Lauren Jost

I was at the New Victory Theatre’s Forum on Dutch Theatre for Young Audiences yesterday.  It was extremely inspiring to be around art-makers who are creating such innovative, creative, and challenging work for young audiences.  There was a stark contrast drawn between the quality and breadth of work being created in the Netherlands and the United States.  The Forum featured a lot of discussion about the infrastructure, government support (although dwindling), and aesthetic traditions of the Dutch theatre community that make this work possible.  I was struck by the emphasis on mentoring and nurturing young artists who are interested in creating work for young audiences.  There is no stigma or presumption of quality in work for young audiences, and so there is a big draw for emerging artists to direct their efforts toward this audience.  Several of the more established artists kept emphasizing the importance of “doing the work” and “learning through doing”.  They don’t study TYA in school, they get in a room with kids and see what works.  And, of course, they have the experience of their mentors to guide them.

This is such a contrast from how TYA is developed and nurtured in the States.  What strikes me the most is that most emerging artists interested in creating work for young artists are interested in creating a NEW kind of work that is different from the “children’s theatre” that we grew up seeing in the States.  We are influenced by the experimental and multi-disciplinary work of the international theatre scene (including Dutch theatre) and new devised work being done here in the States for adult audiences.  So who are the mentors who can guide us as we develop our “artistic signature” and craft?  Who are the artists who can push us to be creating new, innovative, challenging work when we this is exactly the work that we DON’T see and the hole we are looking to fill?  

I have felt the need for a mentor this year, but I don’t even know who to ask.  I want someone who has a background in arts education, who understands my deep love for bringing the arts to children, but who is also skilled in creating provoking and innovative work for this audience.  Where are the mentors?  Who do we craft our image after?  New companies like Double Image Theatre Lab, Trusty Sidekick, Spellbound Theatre, A Space Between…where do we look for leaders in our own country and culture?

More and more, we look around and we find…each other.  So now we need to discover how to be each other’s mentors.  How to learn from each other’s craft and experience and mistakes.  And we need to…DO.  Get in the room with the kids and see what floats.  Because as much as I need a mentor, there is no replacement for a little experience. 

There are performances I have seen that have moved me. That have changed me. I keep the memory of those performances close to me like gems in a chest, that I can open and run my fingers through when I need to be reminded of why we make art. Of what art can do. Of what humans are capable of saying and doing to each other. I shamelessly steal from these memories. I make them my own

I need some new ones. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a performance that really moved me. That changed me. I need to recharge and refill my coffers, so…suggestions please! What is worth seeing right now? I am only interested in heart-stoppingly, head-achingly good performance, but I know you know what I mean, so tell me where to go because babysitters are scarce and I don’t want to waste my time.

Bonus points if it’s for kids.

Thanks in advance.

We are well into the new school year, but for me the teaching artist work has just begun to pick up.  It seems that every season I spend most of September in training, planning, and curriculum development, and usually don’t start teaching until the beginning of October.  This year was no exception, and last week was my first workshop series of the year.  

In training at the New Victory, we were challenged to articulate a teaching goal to guide us through the year. After some reflection, I decided to set the goal of pushing my students a little harder than I’m comfortable with.  I’ve always been closer to the “warm fuzzy” end of the teacher-specturm than the “tough love” end.  I have a calm classroom energy and tend to give a lot of positive feedback to my students.  This is my style, and I know better than to try to change who I am.  However, I would like to see what happens when I hold back the immediate positive feedback and start to push my students a little harder.  These are some things I’m going to try to say more this year:

• I want to see more
• You can dig deeper
• Try it again
• Not quite there yet.
• Think about this…
• Again
• Again
• Again

As an artist, I rely on my collaborators to tell me when I’m not quite there, when I can go deeper, when I’m leaving room for improvement.  I need to be reminded that even when I’m doing well, I can usually do better.  I want to pass on this encouragement for artistic excellence to my students.

This is challenging because I usually don’t see a group of students more than once or twice, and in such a short time it is hard to build that collaborative relationship that fosters the best kind of critical feedback.  But I am going to challenge myself not to let that stop me from demanding that students are working their hardest and giving their all.

Art is not about easy answers, and it’s not about half-measures, and it’s almost never about getting it right the first time.  So, yes, I will always encourage, praise, and support my students.  But this year I’m also going to get a little tough.