Tuesday, January 17 2012, 12:00 AM

Writer and Performer James Braly conducts a workshop at the Peace Center

participants shared in writing and storytelling exercises in an intimate setting with James Braly

James Braly is a talented writer and performer and the author of the monologue "Life in a Marital Institution," presented at the Peace Center on Saturday, January 14th. While in Greenville, Mr. Braly also conducted a Storytelling Workshop, allowing participants to work with him to craft their own personal experiences into interesting, entertaining stories.

James Braly has been featured on NPR's This American Life and referred to by The New York Times as “never less than excellent.”  Our Storytelling Workshop Sunday was surely that!  Mr. Braly created such an environment of honesty where participants could speak freely about themselves to one another while feeling completely comfortable sharing stories with strangers.

This was truly a special experience with this artist.  Learn more about James Braly and "Life in a Marital Institution" here.

Thursday, October 6 2011, 12:00 AM

Peace Center receives educational grant from The Broadway League

project partnership with AJ Whittenberg Elementary

The Peace Center will partner with AJ Whittenberg Elementary School of Science and Engineering to present "Fairydust or Physics? The Peter Pan Project." This program will benefit some 40 students from AJ Whittenberg - South Carolina's first elementary school dedicated to a curriculum of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Students will be introduced to the Peter Pan story in class and learning music in their music classes. They will then learn basic engineering principles that demonstrate how engineering elements like pulleys, counterweights and levers are used in theatre. The project culminates in November 2011, with participants attending a Peter Pan performance.

For the full press release from The Broadway League, click here.

Thursday, September 29 2011, 12:00 AM

Beth Radford demonstrates Acting Right to teachers and their students.

Mountain View and Monaview Elementary Schools learn how to use Drama as a Classroom Management Strategy.

Beth Radford is an Arts Integration Specialist at Pine Street Elementary School in Spartanburg, SC.  She has over 10 years experience working with students of diverse backgrounds and has spent many years integrating arts into her classroom. Named Teacher of the Year…TWICE, Beth has the unique experience of directing workshops and mentoring teachers on their journey of incorporating drama into the curriculum.

On Tuesday, September 27^th, Beth visited with both Mountain View and Monaview Elementary Schools.  She worked with 15 teachers, and a total of 59 students.  Beth demonstrated how to build a cooperative learning environment from DAY 1 and how to build those “muscles” throughout the year!  She proved that students are able to take ownership of and be responsible for their own behavior through the four activities that make up Acting Right:

In Ms. Kull’s 2^nd grade class and Ms. Dennison’s 3^rd grade class, Beth began by showing the students how to use the same “tools” that an actor might use to remain calm, focused, balanced and prepared to learn.  She conducted activities in voice, focus and cooperation, moving on to engaging the students in games of concentration and team work. Each game asked students to group with peers based on math and/or geography concepts, for example, “by the time I count to 3, each of you will be in a group less then or equal to 3.” Math vocabulary such as “greater than, less than, equal to, even, odd, increase, and decrease” was used.  “By the time I count to 5, you should be in a group less than 4”.  Other subject integration with Geography would sound like, “by the time I count to 3, you should be in a group with the same number of continents we have on Earth.”

In Ms. Schubert’s 3^rd grade class, Beth demonstrated group challenges, with each group working together to create, using their Actor Tools, objects representative of the content they are studying in class.

The pictures below represent the residency work throughout the day.

Tuesday, September 20 2011, 12:00 AM

Kennedy Center's teaching artist, Karen Erickson, visits Greenville!

IDEA teachers experience Focusing on Arts Integration and The Drama of Science in their classrooms!

Karen Erickson has been a Professional Teaching Artist for more than 20 years.  As Executive Director of Creative Directions, she trains artists and teachers in drama education, curriculum planning, arts integration, and assessment development. 

Last week; Karen visited 4 different schools and worked with 61 teachers and a total of 130 students.  IDEA teachers welcomed Mrs. Erickson into their classrooms to experience how Drama can be integrated into any subject.  Students learned about how their body, mind, and voice can be used during a lesson.  They also learned Drama terms such as concentration, imagination, collaboration, cooperation, and transformation. 

On a visit to Skyland Elementary, working with Ms. Server's Kindergarten class (picture below), Karen demonstrated what concentration looked like by "acting out" the motion and transformation of picking up a cat, petting it, and then letting it go.  Karen then followed up with questions such as "How big was my cat?" and "Was it a friendly cat?"  She then gave the students the opportunity to try this themselves and to use their own imaginations.  She asked them to use their minds and bodies to keep full concentration.  Suddenly, the whole room transformed into cat owners! 

