““AA mmiinneerr''ss lliiffee iiss lliikkee aa ssaaiilloorr oonn bbooaarrdd aa sshhiipp ttooccrroossss tthhee wwaavveess//

EEvveerryy ddaayy hhiiss lliiffee''ss iinn ddaannggeerr,, mmaannyy vveennttuurreess bbeeiinngg bbrraavvee//

WWaattcchh tthhee rroocckkss,, tthheeyy''rree ffaalllliinngg ddaaiillyy,, ccaarreelleessss mmiinneerrss aallwwaayyss ffaaiill//

KKeeeepp yyoouurr hhaanndd uuppoonn yyoouurr wwaaggeess aanndd yyoouurr eeyyeeuuppoonn tthhee ssccaallee......““

—Lyrics to a traditional song called “A Miner’s Life”

OUR PARTNERS IN EDUCATIONTheatreWorks thanks our generous donors to the Education Department, whose financial support enables us to

provide in-depth arts education throughout Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. During the 2010/11season we served over 23,000 students, patients, and community members, making almost 90,000 educational

interactions.

FFoouunnddaattiioonnss

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Applied Materials, Inc. Bank of America Foundation

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TABLE OF CONTENTSFOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

• For Teachers: 22• For Students: The Role of the Audience 33• Why Do This Production? 44

ABOUT THE STORY & THEMES• The Pitmen Painters Plot 55• Meet the Playwright 66• The Ashington Group 77• The Ashington Group Memebers 88

CONTEXT• Guardian Article Anyone Can Paint by author William Feaver 99• How Art is Defined 1100• Portrait of an Artist 1111• Worksheet of Art 1122• A Life in the Mine 1133 -- 1144• Geography of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne 1155• Dialect Spoken in Newcastle 1166• Guardian Article The Pitmen at the Pictures by playwright Lee Hall 1177 -- 1188

RESOURCES• Resources 1199

• SSTTUUDDEENNTT//SSttuuddeenntt MMaattiinneeee EEvvaalluuttaattiioonn

• TTEEAACCHHEERR//SSttuuddeenntt MMaattiinneeee EEvvaalluuttaattiioonn

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HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDEThis guide is arranged in worksheets. Each worksheet or reading may be used independently or in conjunction with others to serve your educational goals. Together, the worksheets prepare students for the workshops, as well as seeing the student matinee of Pitmen Painters produced by TheatreWorks, and for discussing the performance afterwards.

Throughout the guide you will see several symbols:

Means “PPhhoottooccooppyy MMee!!” Pages with this symbol are meant to be photocopied and handed directly to students.

Means “EEnngglliisshh LLaanngguuaaggee AArrttss.” Pages with this symbol feature lessons that are catered to California State English Language Arts standards.

Means “TThheeaattrree AArrttss..” Pages with this symbol feature lessons that are catered to California State Theatre Arts standards.

Means “SSoocciiaall SSttuuddiieess..” Pages with this symbol feature lessons that are catered to California State Social Studies standards.

FOR TEACHERSThe student matinee performance of The Pitmen Painters will be held on February 8, 2012 beginning at 11:00 am at

the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. The play is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes long, including anintermission. The play will be followed by a discussion with actors from the show.

Students are often the most rewarding and demanding audiences that an acting ensemble can face. Since we hopeevery show at TheatreWorks will be a positive experience for both audience and cast, we ask you to familiarize yourstudents with the theatre etiquette described on the “For Students” page.

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All the work that goes into a production would mean nothing if there wasn’t an audience for whom to perform.As the audience, yyoouu aarree aa ppaarrtt ooff tthhee pprroodduuccttiioonn, helping the actors onstage tell the story.

When the performance is about to begin, the lights will dim. This is a signal for the actors and the audience to putaside concerns and conversation and settle into the world of the play.

TThhee ppeerrffoorrmmeerrss eexxppeecctt tthhee aauuddiieennccee’’ss ffuullll aatttteennttiioonn aanndd ffooccuuss. Performance is a time to think inwardly, not a time toshare your thoughts aloud. Talking to neighbors (even in whispers) carries easily to others in the audience and to theactors on stage. It is disruptive and distracting.

TThheerree iiss nnoo ffoooodd iinn tthhee tthheeaattrree: soda, candy, and other snacks are noisy and, therefore, distracting. Please keep theseitems on the bus or throw them away before you enter the audience area. There are no backpacks in the theatre.

Walking through the aisles during the performance is extremely disruptive. Actors occasionally use aisles and stairwaysas exits and entrances. The actors will notice any movement in the performance space. PPlleeaassee uussee tthhee rreessttrroooomm aannddttaakkee ccaarree ooff aallll ootthheerr ccoonncceerrnnss oouuttssiiddee bbeeffoorree tthhee sshhooww..

AAllll eelleeccttrroonniicc ddeevviicceess sshhoouulldd bbee ttuurrnneedd ooffff bbeeffoorree tthhee ppeerrffoorrmmaannccee bbeeggiinnss. When watch alarms, cell phones, andpagers go off it is very distracting for the actors and the audience. Please do not text during the performance, as it isdistracting to the audience members around you.

WWhhaatt ttoo bbrriinngg wwiitthh yyoouu::IntrospectionCuriosityQuestionsRespectAn open mind

WWhhaatt ttoo lleeaavvee bbeehhiinndd::JudgementsCell phones, etc.BackpacksFoodAttitude

FOR STUDENTSTHE ROLE OF THE AUDIENCE

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One of the qualities I found most appealing about [The Pitmen Painters] is the way theplaywright invites us into a place that most American audiences don’t know muchabout. In this case, the robust, tight-knit community of a mining town in Northern

England. The playwright is Lee Hall, who also wrote Billy Elliot, which is one of my favoritemovies. This play is set in the same area, but many years earlier.

People have asked me whether The Pitmen Painters is a comedy or a drama, and my onlyanswer is this: since it’s a true story, it’s both. A professor named Robert Lyon did come toAshington in 1934 planning to give lectures in art appreciation to a group of miners. Hispresentations had so little resonance for these men that the lectures fell apart almost at onceand he, instead, hit on the idea of having them create paintings themselves as a means tounderstanding the art that they were looking at.

