LENOX— WAM Theatre is thrilled to announce the return of its acclaimed Teen Ensemble. The Lenox-based theatre company is currently soliciting applications from young artists aged 15-19 in the Berkshire County region, who will create an original performance to be presented to the community in downtown Lenox over Memorial Day weekend.
WAM Theatre has been working with teenagers to devise original performances on activist themes since 2014. Devised theatre uses a collaborative process where an ensemble uses a variety of techniques—writing, improvisation, games, movement, brainstorming, and more––to create original performance material.
Based out of WAM’s Creative Hub and Offices in Lenox, this year’s program focuses on “Immersive Performance for Changemakers.” The ensemble will train in devised theatre techniques with the goal of creating short site-specific performances. The program kicks off with a week of Theatre Skills & Activist Training from April 16-19th, which is spring break for area public schools. According to WAM’s Director of Community Engagement Maizy Broderick Scarpa, who will co-facilitate the ensemble, “that week is when Teen Ensemble artists become a company and develop a shared toolbox which they'll use to build their performance.” The group will reconvene for the Site-Specific Performance Weekend on May 24-26 (in conjunction with Berkshire Arts Week).
“As a devised theater lover, I deeply believe in the mana (power) of telling stories from one’s own experience as a way to ignite positive change in the world.” Malia’Kekia Nicolini, who will co-facilitate the Ensemble, explains. “I am excited to uplift the stories from this cohort of Teens to create some magic for our community. Mahalo (thank you).”
While no theatre experience is required to participate, interested individuals are required to complete and submit a brief application form available on WAM’s website. Candidates may be invited to a brief interview where facilitators and candidates learn more about one another and ask any outstanding questions about the ensemble. The criteria for participation is enthusiasm, creative impulse, and the desire to advocate for causes that are meaningful to the participant. Interested youth should be prepared to devise, perform and be open to embracing new experiences with an open mind.
Besides age and availability, WAM Theatre will select candidates who demonstrate an understanding of collaboration and the value of community in art-making. “It’s important for the ensemble members to embrace difference as a strength. We need folks who care about the world around them, who listen to each other and to their community, and who are ready to speak up when the situation demands,” says Scarpa. “If this sounds like you, we hope you’ll apply!”
The submissions window is currently open, and set to close on March 17th. Interested individuals can apply online at: www.wamtheatre.com/engage/teen-ensemble/. This is a paid opportunity. Participants in the Teen Ensemble will be provided a stipend for their work.
Parents, counselors, teachers, and community leaders are also encouraged to nominate students who would thrive in this kind of collaborative creative environment. Nominations should be directed to Maizy Broderick Scarpa, Director of Community Engagement (maizy@wamtheatre.com). Nomination should include the name and contact information of the person you are nominating, along with 1-3 sentences about why you are nominating them.
Questions, and requests for assistance with the application, should also be directed to maizy@wamtheatre.com
AT A GLANCE
WAM Teen Ensemble 2024
Immersive Performance for Changemakers
April 16-19 and
May 24-27 (Hours outlined in application linked below)
Led by WAM Teaching Artists Maizy Broderick Scarpa and Malia’Kekia Nicolini
at The WAM Theatre Hub, 55 Main Street, Lenox, MA
More info: www.wamtheatre.com/teen-ensemble/
Apply online at: https://forms.gle/CWaqrwuKMavzAwpe9.
