Educator Workshops
All the world's a stage
Our hands-on, theater-based workshops invite educators to dive deep into the creative process of the Guthrie and gain a new set of tools and perspectives to take back to the classroom. All workshops are eligible for CEU credits.
A Creative Look at Classroom Management
GOAL: I want tomeet students where they are at and feel like an effective leader while building a classroom where students encourage each other to succeed and grow.
Creating and promoting an effective environment for learning in your classroom is the key to promoting growth and learning in your students. Too often, learning environments narrowly place students into “good” or “bad” categories, and these labels follow them throughout their school careers. Putting into practice collaborative and ensemble-building tools and techniques, this workshop will encourage you to diversify how you interact with students, how students interact with each other and, ultimately, how students interact with you.
- Date: Saturday, January 11 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Workshop Fee: $45 ($35 if you register by January 4)
- Instructors: Jason Brown and Jessica Finney
Jason Brown (he/his) is the director of education at the Guthrie and has more than 20 years of teaching and arts education and curriculum design experience. Jason has worked as the director of curriculum and program manager for Project SUCCESS and is currently a doctoral student in arts-based curriculum and instruction at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development.
Jessica Finney (she/her) is a theater artist, educator and licensed associate marriage and family therapist. She is a lead teaching artist with Upstream Arts and has taught with the Guthrie Theater, Pillsbury House and Theatre, Project SUCCESS, Minneapolis Public Schools, Saint Paul Public Schools and other community partners.
Activity-Based/Experiential Learning
GOAL: I want to actively engage my students on their feet and at their desks through experiential learning ideas that inspire creativity and focus.
Every educator wants to creatively engage their students in diverse and effective ways that honor various learning styles. This workshop will explore a series of arts engagement strategies and activities that will help differentiate your instruction and inspire even the most tentative educator to bring fun and interactivity into the classroom.
- Date: Friday, March 20 | 4–6 p.m.
- Workshop Fee: $45 ($35 if you register by March 6)
- Instructors: Suzy Messerole and Siddeeqah Shabazz
Suzy Messerole (she/her, Central High School, Saint Paul)is a teaching artist, director and community activist who works at the intersection of theater and social change. She is the co-artistic director of Exposed Brick Theatre, chair of the Theatre Department at Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists and on the leadership team for the Million Artist Movement.
Siddeeqah Shabazz (she/they) is the co-education program manager at the Guthrie. She has worked with Pillsbury House and Theatre as a youth coordinator and teaching artist for six years with a focus on social and emotional learning. Siddeeqah is also an actress around the Twin Cities and a member of the Drag Story Hour at Pillsbury House and Theatre.
Creating a Collaborative Classroom Environment
GOAL: I want to empower myself and encourage my students to create a collaborative and communicative classroom environment.
The classroom can be a creative, collaborative space for all subjects. By planning for and embracing the unexpected, educators can design and lead a variety of energetic, interactive, activity-based lessons. This workshop will introduce activities based in the creative process of theater and practice the skills necessary to lead them so you will feel motivated to enthusiastically, creatively and effectively bring arts-inspired activities into the classroom.
- Date: Saturday, April 18 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- Workshop Fee: $45 ($35 if you register by April 4)
- Instructors: Jessica Finney and Katherine Pardue
Jessica Finney (she/her) is a theater artist, educator and licensed associate marriage and family therapist. She is a lead teaching artist with Upstream Arts and has taught with the Guthrie Theater, Pillsbury House and Theatre, Project SUCCESS, Minneapolis Public Schools, Saint Paul Public Schools and other community partners.
Katherine Pardue (she/her, Roseville Area High School and North Community High School, Minneapolis)is a director and theater educator in Minneapolis. She has worked extensively in devised and socially conscious theater and new work development both locally and in New York. As a teaching artist, she has worked with Jungle Theater, Children’s Theatre Company and Powerhouse Theater. Katherine is a graduate of Oberlin College.
Questions?
For additonal questions or details, contact Education Program Manager Siddeeqah Shabazz at siddeeqahs@guthrietheater.org or 612.225.6233.
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