West Performing Arts
2016 Ann Soldo Family Literacy Proposal
Key Components
of the Project
Our Voices Our Family:
Immigration Stories
Art
Story
Writing
Language
Digital Media
Community Building
Theatre Performance
Part 1
Workshops in using Image‐Making to create a story of each participant’s journey Part 2
Video interviews and videotaping of workshops archive additional histories Part 3
Stories are assembled into picture books for each participant Part 4
WEST artists chronicle and transform stories into an original theatre work Created by Terri Steinmann
Part 5 The theatre work is performed for the Family Literacy evening & Ann Soldo school Our Voices Our Family: Immigration Stories
Our Voices Our Family: Immigration Stories chronicles the autobiographical journey of migration through Art, Writing, and Performance workshops. We start with dynamic art‐and‐literature‐based workshops to help creatively recollect and chronicle each participant’s Fusce mollis
experience. Workshops integrate visual and kinesthetic tempus felis.
modes of thinking at each and every stage of the process. Participants begin by creating their own “Sed libero.
portfolio of beautiful hand‐painted textured papers. Maecenas est mi,
These papers not only spark story ideas but also vestibulum id,
become the raw materials for constructing stunning euismod non,
collage images. As participants literally give shape to vestibulum quis, mi.
their ideas through cutting and pasting, they are able Mauris consequat
to rehearse, draft, and revise their stories long before dolor a sapien.”
setting pencil to paper. - aliquam.
The image‐making process used in the Immigration Story Workshops offers a dynamic model for West Performing Arts
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335 Spreckels Dr. Unit F, Aptos, CA 95003
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expressing and sharing a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding immigration. As participants build a sequence of images to tell their story, they are able to orally share their story‐line through "reading their pictures." Participants are guided through collective brainstorming to help participants to access language and record their personal story. This hands‐on process has proven itself to be particularly effective for English Learners, or those who struggle with traditional methods of writing. The stories are collected and bound into books for participants. Selected stories (or pieces of) are collected and translated into an original theatre work. Participants who can commit to the rehearsals are invited to work alongside the professional actors of WEST Performing Arts and performed for the Ann Soldo community.
831.425.9378
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westperformingarts.com