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Welcome to Amplify & Ignite 2025

Thank you to our generous Donors -
Emerson College:
  • Academic Affairs
  • School of the Arts
  • Social Justice Collaborative
  • Department of Performing Arts 
  • Graduate Studies
  • Elma Lewis Center
  • Theatre Education Graduate Association
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If you wish to purchase a ticket to our Saturday Evening Events (Limited Tickets Available!): CLICK HERE

Sustainability Invitation
Emerson Sustainability is currently preparing for the annual Campus Race to Zero Waste competition that runs from February through the end of March. It’s a friendly competition between universities in North America to reduce waste on campuses and raise awareness about waste-related behaviors. In celebration of Campus Race to Zero Waste, we are participating in the Green Event Certification program and we hope you will join us in this challenge. In advance of your travel to Boston, we encourage you to bring a reusable water bottle and/or hot thermos and utensils to reduce the need for single use products.
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Theatre, Sense & Story: Returning to what Grounds Us
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:15am - 10:30am EDT
LB 225
Session Evaluation
(Re)Turning to Storytelling
Presenter: Alex Ates

The COVID-19 shutdowns, the violent political conditions in the United States, the corporate manipulation of social media, and the rapid rise of AI necessitate a return to the basics of theater pedagogy storytelling. In 2022, I introduced a new course, Storytelling and Performance, at Westtown School, where I was the director of the arts. The course was an introductory course to the grades 9-12 Theater program, designed to intrigue and attract students who might not typically foresee themselves taking an introductory theater course. It worked. Sixty percent of the students who enrolled in the course had never taken a Theater course or participated in a production. After a series of intimate, in-class "slams" (performances) of their stories, students compellingly performed themed stories for the enraptured school body. Performances were audio-recorded and evolved into an intentionally-produced podcast. Storytelling and Performance focused on the simple, innate human need and ability to share compelling stories that impact life experiences despite the "slings and arrows" of dehumanizing modernity.

Using Theatre Practices to Manage InfoWhelm
Presenters: Milly Schmid + Jackie Agliata
In the Spring of 2024, Jackie and Milly co-presented a six-session-long artist-in-residence program using exercises from Newspaper Theater to investigate media coverage of Climate Change and Climate Justice with 11th and 12th grade International Baccalaureate theater students at Snowden International School at Copley in Boston, MA. In this workshop, Jackie and Milly will highlight the moments of success and emerging tensions in developing the curriculum for the project and then lead symposium  participants through an embodied, Newspaper Theater-inspired devising activity. Session participants will unpack and reflect on the devised work and brainstorm applications to their own education or community context. Participants will receive a residency map and example exercises to explore media literacy with youth.

The Weathering Project: A Sensory Theatre Workshop for Connection and Inclusion
Presenter: Kaitlin Jaskolski

Step into a world where the senses reign, and connection takes center stage. The Weathering Project is a sensory theatre workshop designed to create immersive, inclusive experiences for diverse audiences particularly those often left out of traditional arts spaces. Just as weather can shift in an instant, this workshop invites participants to explore the fluid, dynamic nature of sensory theatre, where touch, sound, movement, and visuals combine to spark new forms of creative expression. In this workshop, we'll harness the elements of sensory engagement to foster connection over perfection. Participants will explore how sensory stimuli can be used to break down barriers, build bridges, and celebrate the beauty of shared experience. Together, we'll weather the storm of uncertainty, embracing the unpredictable and playful nature of inclusive performance. By focusing on creating experiences that prioritize connection between participants, their careers, artists, and teachers, we'll uncover how sensory theatre can encourage deeper, more meaningful collaboration. This workshop will also explore how these "weathered" experiences born from collaboration and sensory play can lead to transformative change in performance, community building, and education. Just as the weather can be unpredictable, the connections made in sensory theatre can surprise and inspire, creating powerful, lasting memories of shared creative moments. Participants will explore together new ways to amplify voices, celebrate diversity, and weather the elements of inclusion together.
Speakers
AA

Alex Ates

Kent Denver School
Alex Ates is a theater artist from New Orleans. He serves as the first Director of Arts at Kent Denver School in Colorado. Previously, he was the Director of Pre-K-12 Visual and Performing Arts and David Mallery Fellow at Westtown School. Since 2017, Alex has directed the Arts and... Read More →
MS

Milly Schmid

Milly Schmid (they/she) is a queer, neurodivergent, interdisciplinary teaching artist, educator, activist, and non-profit administrator originally from Sterling, VA. After receiving Level One Joker Training from Theater of the Oppressed NYC in 2018, Milly has applied their knowledge... Read More →
JA

Jackie Agliata

Jackie Agliata (she/her) is a middle school educator originally from the suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. Currently in her sixth year of teaching seventh grade English, she is passionate about arts-integration and its role in a holistic, culturally responsive educational experience. Jackie... Read More →
KJ

Kaitlin Jaskolski

Dr. Kate Jaskolski is a theatre facilitator, director, and educator with over 20 years of experience creating joyful, inclusive theatre experiences around the world. She holds a PhD in Applied and Educational Theatre from the University of Cape Town and a Master's in Educational Theatre... Read More →
Saturday March 22, 2025 9:15am - 10:30am EDT
LB 225
  Panel

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