The joy of this story is that the paintings and sculptures they made are marvelous—theyare vibrant and emotional and still exhibited to this day. In art history terms they would beconsidered “folk art” or “outsider art,” but I find that their strength comes from beinginsider art. These men painted from their own lives, whether underground in the mines, athome in the rowhouses of Ashington, in their social clubs, or in their garden allotments.Trust— a sesne of belonging—is a key element in the play The Pitmen Painters. Once a manhas saved your life a mile underground in the pitch dark, you’re not likely to get too upsetwhen he thinks you picked the wrong color green in a painting.

As we are rehearsing this play, it’s a joy to watch this truly remarkable group of actors bringthe pitmen to life before us. And to watch the clash of cultures as they meet a wealthy artcollector and a spunky life model; to watch the professor learn from his pupils and to watchhow creating art on their own terms, for their own purposes, opens the world even wider forthese men.

WHY THIS PRODUCTION?

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By Leslie Martinson, Director

“...to watchhow creatingart on theirown terms,

for their own purposes,opens theworld evenwider for

these men.” —Leslie Martinson,

The Pitman Painters director

THE PITMEN PAINTERS:PLOT SUMMARY

The Pitmen Painters starts in the early 1930s, when a group of working class men from Newcastle-upon-Tyne gettogether to take an art appreciation course. The group consists of Oliver Kilbourn, Harry Wilson, a Young Lad,George Brown, and Jimmy Floyd, many of whom are coal miners. All of the men are determined to become

better enlightened as a unit. They've selected this art appreciation class as their collective means of furtherenriching their lives. Together, they tap the knowledge of teacher Robert Lyon, who quickly dispenses with hisbirds-eye view of Renaissance art history in favor of challenging these men to put their own paint brushes tocanvas.

Much to Lyon's surprise and delight, his painters place enormous thought and care into their individual works,demonstrating a real knack for it. As a team, known collectively as the Ashington Group, they critique each other'sassignments and argue over whether art is in the eye of the beholder or the artist himself. With each picture theypaint and each time they meet to critique each other’s work, the five men are eagerly learning more by viewingrenowned paintings and eventually begin to create their own works of art which catches the eye of the“legitimate” art world.

Inspired by the collective potential of his pupils, Lyon enlists Helen Sutherland, a wealthy patron of the arts, to viewthe paintings. So impressed is Helen with Oliver's promising talent that she offers to pay him a weekly stipend tofurther develop his skills as a true artist. Oliver is faced with the dilemma of whether to pursue this opportunity of alifetime or decline for the the good of the Ashington Group.

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PPlleeaassee bbee aaddvviisseedd tthhaatt tthhiiss ppllaayy ffeeaattuurreess mmaattuurree llaanngguuaaggee aanndd ddiissccuusssseess aadduulltt tthheemmeess..

““YYeess.. AAnndd wwhhaatt ddoo wwee ppaaiinntt,, OOlliivveerr?? MMoommeennttss.. WWee ppaaiinntt tthhoosseelliittttllee,, ttiinnyy mmoommeennttss ooff bbeeiinngg aalliivvee.. OOff lliiffee ppaassssiinngg bbyy.. TTiinnyy tthhiinnggssiinn tthhee ccoorrnneerr ooff aann eeyyee.. TThhaatt''ss wwhhaatt lliiffee rreeaallllyy iiss.. VVeerryy rraarreellyy ddoobbiigg tthhiinnggss hhaappppeenn,, lliiffee iiss aallll tthheessee lliittttllee tthhiinnggss wwhhiicchh aarree lloosstt iinn aammoommeenntt iiff ssoommeebbooddyy ddooeessnn''tt ggeett tthheemm ddoowwnn,, tthhee ffaallll ooff lliigghhtt——tthhee mmaaggiicc ooff bbeeiinngg aalliivvee——aanndd nnoobbooddyy eellssee''llll ddoo tthhaatt——iiff wwee ddiidd--nn’’tt ggeett iitt ddoowwnn iitt''ss aallll ggoonnee......TThhaatt’’ss wwhhyy wwee sshhoouulldd bbee pprroouudd aannddtthhaatt’’ss wwhhyy wwee wwiillll ccoonnttiinnuuee ttoo ddoo wwhhaatt wwee ddoo:: MMaakkiinngg oouurr lliivveessAArrtt bbeeccaauussee,, wweellll,, bbeeccaauussee wwee aarree aalliivvee,, hheerree aanndd nnooww..““

—Harry, The Pitmen Painters

ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss:: Do you doodle? Paint? Draw? Take photos and photoshop them? Why do you shoot films or dance or sing or act?Pair share about what art you create and why you do that particular kind of art work. Create a classroom list of typesof artistic expression and why your classmates participate in those acts of creation.

Discuss this question: is everyone an artist? How? Why? What makes an artist an artist?

LLeeee HHaallllPlaywright

MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT

LLeeee HHaalll was born and raised in Newcastle, England. He was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay of BillyElliot. He won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Book of a Musical for the musical adaptation as wellas the Evening Standard and Olivier Awards for Best Musical. His plays include Cooking With Elvis (nominated

for an Oliver Award), Spoonface Steinberg, and adaptations of The Good Hope, Leonce and Lena, Mother Courage,A Servant to Two Masters, Mr. Puntila and His Man Matti, and The Barber of Seville. He has worked extensively withBBC for both television and radio. Mr. Hall co-wrote a television adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudiceand Wind in the Willows. He also wrote the screenplay for the Steven Spielberg film War Horse (2011) and is work-ing on a stage version of Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

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““II’’mm ffrroomm NNeewwccaassttllee aanndd II rreemmeemmbbeerraallwwaayyss wwaannttiinngg ttoo bbee aa wwrriitteerr,, bbuuttII’’dd nneevveerr mmeett aa mmiiddddllee--ccllaassss ppeerrssoonn..II’’dd nneevveerr mmeett aannyyoonnee wwhhoo wweenntt ttooccoolllleeggee uunnttiill II wwaass aabboouutt eeiigghhtteeeenn,,bbeeccaauussee tthhaatt’’ss nnoott wwhheerree II ccaammee ffrroomm..SSoo ttoo aaccttuuaallllyy bbeeccoommee aa wwrriitteerr wwaasspprreeppoosstteerroouuss.. BBuutt II aallwwaayyss tthhoouugghhtt IIwwoouulldd eenndd uupp iinn tthhee tthheeaattrree aanndd hheerreeII aamm aanndd iitt’’ss aa bbiitt ooff aa ssuurrpprriissee,, ttoo tteellllyyoouu tthhee ttrruutthh..”” —Lee Hall