Karen moved forward with a lesson about Randolph the Bear.  It is a story about a bear in his habitat and the objects and animals he comes across along his daily journey.  Karen narrated the story and as she encountered various settings, students used their bodies to create it.  For example: Randolph came across a lake with lots of fish! (picture #3 illustrates).  Each student was able to create the story with their mind and body.  The whole class was able to collaborate and remain focused as the story unfolded. It was a sight to see...and who knew that Reading, Science, and Drama would work so well together in a lesson!

Thursday, October 21 2010, 12:00 AM

NEW Arts Blast Classes for Kids

Great success with the HIP HOP dance class for boys!

The Peace Outreach department is proud to announce its new Arts Blast series, camps and classes for kids offered here at the Peace Center.  Offering interdisciplinary arts classes throughout the year, the programs within the Peace Outreach department prove that learning through the arts... is a BLAST!

We are so proud at the success of one of our first Arts Blast classes this year... the HIP HOP dance class just for boys, taught by Gordy Owens, former Broadway performer and local teaching artist. 

Continue to check the 'Youth Classes' portion of our website for upcoming Arts Blast opportunities!

Thursday, September 2 2010, 12:00 AM

Peace Outreach Program kicks off new project with Tanglewood Middle School

2010-2011 Broadway League National Education Grant Recipient

The Peace Outreach Program is pleased to announce that we are a 2010-2011 recipient of the Broadway League's National Educational Grant.  This grant allows the Peace Center to work closely with a local focus group of students in an enrichment-based project centered around one of this season's Broadway shows.

This year, the Peace Center is pleased to further its relationship with Tanglewood Middle School, working on a character education and gang violence prevention project influenced by West Side Story. 

Provided is a press release, recently issued by the Broadway League, which introduces our West End Story project.

THE BROADWAY LEAGUE ANNOUNCES 2010 NATIONAL EDUCATION GRANT RECIPIENTS

Programs Support Arts-In-Education And Audience Development

New York, NY – September 2, 2010 – The Broadway League announced today the recipients of its fifteenth annual National Education Grants.  These grants support innovative programs that enable students from coast to coast to experience touring Broadway as a form of artistic expression and as an educational tool.  

The 2010 National Education Grants program bestows $5,000 to ten presenters of touring Broadway shows across the U.S. for the development or support of education programs associated with touring productions.

A significant number of touring Broadway shows are featured in the various programs: 9 to 5, Dreamgirls, In the Heights, Mary Poppins, Next to Normal, Shrek the Musical, The Lion King, and West Side Story.

This year, organizations were selected from the following cities: Atlanta, GA; East Lansing, MI; Greenville, SC; Nashville, TN; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; Schenectady, NY; Seattle, WA; Tampa, FL; and West Palm Beach, FL.

The following three venues are first-time grant recipients:
Kimmel Center, Inc. – Philadelphia, PA
5^th Avenue Theatre – Seattle, WA
Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts – West Palm Beach, FL

Since it was founded in 1996, the League’s NLeague� Education Grants program has awarded $750,000 in grants to support the education efforts of Broadway presenting organizations.  The League administers this program with generous additional financial support from Theatre Development Fund.

During the past year, theatre education professionals at organizations that present touring Broadway productions have worked closely with local teachers and community organizations to create activities that engage young people with theatre and enhance their academic experiences.  

“We salute our member organizations’organizations� teaching impressionable young minds tolerance, literacy, peace, tradition, cultural identity, and more via the performing arts,” commented Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League.  “Stories told through the pinnacle of plays and musicals not only educate students about the world at large, but exposure to live theatre creates a lifelong habit of theatre-going."

Peace Center Foundation – Greenville, SC

Using content from West Side Story to promote awareness of violence and alternative means of social engagement, the Peace Center will provide 40 teenagers from Greenville’s West End neighborhoods with the opportunity to attend West Side Story at the Peace Center for the Performing Arts, and to participate in Greenville’s “West End Story” program. This initiative includes a series of workshops with teaching artists, master classes with professional artists, facilitated discussions with community leaders, and a week-long summer camp exploring themes and various art forms found in West Side Story.

*Contact Staci Dillard, 864-679-9207 or sdillard@peacecenter.org.


In addition to the National Education Grants program, the League also administers similar grants for education programs affiliated with Broadway productions in New York City each year.

The Broadway League, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry.  The League’s 600-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in over 240 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry.  Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada. Visit www.BroadwayLeague.com. 

Wednesday, August 18 2010, 12:00 AM

GIRLS DAY OUT

A brand new event, designed especially for 4th and 5th grade girls!

On  Tuesday, Nov. 2 from 9am – 4pm

Girls Day Out participants will attend Tomato Plant Girl and participate in workshops focused on conflict resolution, bullying and developing leadership skills. The day will wrap up with a fun concert complete with audience participation!

