FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 19, 2009, St. John’s - The Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council (NLAC) has awarded $110,000 to eleven applicants through the School Touring Program (STP). Artists, groups, and not-for-profit arts organizations will engage students in the richness of our culture through high quality presentations and performances in schools.
STP projects enhance or support aspects of the school curriculum as they explore Newfoundland and Labrador culture. In addition, workshops and other enrichment activities led by professional artists give students hands-on experience exploring the arts and their own creativity.
The School Touring Program is administered by the NLAC and is funded through the provincial government’s Cultural Connections Strategy. Cultural Connections is a unique partnership between the Department of Education and the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation which seeks to increase the presence of cultural content in the school curriculum and foster links between the arts and school communities.
“Now in its third year, the School Touring Program is proving to be a valuable addition to our arts in education programming,” says Reg Winsor, executive director of the NLAC. “It allows students to interact with professional artists in an exciting and meaningful way. They see cultural education really come to life beyond the usual classroom experience.”
Tours will take place between September 2009 – June 2010.
For a complete list of grant recipients and project descriptions, please see below.
Media Contact:
Janet McDonald
Communications Officer
Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council
726-2212 or toll-free 1 (866) 726-2212
jmcdonald@nf.aibn.com
The NLAC is a non-profit Crown agency that promotes and supports the arts through a variety of granting programs. It receives an annual grant, appropriated by the Legislature, to finance its granting programs, office administration, and communications.
School Touring Program
Grant Recipients – Fall 2009
Tours to take place: September 2009 – June 2010
Total number of grants: 11
Total amount awarded: $110,00
Bill Brennan
St. John’s
$9,000
May 10-14, 2010
World of Percussion, with Bill Brennan, Rob Power, George Morgan and Beverly Johnston, explores the fascinating and diverse family of percussion instruments. This presentation will include pieces of music written and arranged solely for percussion from contemporary classical, to African, jazz, Latin, and traditional Newfoundland and Labrador music. Students will participate in workshops in which they actively play percussion pieces with the presenters. World of Percussion will tour schools on the Avalon Peninsula.
Megan Coles
Bear Cove
$2,000
October 5-16, 2009
With the support of the School Touring Program and the National Theatre School of Canada, Megan Coles toured schools on the southern and northern Labrador coasts. She presented dramatic readings from her original plays, conducted playwriting workshops, and discussed educational opportunities to study theatre. The writing workshops focused on character development, dialogue, and structure used when writing for the stage.
Darka Erdelji, Andy Jones, and Monique Tobin
St. John’s
$13,000
October 5-16, 2009
The storytelling puppet theatre piece The Queen of Paradise’s Garden toured schools on the Burin Peninsula. The show is based on a fairy tale told to Andy Jones by Albert Heber-Keeping of Grand Bank. This intimately-scaled show was presented in the tradition of Newfoundland storytelling in the kitchen or parlour. Following the performance, the artists conducted puppetry and storytelling workshops that gave students the opportunity to express their own stories with a focus on nuance, character, gesture, and the need to pay close attention to the details of a story.
Grand Bank Regional Theatre Festival (Lighthouse Productions)
Grand Bank
$13,000
April and May 2010
Lighthouse Productions will tour Joan Sullivan’s new play Cassie Brown: My Life in Non-fiction to junior high and high schools on the Burin Peninsula. The play incorporates personal monologues from Cassie Brown’s writings along with readings from Death on the Ice. It also features traditional Newfoundland and Labrador music about the seal hunt. The play will be followed by an energetic and interactive workshop on traditional songs, acting techniques, and theatre production.
Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra
St. John’s
$10,500
May 2-7, 2010
The Atlantic String Quartet will tour 14 rural schools in the Fogo Island and Gander Bay areas of the Nova Central School District. The presentation will be for all grade levels and will explore how different instruments make music; the broad variety of musical styles; how music is read; and how musicians play together. The quartet will play pieces in various musical styles by a variety of composers, and then discuss with students the characteristics and nuances of each piece.
Nickel Independent Film Festival
St. John’s
$5,000
Winter 2010
The Festival will tour Reel Youth to 10 schools on the Burin Peninsula and central region of the province. Reel Youth is a collection of films made by young people from all over the world. The films explore important issues in their communities and tell stories directly from a youth perspective. In addition to viewing a 40-minute screening of films, students will take part in a two-hour introductory filmmaking workshop with two filmmakers.
Fergus O’Byrne and Jim Payne
St. John’s
$13,000
November 16-27, 2009
Fergus and Jim will present an hour-long presentation of Newfoundland and Labrador songs, stories and dance tunes with discussion of their relevance to our culture and history. During this interactive presentation students will be questioned on aspects of their culture and how our history is told in our songs and music. Students will also take part in workshops where they will learn songs and tunes specific to their area and discuss traditional work, our relationship with our environment, and the role of traditional culture in our communities. The project will tour schools on the Baie Verte Peninsula and area.
Opera Road Show
St. John’s
$8,500
May 3-21, 2010
A production of the adapted bilingual opera Cinderella En Route will tour to schools on the Avalon Peninsula and central region of the island. This opera combines an imaginative fairy tale with French language content. In addition to seeing a fully produced opera with full sets and a cast of eight, students will explore the world of opera through workshops on vocal improvisational games, movement, and how to sing like an opera singer.
Soundbone Traditional Arts Foundation
Ladle Cove
$10,000
April 2010
Eric West, Jane Rutherford, Daniel Payne and Gail Tapper will demonstrate a variety of traditional music and instruments in an interactive performance for students. A series of workshops following the show will teach students traditional tunes, instrument techniques, and traditional dances. This presentation will tour schools in the Nova Central School District.
Stephenville Theatre Festival
Stephenville
$13,000
April and May 2010
The Festival will tour the play A Sculpin Named Sam to primary and elementary schools on the west coast and Northern Peninsula. Written by Ben Pittman, based on the poetry of Al Pittman, the play is designed with colourful yet simple sets, costumes, and lighting that portray life above and below the water near fisherman Jim Long’s stage. Typical children’s games are interwoven with explorations of peer pressure, bullying, and prejudice. The troupe will offer workshops on costuming, character creation, poetry, theatrical games, and a theatrical workshop on the wildlife and habitats of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Wonderbolt Productions
St. John’s
$13,000
April and May 2010
Wonderbolt Productions will present the high-energy clown show Upside Clown to students in grades K-6 at schools on the Northern Peninsula and southern Labrador. Upside Clown offers an exploration of the very act of clowning, its traditions, and the creative process of developing a clown character, all in an active and playful way that engages students in the process. Students will also participate in active, hands-on workshops of the skills they saw performed in the show including juggling, unicycling, stilt walking, and clown performance.
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