““TThheerree aarree ttwwoo wwoorrddss tthhaatt ddoonn’’tt ggoo ttooggeetthheerr.. TTwwoo wwoorrddss tthhaatt ddoonn’’tt mmaakkee aannyysseennssee ttooggeetthheerr:: aarrtt aanndd mmiinniinngg......TThhee iinnttrriigguuiinngg tthhiinngg ttoo mmee [[aabboouutt tthheeAAsshhiinnggttoonn GGrroouupp]] iiss tthhaatt tthheeyy ddiiddnn’’tt wwaannttttoo bbeeccoommee ppaaiinntteerrss.. TThheeyy wwaanntteedd ttoorreemmaaiinn mmiinneerrss.. SSoo tthhee ppllaayy iiss aabboouutt tthhiissvveerryy rreeaall ccoonnfflliicctt ooff iiff iitt iiss ppoossssiibbllee ttoo bbee aawwoorrkkiinngg--ccllaassss ppeerrssoonn,, aann oorrddiinnaarryy ppeerrssoonn,,aanndd ssttiillll bbee aann aarrttiisstt.. TThheerreeffoorree,, wwhhaatt iiss aarrttaanndd wwhhoo ddooeess aarrtt bbeelloonngg ttoo??”” —Lee Hall

In October 1934 Robert Lyon, a lecturer atArmstrong College in Newcastle uponTyne, then part of Durham University, was

invited to discuss the possibility of forming anart appreciation class in the district.

Lyon began by showing slides ofMichelangelo's work but had no way oftelling what would be the most suitablecourse to pursue. After a few sticky sessionshe hit on the notion of setting examples,making the class members experiment forthemselves in different techniques, startingwith lino-cutting and progressing to knivesand then brushes. Lyon set subjects weeklyand members would work out what to paintat home and bring the results in to becriticized by the group. It was soon clear thatthe work was fit to be shown and discussed inpublic.

So the second phase began, the classbecame the Group and in 1936 it held its firstexhibition in the Hatton Gallery in ArmstrongCollege, Newcastle. The Group developed itsown impetus and their paintings becameincreasingly Ashington-centred, depictingtheir surroundings and daily lives.

During the 1930s, outsiders became fascinated by what they tended to regard as a rare and admirable exercise inworking men’s art. To the organizers of Mass Observation (a forerunner of market research set up by poets andsociologists) it represented a true development of documentary culture. These men painted their own lives, testified toexperiences that no one else, from trained art backgrounds, could truly understand. When the war came, the menpainted the building of shelters, the arrangements for gas masks, for evacuation, for extra shifts, and Dig for Victory.

After the war, the Group reconstituted itself with a rule book and settled into a new phase. They moved their hut fromLonghorsley to Ashington and erected it on waste ground in Hirst Yard behind the Central Hall. They met weekly, triedsculpture, dabbled in abstraction, but remained basically loyal to the early teachings, that they should expressthemselves by painting what they knew. In the 1970s there was a revival of interest in the Group from outside.Exhibitions in Durham and in the Whitechapel Art Gallery in London brought the paintings to light again. They wereshown in Germany, the Netherlands, and in 1980 were taken to China and shown as the first exhibition from the Westsince the Cultural Revolution. By 1984 the Group no longer functioned. The hut was demolished when the ground rentbecame unaffordable.

from The Ashington Group, http://www.ashingtongroup.co.uk/

THE ASHINGTON GROUPTThhee AAsshhiinnggttoonn GGrroouupp ffiirrsstt ccaammee ttooggeetthheerr aass aa WWoorrkkeerrss EEdduuccaattiioonnaall AAssssoocciiaattiioonn ccllaassss,,tthhaatt,, hhaavviinngg ssttuuddiieedd eevvoolluuttiioonn,, ddeecciiddeedd ttoo ttrryy ssoommeetthhiinngg ddiiffffeerreenntt..

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AA ffuunnnnyy tthhiinngg,, oonnccee yyoouu’’vvee ppaaiinntteedd aa ppiiccttuurree yyoouu ffeeeell iitt’’ss ppaarrtt ooff yyoouurr lliiffee,, yyoouu kknnooww......

—Oliver Kilbourn, artist and member of the Ashington Group

Oliver Kilbourn & Jack Harrison, The Ashington Group Hut, 1982

””WWee rreeaallllyy ddiidd nnoott wwaanntt mmeemmbbeerrss wwhhoo hhaadd aa mmaatteerriiaalliissttiicc aattttiittuuddee ttoo aarrtt,, ssoo aass oollddmmeemmbbeerrss ddiieedd ooffff,, oouurr nnuummbbeerrss ddwwiinnddlleedd.. TThheerree ccoouulldd nneevveerr bbee aannootthheerr AAsshhiinnggttoonnGGrroouupp bbeeccaauussee ssoocciiaall ccoonnddiittiioonnss aarree ssoo ddiiffffeerreenntt nnooww.. TThhee aattmmoosspphheerree iiss ddiiffffeerreennttffrroomm wwhheenn wwee ssttaarrtteedd ooffff.. II ddoonn''tt kknnooww wwhhyy hhaarrddsshhiipp bbrriinnggss oouutt tthhee bbeesstt iinn ppeeoopplleewwhheenn aallll aarree ssuuffffeerriinngg ttooggeetthheerr..””

-Oliver Kilbourn, artist and member of the Ashington Group

George Blessed Leslie Brownrigg Jimmy Floyd

Oliver Kilbourn Fred Laidler George McLean

Len Robinson Harry Wilson Harry Youngs

ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss:: Take a close look at all of the paintings above done by the Ashington Group. What do you notice about them?What did they paint? What did they find important to turn into art? What does their art say about their lives?

While looking at the paintings above, imagine yourself in the Ashington Group’s hut, which was the space wherethey regularly met to paint and discuss their work. What would you paint if you were a member of the group? Whatimportant issues of today do you think are worth portaying in art? What would you want your work to say?

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THE ASHINGTON GROUP MEMBERS

On November 10, 1938, a scripted exchange on the BBC wastransmitted live at teatime from Alexandra Palace. “Good afternoonMr. Wilson,” said the annoucer, Leslie Mitchell. “These pictures of your

group are extraordinarily interesting. Had you painted any pictures beforeyou attended this group, Mr. Wilson?” “No I hadn't.”

