Workshops & Groups
updated: 5/26/07
April 21-May 26
FAIRY TALE THEATER WORKSHOPS at Alaska Theater for Youth
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June-July
WORKSHOPS though Alaska Theater for Youth's SUMMER THEATER CONSERVATORY
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September-October-November
CARTOONING WORKSHOPS at Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center
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Stayed Tuned to this space for Workshops Coming this Summer and Fall
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I am currently available to facilitate these workshops, groups or community events.
Note: These workshops are designed to have a great deal of flexibility in order to accomodate the needs of the particular school, program or workshop host.
Many of these workshops and groups have been presented in two hour to full day formats, or spaced over the course of semesters as weekly presentations.
A notable exception is the Puppet Construction, Manipulation & Stagecraft Artist Residency which is presented as a two week intensive in accordance with the Alaska State Council on the Arts' Artists in Schools program guidelines.
The Creative Expression Workshop, Cartooning and Mime & Improv Workshops have been offered (though not exclusively) under the auspices of Alaska Theatre of Youth's Summer Conservatory or Saturday Drama programs. Acting for Youth on the Autism Spectrum is exclusively offered through Alaska Theatre of Youth.
The target audience listings next to the workshop titles reflect the primary form of the workshop. I am willing to explore adaptation of these workshops to fit the needs of other age levels if requested
General Creativity Workshops/Community Events
The Nurturing Creativity Workshop (Adults)
Works with parents, teachers, professional child-care workers, and other adults interested in fostering the creative process in children. The workshop includes a didactic presentation on the pre-conditions for and process of creativity, hands-on exercises in a wide array of mediums, and a brainstorming session on developing exercises that nurture creativity in the pre-school and school-age child
Facilitator: Brian Hutton, M. Ed
The Creative Expression Workshop (All Ages)
Fosters a fuller realization of individual creative potential by exposing the participants to hands-on activities in a wide variety of creative mediums, and generating an environment conducive to creative risk-taking in the group setting.
Facilitator: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Freedom To Play Day (All Ages)
A ‘show and tell’ creativity enhancement community event. Participants bring in the tools of their play, relaxation or creative activities, present mini-demonstrations, and invite participation.
Facilitator: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Literary and Performance Workshops
Super Happy Adventure Fun Time/The Performance Project (Adolescent & Young Adult)
Six week workshop series presented by a collective of multi-media performing mentor/artists, followed by a series of youth-designed, written, performed and produced performances, presented in Anchorage youth-friendly venues.
Sponsored by a 2006 Artists’ TOPS Partners stipend from Alaska Association of School Boards and Alaska ICE in cooperation with Covenant House Alaska.
Instructors: Duke Russell, Kima Hamilton, Kokayi, Angela Ramirez, Gwendolyn Bradshaw, Mike James, Yngvil Van Guttu, Mark Muro, Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Spoken Word & Performance Art Intensive (High School & Junior High)
Offered through the Alaska State Council on the Arts' Artists in Schools program, this two week intensive introduces students to the multi-media discipline of Performance Art through Spoken Word. Students select or write poetry and/or narrative piece designed for performance, then work with movement, sound, lighting, set and prop construction, costuming and stagecraft to augment their pieces, culminating in a Performance Art performance at the end of the residency.
Presented at Steller Secondary School in May of 2007.
Artist in Residence: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Spoken Word/Slam Poetry Workshop (Adult, High School & Junior High)
Presentations range from individual facilitation to a team of five introducing the participants to Spoken Word and Slam Poetry with an emphasis on writing and presenting performance poetry.
Presented over the course of five years in eight High Schools and Middle Schools in Alaska's Matanuska/Susitna Valley School District. 3 to 4 large group sessions are followed in the afternoon by full-blown school-wide Poetry Slams.
Instructors: Corinna Delgado, Bruce Farnsworth, Kima Hamilton, Peter Porco, Jessie Scholz, Mark Muro, Angela Ramirez, Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Puppetry for the Classroom (Educators, K -12)
This course provides an introduction to the multiple disciplines involved in staging puppet plays. Scripting, puppet and voice manipulation will be approached with exercises designed to foster improvisation and collaboration. Guided activities in stagecraft and theater production skills such as set design and construction, prop and costume design and construction will be provided. This seminar will demonstrate how instruction in puppetry contributes to other subjects and reinforces general education objectives. The lessons are consistent with Alaska Content Standards for Arts and have applicability to several subject areas.
Course topics include: Introduction to Puppet Styles, Scripting and Adaptation of Folklore for Puppet Plays, Puppet Making/Costuming & Manipulation and Stagecraft for the Puppet Play.
