Bill D’Agostino Director of Communications and Education Act II Playhouse in Ambler, Penn.
The White Mountains producer/playwright
Talk Outline • • • •
Why Use Theatre? How We Built “The White Mountains” How the Short Plays Illustrated Key Concepts Writing “The Hill”
Theatre: A Useful Tool for Science Education Four Ways Theatre Can Be Instructive
Theatre: A Useful Tool for Science Education Four Ways Theatre Can Be Instructive •
Use of Metaphor
Theatre: A Useful Tool for Science Education Four Ways Theatre Can Be Instructive • •
Use of Metaphor Making the Abstract Concrete
Theatre: A Useful Tool for Science Education Four Ways Theatre Can Be Instructive • • •
Use of Metaphor Making the Abstract Concrete Revealing the Collision of Ideas and Forces
Theatre: A Useful Tool for Science Education Four Ways Theatre Can Be Instructive • • • •
Use of Metaphor Making the Abstract Concrete Revealing the Collision of Ideas and Forces Showing Processes over Time
Building “The White Mountains” Project Conception
Building “The White Mountains” Project Conception • • •
Building plays based on oral histories Wanted project to reflect multiple voices/perspectives Hired multiple writers for 12 short plays/various viewpoints
Building “The White Mountains” Project Timeline
Building “The White Mountains� Project Timeline Twelve Writers Hired: Summer 2015
Building “The White Mountains� Project Timeline Twelve Writers Hired: Summer 2015 Writers received research: September 2015
The Writer’s Research All Writers Received Three Oral Histories Also had access to entire online database for additional research Oral Histories/Writers Paired based on interest Also some degree of randomness
Building “The White Mountains� Project Timeline Twelve Writers Hired: Summer 2014 Writers Received Research: September 2014 Tour of Ambler: November 2014 First Drafts Due: Dec. 31, 2014 Revision Comments: January, 2015 Revisions Due: Feb. 28, 2015 Final Decisions: Early March, 2015 Casting/Rehearsal: March/April, 2015 Performance: April 25, 2015
“An Evening of Short Plays About the Continuing Legacy of Ambler’s Industrial Past”
Seven Short Plays 85 Minutes plus post-show discussion
The Women Wait By Jessica Bedford
The Women Wait By Jessica Bedford
The Women Wait By Jessica Bedford
The Women Wait By Jessica Bedford
ABSTRACT CONCRETE
The Women Wait By Jessica Bedford METAPHOR
ABSTRACT CONCRETE
Mary Runs to the Wreck By MJ Kaufman
Mary Runs to the Wreck By MJ Kaufman
Mary Runs to the Wreck By MJ Kaufman
Mary Runs to the Wreck By MJ Kaufman
Mary Runs to the Wreck By MJ Kaufman
METAPHOR
Mary Runs to the Wreck By MJ Kaufman
METAPHOR
COLLISSION OF IDEAS
Mary Runs to the Wreck By MJ Kaufman
PROCESSES OVER TIME
COLLISSION OF IDEAS
METAPHOR
ORIGIN “Children used to sled down the waste piles of asbestos, which were so high they were dubbed the white mountains of Ambler.” A Lost Park Issues of Risk
The Hill By Bill D’Agostino
The Hill By Bill D’Agostino
The Hill By Bill D’Agostino
The Hill By Bill D’Agostino
The Hill By Bill D’Agostino PROCESSES OVER TIME
The Hill By Bill D’Agostino PROCESSES OVER TIME ABSTRACT CONCRETE
The Hill By Bill D’Agostino PROCESSES OVER TIME ABSTRACT CONCRETE METAPHOR
The Hill By Bill D’Agostino PROCESSES OVER TIME ABSTRACT CONCRETE METAPHOR
COLLISSION OF FORCES