R.I.S.K. program incorporates creative use of technology with kids

By Sonya Davidson

After more than 20 years of devising multi-disciplinary performance in Toronto, Theatre Gargantua, led by Artistic Director Jacquie Thomas and a team of local artists recently opened their stage to host a free creative theatre program that engaged underserved youth in the city. The hands-on all day workshop gave the kids the opportunity to explore and create original performance pieces in a contemporary way that embraces the use of technology.

R.I.S.K. (Resources Innovation Skills and Knowledge) Program began with in-school workshops at high schools across Toronto in which students develop original performance and text. They looked at their daily habits, such as constant texting, to uncover the characters, situations and dramas, and their natural creative writing skills.

The evolution of this work is a one-day intensive in which selected students from each school were invited for a day of exploration and creation at a professional theatre downtown. This year the Elgin and Winter Garden theatre opened their facilities to the program. Students gained insight into the structure of a professional theatre through an inspiring look at the on-stage and backstage workings of the space and rehearse in one of their state of the art studio facilities.

Theatre Gargantua’s team of distinguished artists lead them through an exploration of developing theatrical choreography, and techniques for starting their own original writing. This performance work was then married with a crash course in using iMovie and Garage Band to create musical scores for their work and to capture original performance.

Their Multi-Disciplinary work comes together when the students collaborate to capture their physical choreography and text on video, making directorial choices about staging and performance. They then make editing choices about combining their footage with their original music. The whole day is a layered exploration of the resources available to them - from their own body and voice,  to the phones and iPads that permeate their world - as young people with voices to be heard. 

We checked in with Jacquie Thomas, Artistic Director of Theatre Gargantua to find out more..

How did this program start? Who gets to participate and how were they selected? 

The RISK Program developed as a compliment to our student matinee program which engages over 500 students a year and from a belief that we hold that experiencing live performance is a critical part of education and that young people are engaged in theatre when it is contemporary and accessible and relevant to them. While we offer workshops upon request all over South-Western Ontario, the RISK Program was developed in partnership and supported by local organizations such as the Toronto Arts Council and City of Toronto as well as the TD bank to give access to students in priority neighbourhoods and areas outside the downtown core access to the arts that they might not otherwise have. The program originally started in 2010 as a way to help students from priority schools access live theatre.  The first phase of the program is offered in schools, through teachers booking with us, and then the teachers select students from their classes to participate in the intensive downtown. 

Technology is now part of everyone's daily life. For kids who had participated in this workshop, how did the instructors and kids use their skill sets and what did they learn?

We introduce technology as a creative tool during the first part of the program, in schools when the students whip out their phones and through a text to screen program called iWall their texts are projected onto their class wall and dialogues evolve out of their texting in real-time. We also work with Garage Band for IPad during this phase.

In the second phase, the intensive, iPads are used in many ways: to write their text and film it,  to film the physical compositions they choreograph, to make music using Garage Band and to edit it all together using iMovie. They learn the basics of capturing, importing and editing audio and video so that they can make their own projects. The students respond so intuitively to the apps, and are eager to try out the various filters and effects available to them. There’s something very satisfying about being able to manipulate and enhance work and footage you have created yourself, and it’s very clear that personality comes out in editing choices.

Why did you decide to incorporate Apple into your program?

Garage Band and iMovie are very accessible programs, with versions available for phones, iPads and computers. A student can download a Garage Band app for $5. It’s literally a creative tool at their finger tips. The programs are easy to teach and to work with and offer a wealth of creative potential even for someone just beginning to learn to use them. As one of the participants said yesterday, it’s simple and fun.

What reactions did you receive from the instructors?

Teachers present say "The students were engaged and focused" and they “enjoyed seeing them work interactively with students from other schools. Great to watch them engage with the iPads to create their own work.” “This work definitely supports the curriculum - integration of physical work/ vocal work/ technology.” Teachers have told us that the students have integrated RISK work from the in-school phase into their own school projects and in theatre pieces that they’re presenting at festivals. 

What were the reactions from the kids?

One participant said yesterday that she gave up dancing seven years ago and that moving creatively again felt like her true self. They all enjoy Garage Band and iMovie (with multiple exclamation marks!) One comment that regularly comes up during the program is the comment “We’re stronger than we think.” This is a principle that comes from the physical creation aspect of the program which requires strength and trust in yourself and your collaborative partners. Another student commented that, “I learned that you exercise your mind in drama.” 

What did you hope the kids would gain from this experience? 

It would be wonderful to see all these students continue creating their own creative projects and become successful artists - and some of them we know will be going on to professional training programs at universities next year - but more importantly, the teaching of certain specific skills such as in the R.I.S.K. program is a way of facilitating the development of very important qualities like learning to value what you have to say, trusting and collaborating with others, and experiencing the empowerment that comes from working in a non-judgemental space where your peers and professionals alike are there as your collaborators and supporters.