Open Forum

All:

I am a member of TYA/USA the United States Chapter of ASSITEJ, the International Association of Theatre for Young People. I am on the blog committee and am currently serving as editor for the current topic, Censorship in TYA. I'd like to invite all of you to write for the blog and to become members of TYA/USA if you are not already a member! The prompt is below.

TYA Blog Call for Posts:
Did you know that TYA/USA has a blog? You can read some of this past year’s posts on our blog, TYABlog here: http://nextusa.wordpress.com/posts/

My name is Riley Braem and I am a theatre artist in the Metro Nashville area, high school theatre teacher, adjunct professor at Nashville State Community College, teaching artist, 2013 alum of the Arizona State University Theatre for Youth program, and member of the 2015-2016 TYABlog committee. I’d like to invite you to participate in an upcoming conversation about Censorship in TYA on the TYABlog.

Censorship is something that we face in our lives everyday. We experience it everywhere we go. From the dress code you abide by at work to the words you don’t say depending on the company you keep. We follow societal norms based on a social construct of what is and is not deemed appropriate. For those working in the field of theatre for young audiences censorship is often on the minds of artistic directors, theatre educators, teaching artists, and theatre makers. What is and is not appropriate for young audiences is often the subject of great debate and can have disastrous consequences for those who elect to “push the envelope”.

We seek blog posts 500-1000 words in length that might explore one or more of the following questions:
As a theatre artist, how do you experience censorship in the work you do with young audiences?
Who are the gatekeepers that are keeping you from producing the work that you want?
What content do you feel is off limits to you as a theatre educator and/or director? Why?
What are the consequences that theatre artists face if the delve into a topic considered taboo by members of their community?
These questions are purely a jumping off point, please feel free to send other questions, ideas, or blogs in reference to movement with young people. Please don’t hesitate to email me with any questions, requests for feedback or collaborative brainstorming.

This blog topic will kick off on 29 February and continue through April. Please send your blog posts to me at w.riley.braem@gmail.com anytime between now and 22 April 2016 along with a photo or two, your theatre’s logo/or organization you work for, a current photo of yourself, and a short author bio (150-200 words).

---------------------------------
W. Riley Braem, M.F.A.
Theatre Teacher
Northwest High School
Clarksville, TN
---------------------------------

Thank you Riley for offering this. You ought to get a few colorful responses, for sure!

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Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor/Assistant Department Head of English
Ruskin FL

Original Message:
Sent: 03-17-2016 21:07
From: Walter Braem
Subject: Censorship In TYA

All:

I am a member of TYA/USA the United States Chapter of ASSITEJ, the International Association of Theatre for Young People. I am on the blog committee and am currently serving as editor for the current topic, Censorship in TYA. I'd like to invite all of you to write for the blog and to become members of TYA/USA if you are not already a member! The prompt is below.

TYA Blog Call for Posts:
Did you know that TYA/USA has a blog? You can read some of this past year's posts on our blog, TYABlog here: http://nextusa.wordpress.com/posts/

My name is Riley Braem and I am a theatre artist in the Metro Nashville area, high school theatre teacher, adjunct professor at Nashville State Community College, teaching artist, 2013 alum of the Arizona State University Theatre for Youth program, and member of the 2015-2016 TYABlog committee. I'd like to invite you to participate in an upcoming conversation about Censorship in TYA on the TYABlog.

Censorship is something that we face in our lives everyday. We experience it everywhere we go. From the dress code you abide by at work to the words you don't say depending on the company you keep. We follow societal norms based on a social construct of what is and is not deemed appropriate. For those working in the field of theatre for young audiences censorship is often on the minds of artistic directors, theatre educators, teaching artists, and theatre makers. What is and is not appropriate for young audiences is often the subject of great debate and can have disastrous consequences for those who elect to "push the envelope".

We seek blog posts 500-1000 words in length that might explore one or more of the following questions:
As a theatre artist, how do you experience censorship in the work you do with young audiences?
Who are the gatekeepers that are keeping you from producing the work that you want?
What content do you feel is off limits to you as a theatre educator and/or director? Why?
What are the consequences that theatre artists face if the delve into a topic considered taboo by members of their community?
These questions are purely a jumping off point, please feel free to send other questions, ideas, or blogs in reference to movement with young people. Please don't hesitate to email me with any questions, requests for feedback or collaborative brainstorming.

This blog topic will kick off on 29 February and continue through April. Please send your blog posts to me at <maskemail>w.riley.braem@...</maskemail> anytime between now and 22 April 2016 along with a photo or two, your theatre's logo/or organization you work for, a current photo of yourself, and a short author bio (150-200 words).

---------------------------------
W. Riley Braem, M.F.A.
Theatre Teacher
Northwest High School
Clarksville, TN
---------------------------------