Harry Wilson had come down from Northumberland with Robert Lyon,master of painting at King's College, Newcastle, and tutor to the Ashingtonart appreciation class whose paintings had gone on show a few days earlierat the Pioneer Health Centre in Peckham. Having established that Lyonhimself was not an “unprofessional” painter, Mitchell learned that he hadstarted the Ashington men off by lecturing to them. ““AAnndd ddoo yyoouu mmeeaann ttoossaayy tthhaatt aafftteerr lliisstteenniinngg ttoo yyoouurr lleeccttuurreess tthheessee mmeenn bbeeggaann ttoo ppaaiinntt ppiiccttuurreess ffoorrtthheemmsseellvveess??”” ““NNoo,, tthheeyy ppaaiinntteedd ppiiccttuurreess aass eessssaayyss iinn sseellff--eexxpprreessssiioonn,,”” Lyonresponded. ““TThhaatt mmaayy ssoouunndd aa bbiitt hhiigghhbbrrooww,, bbuutt tthhiiss iiss wwhhaatt hhaappppeenneedd.. IInnoorrddeerr tthhaatt tthheeyy mmiigghhtt uunnddeerrssttaanndd wwhhyy aarrttiissttss ppaaiinntteedd,, II ssuupppplliieedd tthheemm wwiitthhmmaatteerriiaallss aanndd ttoolldd tthheemm ttoo ggeett oonn wwiitthh iitt ......””

While a few hundred viewers in the London area may have strained to seeWilson's painting, Committee Meeting and miner Oliver Kilbourn's Foreshift as examples of working men's art—thousands of listeners tuned in on a Monday evening two months later to hear: ““TThhiiss iiss tthhee NNoorrtthheerrnn pprrooggrraammmmee ffrroommNNeewwccaassttllee.. TToonniigghhtt wwee hhaavvee tthhee AAsshhiinnggttoonn GGrroouupp iinn tthhee ssttuuddiioo.. IInn tthheeiirr wwoorrkkiinngg lliivveess tthhee mmeemmbbeerrss aarree mmiinneerrss,,ppeerrhhaappss,, oorr iinnssuurraannccee aaggeennttss;; tthheeyy ffoollllooww oorrddiinnaarryy ooccccuuppaattiioonnss;; bbuutt tthheeyy mmeeeett aass aa ggrroouupp bbeeccaauussee tthheeyy''rree aallllssttrruugggglliinngg ttoo eexxpprreessss tthheemmsseellvveess iinn ddrraawwiinngg,, ppaaiinnttiinngg oorr ssccuullppttuurree.. WWee wwiillll lleeaavvee tthheemm ttoo eexxppllaaiinn tthheemmsseellvveess..””

A character you’ll see in the play called Lyon annouced: “In the broadcast four members--a coalface miner, a collieryjoiner, a colliery blacksmith and a coal order clerk--will talk and then the entire group will discuss a picture painted byone of their members.”

What was perceived as the social reality of life underground—lives revolving around shiftwork, allotments (gardens),kitchens and clubs, appealed to a rising generation of documentary-makers. Social anthropologists calling themselves“Mass Observers,” descended on Ashington with a view to enlisting the group as the painting arm of their “diary dataproject” (a community art project). The group calling themselves ‘Mass Observation’ arranged a debate in in October1938, to discuss the idea that, “Anyone Can Paint.”

The Daily Express reported that “a number of professional artists, intellgencia etc. came from London, mostly to speakagainst the idea that ”anyone can paint.” The motion was carried. A tour over England of the group's"UUnnpprrooffeessssiioonnaallPPaaiinnttiinnggss” followed. To outsiders, from Newcastle and beyond, at that time the Ashington pictures were strange,exotic even, as Lyon realised when he put on a show of them in the fine art department at King's College.

For a few months in 1939, other groups were founded on the idea that "Anyone Can Paint"—in other areas ofEngland. None lasted. World War II could be blamed for that. In Ashington, the group carried on, despite extra shiftsand home guard and air raid duties; aware that the war's impact needed recording, they painted shelters and coastaldefences and wreckage. It seemed that only a pitman (and certainly not Henry Moore, a famous mainstream sculpter)could show the open-air world what this netherworld was really like to be in, both day and night.

“ANYONE CAN PAINT”By William Feaver, author of the book which inspired the creation of the play The Pitmen Painters. The unabridged version of this article first appeared in The Guardian,January 23, 2009.

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Blob, by Jimmy Floyd from the Ashington Group

ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss:: Have you ever wanted to be an artist (visual, performance, or other)? Have you everwanted to do that on a professional level? Who or what has stopped you? Would yourparents support your dream, even if they knew it meant you would not make muchmoney? Would you be content to be an amateur artist? What would stop you frombecoming an artist?

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HOW ART IS DEFINEDTThheerree iiss nnoo oonnee ddeeffiinniittiioonn aanndd yyeett,, nnoott eevveerryytthhiinngg iiss aarrtt.. OOrr iiss iitt??

Anumber of people have asked about the value of addressing aesthetics, the philosophy of art, or the definition ofart. The reasoning is that if it is so difficult to define, it must therefore be ultimately subjective, and each personshould just determine for herself what it is.

Perhaps we all do determine for ourselves the meaning of anything. Because, as in the “tree falling in the forest”example, the meaning does not exist if it does not exist for me personally. I am allowed to define “table” or “chair”any way I wish for myself, but if I hope to communicate with others about tables and chairs, the meaning or definitionmust be shared. And that shared meaning derives from a combination of (a) acquired meanings from those whom wegive credibility and (b) connotations developed from our experiences with tables and chairs.

If there were really no way to define art, there would be no way to determine what is art, and art could be anything.Fortunately, art can be defined, although not succinctly in verbal form, as we might define “table” or “chair.” We learnthe definition indirectly through understanding why works have been labeled art by critics and artists in the past, anddirectly by understanding the perspectives of those critics and artists.

From the standpoint of complete subjectivity, if art can be anything, it is meaningless as a term and essentially art iseverything and nothing. There is nothing that is not art, so everything is art. The term "art" has no shared meaningand has no value in communication, and yet we use it all the time.

By Arthur Dirks, http://webhost.bridgew.edu/adirks/ald/courses/crit/crit_artdef.htm

ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss:: Break off into small groups or pairs and discuss the following questions:

What do you think art is? Is art something that is supposed to please you? Is it supposed to please your friends,your family, the people you respect, the people around you, or no one at all? What do you define as “pleasing art?”