Why is Girls Day Out important?
Our children are growing up in a complicated world. Young girls are constantly bombarded with cyber bullying, images of pin-thin supermodels and popular media stars celebrated for making inappropriate choices. Girls Day Out provides a safe environment where girls can come together to engage in a variety of interactive opportunities designed to boost their self esteem and affirm positive choices and behaviors, while getting their creative juices flowing!

Girls Day Out  will encourage girls to believe in themselves and equip them with positive tools for a happy and healthy life style. By allowing them to discover their own talents, girls will gain a healthy self esteem and experience a sense of accomplishment. Some workshops, like self-defense and morning yoga, will serve to help girls feel confident and secure in their own bodies. Others will help bring out their inner-artist.

All of the Girls Day Out workshops will be led by prominent female role models from our community celebrating all that is wonderful about being a women while honestly tackling the tough questions girls face as they approach adolescence. Girls Day Out offers girls the confidence and empathy necessary to become effective leaders and compassionate friends.

This program is a collaborative effort of organizations dedicated to giving young women their very own Girls Day Out!

• The Peace Center for the Performing Arts
• The Girl Scouts of South Carolina Mountains to Midlands 
• Girlology
• Cognition House – Athena’s Path
• Crawford Strategy
  

Cost:  $35 per student.  Scholarships ARE available!  Contact us if interested.

Please contact Staci Dillard with any questions at 864.467.3007 or sdillard@peacecenter.org

, the Peace Center will be buzzing with 400 fourth and fifth grade girls from across the Greenville County area. This one day event is filled with activities specially designed to teach girls what it means to be a strong and empowered young woman.

Thursday, August 5 2010, 12:00 AM

2010-2011 POP Season Announcement

All educators welcome!

The Peace Outreach department will be announcing its 2010-2011 POP Season on August 5th at 10 AM in the Gunter Theatre!

We are very excited about the new programming within the Peace Outreach department, and this August 5th event is directed especially at teachers to introduce them to all that the Peace Center has to offer for education!

Teachers will get a sneak peek at our 2010-2011 Youth Performance Series and have the first opportunity to place ticket orders.  Additionally, teachers will be introduced to our professional development programs and workshops for educators, where participants can earn district recertification points and possibly non-degree seeking graduate credit from Clemson University.

The Peace Center's resident companies will also be in attendance to discuss their individual programming for children and schools.

As the Peace Center celebrates it's 20th Anniversary, we want to take this opportunity to celebrate our Upstate educators dedicated to arts in education.  There will be a drawing for door prizes, and our good friends at Chick-fil-A on Pelham Road will be providing breakfast.

To RSVP your attendance, please contact Staci Dillard at sdillard@peacecenter.org or 864.467.3007.

We look forward to seeing you there!

August 5, 2010 at 10AM in the Gunter Theatre!

Thursday, April 15 2010, 12:00 AM

Summer Arts Blasts at The Peace Center

Elementary students will be kept busy at The Peace Center this summer!

After two very successful (and loads of fun!) young artist classes this spring, The Peace Center is pleased to introduce more classes. Students ages 3-5 and their parents will enjoy an early literacy skills and arts infused class on Tuesday mornings. A similar class on Tuesday mornings is offered for rising first and second graders.

The Peace Center is also offering two one-week-long day camps for rising first through fifth graders. The first will be held June 7-11 at The Peace Center. The second will be held June 21-25 at Christ Church Episcopal School. Both day camps will allow students who love to sing, dance and act to put together an exciting performance for family and friends.

Register your students for these classes online at http://www.peacecenter.org/education_outreach/community_outreach.php.

 Contact Nancy Halverson at 864.679.9203 or nhalverson@peacecenter.org with any questions.

Thursday, April 15 2010, 12:00 AM

Group Classes at The Peace Center or in YOUR Classroom!

Arts Integrated Lessons Reinforcing Early Literacy

The Peace Center has designed eight arts integrated lessons based on popular children's literature to support your summer programming. Each lesson is designed to include the arts (music, visual art, dance, drama) and early literacy building strategies.

Explore the list below and choose one lesson or all eight, as your time and budget allow. We are happy to work within your schedule. Our master teaching artist can come to your campus, or you can bring your student to the Peace Center for a field trip then enjoy a picnic by the river!

One hour classes are just $75 each (supplies included). Class size is limited to 12 students.

• Arts in Play: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr.
• Arts in Imagination: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
• Arts in Emotions: Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
• My Arts: If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
• Arts All Around: The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
• Arts Around the World: Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• Arts Games: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type by Doreen Cronin
• Hearts for the Arts: The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

Contact Nancy Halverson at 864.679.9203 or nhalverson@peacecenter.org to explore the possibilities!