Instructors: Buzz Schwall & Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Puppet Construction, Manipulation & Stagecraft (High School)
Offered through the Alaska State Council on the Arts' Artists in Schools program, this two week intensive includes an introduction to various styles of puppets, hands-on instruction in puppet design and construction, costuming and stagecraft, culminating in a puppet performance at the end of the residency.
Exercises for learning puppet and voice manipulation skills will be paired with theater exercises designed to foster improvisation and collaboration skills. Special attention will be paid to scripting and adaptation of folk and cultural tales for the puppet play.
Artists in Residence: Buzz Schwall & Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Puppetry Workshops (Junior High & Elementary School)
Hands-on exercises for learning puppet construction and manipulation skills will be paired with theater exercises designed to foster improvisation and collaboration skills.
Instructors: Buzz Schwall & Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Puppet Performance Workshop with Community Production (Adult, High School & Junior High)
Four to ten student/manipulators and two to four student/technicians would be able to participate in this two week workshop in which instructors train community actors and technicians to produce and perform Don Giovanni, the Puppet Show*, a puppet-scale version of the opera Don Giovanni.
All puppets, the puppet theater, scenery, props, video, audio and lighting equipment for this production will be provided.
*Original production presented by buzzOplex productions in the Discovery Theater of the Performing Arts Center of Alaska, sponsored by the Anchorage Opera and funded in part by a grant from the Rasmuson Foundation.
Instructors: Buzz Schwall & Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Mime, Improv & Acting Workshops
Mime/Spoken Word Intensive (K-12)
One week Resident Artist style classroom and large group presentations provided in the Healy, Alaska School System, in preparation for their annual dance performance program Bodies in Motion.
Instructor: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Mime & Improv Workshop (Elementary School)
Hands-on activities for learning mime skills with theater exercises designed to foster movement, improvisation and collaboration.
Instructor: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Mime & Improv Workshop (High School & Junior High)
For the more advanced student, this workshop blends many of the approaches of Viola Spolin, (author of 'Improv For The Theater'), focusing on graduated scene/skit construction and character development skills, and the muscle group isolation and coordination exercises of Claude Kipnis, (author of 'The Mime Book) to develop maximum flexibility, as well as movement, improvisation, and collaboration games and exercises of my own design.
Instructor: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Acting for Youth on the Autism Spectrum (Ages 10 and up)
Drama and theatre for young men and women with autism or Asperger's Syndrome.
Instructors: Yngvil Vatn Guttu, Brian Hutton, M.Ed.
(Offered exclusively through Alaska Theatre of Youth.)
Visual Art Workshops
Cartooning for the Classroom (Educators, K -12)
This course provides an introduction to the multiple disciplines involved in designing, drawing and writing cartoons and comic strips. Guided activities in plotting and storyboarding, basics of caricature, perspective, shading and crosshatching, and using figure drawing with live models to portray action will be provided.
This seminar will demonstrate how instruction in cartooning contributes to other subjects including and reinforces general education objectives. The lessons are consistent with Alaska Content Standards for Arts and have applicability to several subject areas.
Course topics include: Introduction to Cartooning Styles, Developing Original Cartoon Characters, Plotting and Scripting for Comic Strips, Using Cartooning to Aid Feelings Awareness and Empathy Development.
Instructor: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Cartooning Workshop (Elementary School)
Cartooning for the Elementary School student, this class covers basics of drawing bodies and features for cartoon characters, using common cartoon conventions to invent unique characters. Special attention is given to using facial expression and body language awareness to portray feelings in cartoon characters.
Instructor: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Cartooning and Comic Strips Workshop (Junior High & High School)
A more advanced introduction to cartooning and comic strips for the Junior High and High School student, this class includes plotting and storyboarding, basics of caricature, perspective, shading and crosshatching, and using figure drawing with live models to portray action.
Instructor: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
Mental Health and Communication Groups
Dealing with Difficult Adults (High School & Young Adults)
Young people are commonly frustrated in their attempts to deal with their relationships with perhaps well-meaning adults. ‘Dealing with Difficult Adults’ assumes and pulls from group member’s shared pre-existing knowledge base regarding their experiences with ‘difficult adults’. Where troubles commonly arise. Identifiable patterns. Successful and unsuccessful solutions.
Group members will be involved in guided discussions around dealing with ‘difficult adults’, sharing experiences and identifying patterns encountered, exploring successful and unsuccessful tactics attempted to resolve issues or avoid dead-end patterns, brainstorming around more effective solutions to difficult interchanges and relationships, and engaging in role plays to rehearse new or successful strategies.
General topics include power and control issues, trust issues and communication skills, common patterns of troubled relationships with adults, and how to avoid becoming a ‘difficult adult’.
Facilitator: Brian Hutton, M. Ed.