What makes you drawn to a certain painting? Does a good painting have to be hung in a museum or can it befound on the street or in someone’s home? Discuss in your groups or pairs the difference between “good” art and“not good” art.

How do you judge art? Can you judge art? What makes it possible to determine between “good” art and “notgood” art?

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Rembrandt dies in near bankruptcy at age 63, Rubens inwealth and esteem at the same age. Van Gogh, utterlywithout hope that his art will ever be understood, is shot

in the stomach at age 37. Picasso dies an extremely wealthy andis regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. Is the goalof art to make money or can art exist for its own sake?

TThhee CCoonncceepptt:: Artists are a different kind of human, spending anentire lifetime on a quest for meaning, truth, and beauty, thentranslating their feelings and observations of the world into art.

TThhee QQuueessttiioonnss:: What makes an artist so special? Do you thinkthat art can be learned or is it something natural and uniqueliving inside of the artist that no one else has? Do you think thatartists should be trained or create their art in anyway that theyfeel is natural?

TThhee CCoonncceepptt:: Many times, artists can't focus on anything elseother than their art. The Ashington Group was able to workmost of their lives as pitmen in the mines during the day andthen transform into artists at night.

TThhee QQuueessttiioonnss:: Do you think that to be truly considered an artistthat your life must be consumed by the work that you do? Is itpossible to “moonlight” as an artists, where you work one jobduring the day to make a living and provide for yourself andthen do your art on the side, like the Ashington Group?

TThhee CCoonncceepptt:: In most cases, artists trudge through life in a middle-of-the-road existence, deciding to make their artthe way they want to rather than doing it for money. Van Gogh was poor, yet produced in spite of the hellish strain ofnot knowing where the next franc or dollar was coming from. Yet some artists cave in to the fashions of the day,turning out products to meet art market demand. A well-known New York art dealer once said, “If Rembrandt walkedinto my gallery today, I couldn't (translation: 'wouldn't') give him a show.” The “reasoning” behind this absurdstatement was that the dealer already had too many artists (the universal gallery excuse for not taking on seriousartists).

TThhee QQuueessttiioonnss:: If an artist has the opportunity to make money off of his or her art, should they do it? Many peoplemight consider this “selling out,” where the artist has decided not to portray truth and honesty, but rather to do it forthe money. Does this mean that they are still creating art? Are they still considered an artist? What artists, musicians,actors, photographers, or designers do you consider to be true artists? Why? What artists, musicians, actors,photographers, or designers do you consider to be “sell outs?” Why? Are there artists who make true art and money?

TThhee CCoonncceepptt:: There is little doubt that the genuine artist is ahead of his or her time and that most of humanity is atleast a generation behind the greatest artists. The irony and horror, of course, is that, with amazing regularity, theseartists are condemned or ignored out of fear or ignorance and only later is their work appreciated.

TThhee QQuueessttiioonnss:: Do you think all artists are recognized during their lifetime? Why or why not? Just because an artistportrays something in their work, does that necessarily mean it is right or true? Why or why not?

—with selections from The Artist’s Life, by Don Gray

A PORTRAIT OF AN ARTISTDDiissccuussss tthhee ffoolllloowwiinngg ccoonncceeppttss aanndd qquueessttiioonnss aass aa ccllaassss oorr iinn ssmmaallll ggrroouuppss..

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MOMA, http://www.moma.org/modernteachers/lesson.php?lesson

Many artists tend to catalogue ideas, experiences, and dreams in theirjournals and various other writings. It’s not often that an artist sticks toone medium, but instead, uses a number of different ones to expresshis or her thoughts and feelings.

Do a quick write: compose a narrative of a trip from beginning to end,including as much visual information and description (such as sounds,smells, and feelings) as possible. Afterward, translate your experiencesinto three sequential drawings and give the series a title. Break upinto pairs and share your work with another one of your classmates.What did you do that was similar? What was different? What do youwant to know more about from their narrative?

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WORKSHEET OF ART

CCooaall wwaass oonnccee tthhee lliiffeebblloooodd ooff iinndduussttrryy aanndd aa kkeeyy ppaarrtt ooff lliiffee iinn tthhee NNoorrtthh EEaasstt ooff EEnnggllaanndd.. CCooaallwwaass kkiinngg,, aanndd iitt ffuueelllleedd iinndduussttrriieess lliikkee sstteeeell aanndd hheeaavvyy eennggiinneeeerriinngg..

At its peak in 1913, the Great North Coalfield employed almost ¼million men, producing over 56 million tons of coal every year fromabout 400 pits. The North East produced a quarter of Britain's coal

in 1913, and was heavily dependent on 'carboniferous capitalism.'

AA DDaannggeerroouuss PPrrooffeessssiioonn

Mining was a dangerous profession with terrible working conditionsespecially in the early 19th century. In the early days the miners usedhand picks, and conditions were cramped with little health and safetyprovision. There were hazards and dangers everywhere from explosions,fires, and roof falls, to suffocating gases and flooding. Miners labouredin cramped conditions and some like the one in the photographopposite developed bandy legs.

There were many disasters such as the West Stanley Pit Disaster in 1909in which 160 men were killed. The whole mine shook from twodevastating blasts caused by illegal lamps. The funerals of the victimswere terrible with many of the men being buried in trenches. 59 of thevictims were under 20 years of age. Their families received minimalcompensation. During the 1920s there were several miners' strikes. In1926 the miners were starved back to work. Pit owners controlled manyof the colliery houses and during times of strike they employed'candymen' to put the families of striking miners out onto the streets.Conditions improved with nationalization in 1947, but many minerscontinued to suffer from health problems such as lung conditions.

PPiitt VViillllaaggeess

Many towns such as Seaham Harbour, Easington Village, Bedlington, andAshington owed their existence to coal, and mining was the focus for thewhole community. Engine houses and their wheels dominated theskylines of the pit villages. The communities were close-knit with theirown social clubs, community facilities and brass bands. A common sightwere the pit cottages. Pits were often isolated, and the homes were builtnear them. A typical collier's cottage consisted of two to four rooms andsometimes had a pitman's garden nearby. Coal was moved from thepithead by railway. Many collieries had their own systems with linesconnecting to the main rail network. ((ccoonntt’’dd..))