Application deadline: March 17, 2024
More about WAM’s Teaching Artists
Malia’Kekia Nicolini (‘O ia/She/They) is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) teaching artist, choreographer, artistic director and gratitude enthusiast based in the Berkshires. ‘O ia is delighted to be a Teaching Artist for the Teen Ensemble at WAM! Malia’Kekia is the Co-Founder of B4 The Other Creations which travels throughout the US/internationally offering professional development and educational residencies. B4’s intimate work is led through movement, not lecture, and grounded in a Pedagogy of Play. Most recently, Malia’Kekia co-facilitated the Black and Indigenous Futures Convening with Howlround Theater Commons and ArtsEmerson. As an interdisciplinary artist, ‘o ia weaves all their experience together to empower students with radical joy. BFA (Music Theater), MBA (Mindfulness in Business Practices), BIPOC Leadership (ArtEquity). www.b4theother.com
Maizy Broderick Scarpa (she/they/any pronouns) is an educator, writer, and theatre artist who is dedicated to building a more just & healthy world by fostering equity in the arts, and nurturing mutually supportive communities. Current Role at WAM: Director of Community Engagement. Previous WAM Credits: Teaching Artist (Teen Ensemble 2023); Actor in Fresh Takes Play Readings (Port of Entry, Grand Concourse, The Droll, The Tall Girls, Campus Unrest); 24 Hour Theatre Project 2016 (Playwright); workshop co-facilitator “Writing & Gender” Selected Teaching Credits Elsewhere: Barrington Stage Co, Shakespeare & Company, Hampton Shakespeare Festival, Dorset Theatre Festival, The Buxton School, Taconic High School, Le Chapeau Rouge, StateraConIV. English as a Foreign Language: Lycée Alphonse Daudet; Collège Rene Cassin; The Kurdish Regional Government. Training: NYU/Tisch (Adler & ETW). maizyscarpa.com / bloomcreativity.com
WAM 2024 Sponsors
WAM Theatre is supported by the New England Foundation for the Arts through the New England Arts Resilience Fund, part of the United States Regional Arts Resilience Fund, an initiative of the U.S. Regional Arts Organizations and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with major funding from the federal CARES Act for the National Endowment for the Arts. Recently, WAM was recommended for an American Rescue Plan grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
WAM’s sponsors include Adams Community Bank, Blue Q., Berkshire Roots, Blue Spark Financial, Downright Pro, Greylock Federal Credit Union, Garden Gables Inn, Guidos Fresh Marketplace, Health Professional Coaching, Heller & Robbins Attorneys at Law, Interprint, Onyx Specialty Papers, RB Design Co., T Square Design Studio, Toole Insurance, a. von schlegell & co, and the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.
WAM Theatre’s 2022 Season is also supported in part by grants from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, Berkshire Bank, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, The Feigenbaum Foundation, Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), Mass Humanities, Lee Bank Foundation, Scarlet Sock Foundation and U.S. Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant; as well as grants from the Dalton Cultural Council, Lee Cultural Council, Lenox Cultural Council, Pittsfield Cultural Council, Beckett Cultural Council, Otis Cultural Council, Sandisfield Cultural Council, and Washington Cultural Council.
ABOUT WAM THEATRE
WAM Theatre is a professional theatre company based in Berkshire County, MA, that operates at the intersection of arts and activism. WAM creates theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy.
In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully selected beneficiaries. Since WAM’s founding in 2010, they have donated more than $85,000 to 25 local and global organizations taking action for gender equity in areas such as girls education, teen pregnancy prevention, sexual trafficking awareness, midwife training, and more.
In addition to Mainstage productions and special events, WAM’s activities include innovative community engagement programs and the Fresh Takes Play Reading Series. To date, WAM has provided paid work to more than 500 theatre artists, the majority of whom are female-identifying.
As a civic organization that embraces intersectional feminism (feminism that acknowledges how multiple forms of discrimination overlap), WAM understands that to address one piece of systemic discrimination means we have to address them all. This is on-going personal and professional work at WAM for the staff and board, detailed in their recently released accountability plan.
WAM Theatre has been widely recognized for having a positive impact on cultural and community development in the region. WAM is the recipient of the Creative Economy Standout Berkshire Trendsetter Award and previously, was named Outstanding Philanthropy Corporation of the Year by the Western MA Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Kristen van Ginhoven, WAM’s Producing Artistic Director, was honored by the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association (BTCA) with the prestigious Larry Murray Award, presented at the discretion of the BTCA Board to a person or theatre project that advances social, political, or community issues in Berkshire County.
For more information, visit www.wamtheatre.com
