TAKE A MINUTE TO THINK A MINUTE

In conjunction with the World Premiere of Xtigone, African-American Shakespeare will provide a one-hour interactive improv workshop for schools located in areas of high percentage street violence and crimes.  With a facilitator from the community, the organization will perform an improv based on either a factual or hypothetical street violent situation the viewers have experienced.  In the climax of the scene, the facilitator will ask the artists to "freeze" the action. The facilitator will then ask the viewers for suggestions to change the action, what could be different, or adding new elements of complications into the scene.  When a new suggestion is made, the artists will re-enact the situation using the new suggestions or elements for the scene. 

After a few scenarios with the improv workshop, the facilitator will then open the discussion by asking open-ended questions to the group in a team leadership circle setting. 

The concept is to provide an opportunity to practice or identify situations that can escalate and to think about the best method to handle the situation that results in the individuals safety.  Learning how to diffuse, bypass, or de-escalate potential harm can mean the difference of life or death in some communities.

Participants of the workshop will be invited to a special school matinee to review the performance piece Xtigone.  After the performance, a leadership panel from their community with parallel life experiences of the at-risk youth will be invited to speak after the performance for a community discussion about street violence.

African-American Shakespeare Company is funded in part by  Fleishhacker Foundation, The James Irvine Foundation, Zellerbach Family Fund, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Grants for the Arts/SF Hotel Tax Fund, San Francisco Foundation, the California Arts Council, a state agency, the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency; Shakespeare for a New Generation, a national pogram of the National Endowment for the Arts in cooperation with Arts MidWest; and special school matinee performance sponsored by Macy’s.

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