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A LIFE IN THE MINE

““AA kkeeyy ffaaccttoorr iinn oouurr lloonngg lliiffee,, II tthhiinnkk,, wwaass tthhee ffaacctt tthhaatt wwee wweerree nneevveerr aa

ccoommmmeerrcciiaall ggrroouupp bbuutt pprreesseerrvveedd oouurr iiddeeaalliissmm.. WWee tthhoouugghhtt wwee wweerree

ddooiinngg ssoommeetthhiinngg tthhaatt nnoo oonnee eellssee ccoouulldd ddoo.. WWee wweerree ddeeppiiccttiinngg aa wwaayy ooff

lliiffee bbootthh bbeellooww aanndd aabboovvee ggrroouunndd iinn aa mmiinniinngg vviillllaaggee tthhaatt oonnllyy wwee kknneeww

bbyy eexxppeerriieenncciinngg iitt.. LLiiffee ggooeess oonn aanndd wwee ppaaiinntt lliiffee..””—Oliver Kilbourn, artist and member of the Ashington Group

NNoott JJuusstt PPaaiinnttiinnggss

Great disasters have always moved men andwomen to put pen to paper and express thethoughts and feelings and those of others in verse.

The Victorian mining disasters are rich sources ofthis verse. Much of it was anonymous and itexpressed the feelings of the family for their lovedone and much of it appeared on the remembrancecards that were fashionable at the time. Otherpoems appeared as the 'Penny Ballads' that werequickly written after a disaster and sold for onepenny in aid of the dependants of the victims ofthe disaster.

All the poems record the sense of loss that thecalamity brought on the loss of a communitylosing many of its menfolk, the plight of those leftbehind who now had no breadwinner. Somerecord the heroic efforts that were made by theirfellow workmen to rescue them or, in many cases,their bodies.

The verses are no great works of literature butthey all reflect the feelings and thoughts of miningpeople, written from the heart and they stand as atrue record of the folk heritage of the coal miningareas of Great Britain.

from The Coalmining History resource center,http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/literature/poetry/senghenyyd.html

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ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss:: The poem above was written after The Senghenyyd Pit Disaster, in Cardiff on October 15th,1913, which was said to bethe most devastating explosion in the British coalfields.

Break off into groups or pairs and read the poem together. Discuss what jobs today are considered hazardous. Whoworks these jobs? What industries require people to put their lives at risk? Think about one of these occupations andwrite a ten line write a poem that describes the dangers, threats, and tragedies that come with this line of work.Perform it for the class.

God our help, to thee we come,In this dire hour of need,For broken hearts in sore distress,And homes bereaved we plead.Distress and grim death we see,And lips are stricken dumb,Because the wives and children wantFor those who ne’er come.Let mercy come with pity eyeTo ease the sufferers pain,And may they see affliction soreOft brings eternal gain.All honour to the fearless men,To whom so much we owe,You bring us comfort, light and warmth,Through winter's frost and snow.Our lives of industry and wealthThe ships which sail the seas,Remind us daily of the debtWe owe to men like these.Let wealth and labour, love and cheer,Unite to give relief,And may we know the joy which comes,In sharing others grief. —Mining Poem, 1913

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne is a city andmetropolitan borough of Tyne andWear, in North East England.

Historically a part of Northumberland, it issituated on the north bank of the RiverTyne. The regional nickname for peoplefrom Newcastle and the surrounding area isGeordie.

The city grew as an important center for thewool trade and it later became a major coalmining area. The port developed in the16th century and, along with the shipyardslower down the river, was amongst theworld's largest shipbuilding and ship-repairing centers. These industrieshave since experienced severe decline and closure.

Many times there is a tendency to think that anytime a story is set in England or a big historicalevent has taken place in the country that it occursin London, but that’s not always the case. Lee Hallwanted to tell the story of the Ashington Groupnot only because he grew up in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, but he also wanted to pay homage to thelocal artists who worked in the mines, with thelight coming out of their heads all day underneaththe earth, and how they continued to have a lightshine brightly from their heads even after they hadremerged to the surface.

Just in the way Modesto, California is situatedoutside of San Francisco and comes with a verydifferent landscape and culture, so too doesNewcastle-Upon-Tyne, with its working classlegacy and unique way of representing itself, standout as a place that is both English and Geordie;blue collared and artistic; and a part of the UnitedKingdom and a place like no other.

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THE GEOGRAPHY OFNEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, UK

ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss:: Imagine that you are reviewing an art gallery with artists from all over the state of California.Would you favor artists from San Francisco and Los Angeles over artists from Modesto,Bakersfield, El Centro, or Gillroy? Does where an artist come from have any weight on thequality of art they create?

THE NEWCASTLE DIALECT

The dialect of Newcastle is known as Geordie, and contains alarge amount of vocabulary and distinctive word pronunciations not used in other parts of the United Kingdom.

The Geordie dialect has much of its origins in the languagespoken by the Anglo-Saxon populations who migrated to andconquered much of England after the end of Roman Imperial rule.

This language was the forerunner of Modern English; but whilethe dialects of other English regions have been heavily altered bythe influences of other foreign languages—particularly Latin andNorman French—the Geordie dialect retains many elements of theold language. In a newspaper survey, the Geordie accent wasfound to be the “most attractive in England.”

An example of this is the pronunciation of certain words:

“dead,” “cow,” “house” and ”strong” are pronounced “dede,” “coo,” “hoos” and “strang”—which is how they werepronounced in the Anglo-Saxon language.

Other Geordie words with Anglo-Saxon origins, with origins inScandinavia as well, include:

““llaarrnn”” ffoorr ““tteeaacchh”” ““bbuurrnn”” ffoorr ““ssttrreeaamm”” ““ggaann”” ffoorr ““ggoo””““bbaaiirrnn”” ffoorr ““cchhiilldd””““hhyyeemm”” ffoorr ““hhoommee””

Geordie vocabulary that appears to be used in Scottish dialectincludes:

““bboonnnnyy”” mmeeaanniinngg ““pprreettttyy”” ““hhoowwaayy”” mmeeaanniinngg ““ccoommee oonn””““ssttoott”” mmeeaanniinngg ““bboouunnccee””““hhaaddaawwaayy”” mmeeaanniinngg ““ggoo aawwaayy”” oorr ““yyoouu''rree kkiiddddiinngg”” ““aayyee”” mmeeaanniinngg ““yyeess””

Many words, however, appear to be used exclusively in Newcastle and the surrounding area, such as:

““ccaannnnyy”” aa vveerrssaattiillee wwoorrdd mmeeaanniinngg ““ggoooodd,,”” ““nniiccee,,”” oorr ““vveerryy”” ““bbaaiitt”” mmeeaanniinngg ””ffoooodd”” ““hhaacckkyy”” mmeeaanniinngg ““ddiirrttyy”” ““nneettttyy”” mmeeaanniinngg ““ttooiilleett”” ““hhooyy”” mmeeaanniinngg ““tthhrrooww””““hhoocckkllee”” mmeeaanniinngg ““ssppiitt””

TThhee aacccceenntt tthhaatt ccoommeess oouutt ooff tthhee NNeewwccaassttllee rreeggiioonn ooff tthhee UUnniitteedd KKiinnggddoomm iiss uunniiqquuee aanndd vveerryyddiiffffeerreenntt ffrroomm aa BBrriittiisshh oorr SSccoottttiisshh aacccceenntt tthhaatt iiss ttyyppiiccaallllyy hheeaarrdd tthhrroouugghhoouutt tthhee rreeggiioonn..

