as leading contemporary theatre practitioners on five British and international academic syllabuses. The success of the company’s distinct approach has influenced contemporary theatre-making and foregrounded the use of movement directors and choreographers in new dramatic works. With a history of commissioning writers such as Mark Ravenhill, Abi Morgan and Bryony Lavery the company has been acclaimed for it’s collaborative approach. In 2016 the company started delivering practical modules on a new Collaborative Theatre-Making MA it has created with Coventry University (UK Modern University of the Year 2014 & 2015).