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ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss:: Using at least five of the Geordie words tothe left, write an original poem, rhyme, ordialogue. Read your work to another personand have them write down what they thinkyour poem, rhyme, or dialogue is about.

PITMEN AT THE PICTURESBByy TThhee PPiittmmeenn PPaaiinntteerrss PPllaayywwrriigghhtt LLeeee HHaallll,, aabbrriiddggeedd ffrroomm iittss ffiirrsstt ppuubblliiccaattiioonn iinn TThhee GGuuaarrddiiaann,, SSeepptteemmbbeerr,, 22000099

The most likely candidate for the real-life Old King Cole seems to be Coel Hen, the king of the Brythonic-speakingpeoples of northern Britain in the days of the Roman withdrawal. Coal mining in Britain started in the Roman eraand has profoundly shaped the history of our nation ever since.

King Coal, in the animated form he took in the 1948 National Coal Board film of that title, presides over the BritishFilm Institutes's (BFI) major retrospective of its extraordinary archive of mining films. As much as these films are aboutcoal, they are also about the nation's soul. At present, Old King Coal is looking down benignly on me: my plays ThePitmen Painters and Billy Elliot are running concurrently in London, and soon will be side by side on Broadway. Thatthere is such an appetite to re-examine the legacy of an industry all but wiped out in a generation is a riposte to theorthodoxy that no one is interested in class, heavy industry, and the progressive politics that informed so much of thatindustry's culture.

One of the most intriguing results of the defeat of the 1984 struggle to save the industry was the cultural cleansingthat followed. The notion that the battle was an ideological rather than an economic one seems to have beenconceded on all sides. The vision of the new "modern" Britain, where we make money out of money rather than

"uneconomic" old-fashioned labour, has been foundparticularly wanting. The irony that it has cost us around 36billion pounds to dismantle a publicly owned industry while aLabour government spends billions shoring up bankruptprivate finance is particularly bitter. But what must be obviousto any interested observer is how determinedly the imagerythat once dominated our imagination has so quicklydisappeared.

Crucially, what has been unpicked by out-sourcing the dirtywork and grassing over our common history is a civic narrativeabout class and economics that all the films in the series--whether from left or right--subscribe to. From the very earliestfilms, such as A Day in the Life of a Coal Miner, made in 1910,the hard graft of the miner is linked to the warmth of abourgeois hearth. To the modern eye it seems a radicalgesture in what is a straightforward documentary about work.

The films sign up to the notion that we are all intimately invested in how our energy is produced--our prosperity as anation is tied up in renewing this system both in terms of efficiency and social justice. Hiding away the dirty work iscrucial in maintaining the charade that we are more free under freewheeling capitalism. Unpicking the chain of causeand effect--removing images of it from the popular imagination--allows the calamitous notion that the free marketmight provide room to breathe for our collective interests. Instead the "common sense" of these films is that ourcommon interests will be served by understanding the intimate connections we have with each other--that ourresources, human and mineral, are part of a common wealth. ((ccoonntt’’dd..))

WWhheenn ppllaayywwrriigghhtt LLeeee HHaallll wwaass ssccoouuttiinngg llooccaattiioonnss ffoorr BBiillllyy EElllliioott,, hheewwaass sshhoocckkeedd aatt hhooww qquuiicckkllyy tthhee vviissiibbllee ssiiggnnss ooff mmiinniinngg hhaaddddiissaappppeeaarreedd.. FFoorrttuunnaatteellyy,, tthhee iinndduussttrryy''ss ccuullttuurree iiss pprreesseerrvveedd iinn ffiillmmss,,wwhhiicchh tteellll uuss aass mmuucchh aabboouutt tthhee nnaattiioonn''ss ssoouull aass aabboouutt ccooaall..

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ccoonnnneeccttiioonnss::Who do we see portrayed in movies, television shows, and plays today? What industry isglamorized? What industry does not get the spotlight? Why do you think this happens?

Many of the images in the season challenge our receivedopinions, and show a reality at odds with the clichéd imageryof a stolid, male, philistine, white working-class world. Theearliest film, showing miners leaving Pendlebury Colliery in1901, gives us a glimpse of a black miner. A Day in the Life ofa Coal Miner focuses on the women who work at the surface.

This back-breaking work recalls Millet's The Gleaners, andreminds us how seldom women's work in the industry isrepresented. I was delighted to find a film from 1949 of theWorkers Educational Association group of Ashington minerswho are the subject of The Pitmen Painters. And even moreamazed by another film, Balletomines, which celebrates areal-life group of miners who, in the 1940s, donned tutus andperformed Coppélia, to the delight of their Yorkshirecomrades.

These films are even more remarkable for being made by theCoal Board itself. The NCB film unit was set up in 1947 andmade its own films right up until the 1980s. At their peak theMining Review films were shown in 700 cinemas across Britainon a monthly basis.

What emerges is a vast social project to transform Britain.Culture, and therefore these films, were at the heart of abattleground for Britain's future that involved all classes. Thepresiding image of these films is a joined-up Britain: how thelabour of one person serves the liberation of another. Sadly, itis a vision of a Britain long gone. Yet rather than seeming oldfashioned or nostalgic, this vision seems remarkably grownup. The complications of our civic and political life are notskipped over; the films examine the complexities of providingfor the prosperity of a democracy without short-changing us.

Seventy five percent of our coal reserves are still down there, and a third of all our power still comes from coal--it's just mostly shipped in from abroad. (There's a huge heap of it on the banks of the Tyne, brought in fromUkraine.) Who knows if the industry is really gone for good? But let's hope the good sense of these films doesnot die, or we will all be much the poorer.

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““AAss ssoooonn aass tthhee ppiittss ssttaarrtteedd cclloossiinngg aallll eevviiddeennccee ooff tthheeiirreexxiisstteennccee wwaass eerraasseedd.. II rreemmeemmbbeerr ddrriivviinngg aarroouunndd tthheeDDuurrhhaamm ccooaallffiieelldd ttrryyiinngg ttoo ffiinndd llooccaattiioonnss ffoorr tthhee mmoovviiee ooffBBiillllyy EElllliioott,, ddeessppeerraattee ttoo ggeett aa gglliimmppssee ooff aann aarrcchheettyyppaallwwiinnddiinngg ggeeaarr,, aanndd sshhoocckkeedd ttoo ffiinndd tthheeyy''dd aallll bbeeeenn kknnoocckkeeddddoowwnn..””—Lee Hall, Playwright, The Pitmen Painters

RESOURCES PAGE

“Anyone Can Paint,” The Guardian. Web. January 24, 2009<http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/jan/24/pitmen-painters-national-theatre>

“Pitmen In The Pictures,” The Guardian. Web. September 12, 2009<http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/sep/12/pitmen-mining-industry-film?INTCMP=SRCH>

“The Pitmen Painters”, The Mahattan Theatre Club. Web.<http://www.mtc-nyc.org/current-season/pitmenpainters/theashingtongroup.asp?

“The Ashington Group,” The Ashington Group, Official Website. Web.<http://www.ashingtongroup.co.uk/exhibition.html>

Photo: “The Ashington Group, 1982.” Mik Critchlow. Web.<http://www.mikcritchlow.co.uk/photo_2722921.html#photos_id=2722921>

“Life In The Mine” British Broadcasting Corporation. Web.<http://www.bbc.co.uk/nationonfilm/topics/coal-mining/background.shtml>

The Coalmining Historical Resource Center. Web.<http://www.cmhrc.co.uk/site/literature/poetry/senghenyyd.html

“Worksheet of Art” Museum of Modern Art. Web.<http://www.moma.org/modernteachers/lesson.php?lessonID=11>

“How Art Is Defined,” Arthur Dirks. Web.<http://webhost.bridgew.edu/adirks/ald/courses/crit/crit_artdef.htm>

“The Artist’s Life,” Don Gray. Web. 1994.<http://www.jessieevans-dongray.com/essays/essay008.html>

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Student Matinees/ STUDENT Feedback

Name____________________________________Grade_____________School_________________________________________

Performance Tasks based CA State theatre arts standards

Select and complete one of the following activities:

1. Rewrite the ending of the play. How would you like to see it end? Why?

2. Pick a moment in the play that affected you. Describe the stage elements that created that moment for you (the script, acting, lighting, music, costumes, set design, sound design, and/or direction).

3. Write a review of the play or an actor.

4. Describe something you would change in the production. Describe what benefit that change create in the production and why.

5. Identify and describe how this production might affect the values and behavior of the audience members who have seen it.

6. Write about any careers you learned about in attending this production. (example: stage hands, set designers, actors, etc.)

Assessment Survey

No Maybe Yes Really Yes

I learned a lot from this experience 1 2 3 4

I would like to do this sort of project again 1 2 3 4

I will remember what I learned 1 2 3 4

pg. 1, STUDENT Matinee Evaluation/Student

STUDENT evaluation (cont)

FFiinniisshh tthhee ffoolllloowwiinngg ssttaatteemmeennttss::

The most important thing I learned from this play was:

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Besides getting out of school, the best thing about attending this student matinee is:____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Learning through the theatre is different from my regular class because:

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If I could change something about attending a student matinee, I would:

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I'm going to use what I learned, saw, or experienced by:

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STUDENT Matinee Evaluation/Student, pg. 2

SSttuuddeenntt MMaattiinneeee//TTEEAACCHHEERR EEvvaalluuaattiioonn

Name_____________________________________________________________________School___________________________

Please rate your Student Matinee experience below:

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly AgreePPllaannnniinnggI received sufficient and timely information 1 2 3 4from TheatreWorks before the matinee

TheatreWorks maintained communication with 1 2 3 4me and/or involved administrators at my school

It was clear to me that the production and study 1 2 3 4guide incorporated curriculum standards

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly AgreeMMaattiinneeee WWoorrkksshhooppss……Supported other curriculum areas/subjects 1 2 3 4

Targeted students' educational needs 1 2 3 4

Provided a grade-appropriate experience 1 2 3 4

Engaged students' interest and attention 1 2 3 4

I would like to learn how to lead more of these 1 2 3 4kinds of activities on my own in the classroom

Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly AgreePPoosstt--MMaattiinneeeeStudents were engaged in this experience 1 2 3 4

The experience was valuable to my students' 1 2 3 4education.

The "Performance Tasks" were useful in helping 1 2 3 4 my students understand their experience

I would be interested in bringing more drama 1 2 3 4related activities into my classroom

Pg 1, TEACHER assessment/student matinee

TEACHER Evaluation (cont’d.)

For your classrooms please list the strengths of watching a student matinee:

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In terms of your teaching, did this particular Student Matinee give you any arts integration ideasfor your curriculum:_________________________________________________________________________________________

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We are very interested in your feedback , what worked for you about this experience? _________________________________________________________________________________________

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What did not work for you?_________________________________________________________________________________________

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TThheeaattrreeWWoorrkkss ssttuuddeenntt mmaattiinneeeess tteenndd ttoo ffiillll uupp qquuiicckkllyy,, ssoo kkeeeepp aann eeyyee oouutt ffoorr nneexxtt yyeeaarr''ss sseelleeccttiioonnssaanndd bbooookk yyoouurr ttiicckkeettss bbeeffoorree iitt''ss ttoooo llaattee!! IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn aabboouutt nneexxtt sseeaassoonn wwiillll bbee aavvaaiillaabbllee bbyy MMaarrcchh11sstt.. KKeeeepp uuss uuppddaatteedd wwiitthh yyoouurr ccuurrrreenntt ccoonnttaacctt iinnffoorrmmaattiioonn,, aanndd lleett uuss kknnooww iiff yyoouu hhaavvee ffrriieennddsswwhhoo wwoouulldd lliikkee ttoo bbee aaddddeedd ttoo oouurr mmaaiilliinngg lliissttss..

TEACHER assessment/student matinee, Pg 2