The SUNY Oswego Theatre Department is set to host a transformative experience for students by two guest artists from the renowned Tectonic Theater Project from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1.
Teaching artists Amy Marie Seidel and Brandon Anderson will lead students in a weekend-long training session in Moment Work, the company’s devising technique that fostered Tectonic’s landmark works including the 2024 Play Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize "Here There Are Blueberries," and the sentinel play "The Laramie Project," which SUNY Oswego Theatre is producing this fall in Tyler Hall’s Waterman Theatre from Oct. 16 to 20.
This long-form workshop offers an unparalleled opportunity for students to delve into the art of devising narratives for stage and screen with experts at the forefront of contemporary theater. During the intensive three-day workshop, students will explore the principles of Moment Work, a method celebrated for its dynamic and collaborative approach to creating theatre.
Whether a student is interested in acting, designing, directing, writing, researching or producing, the collective experience of working with these artists is set to be inspiring, organizers said, as participating students will gain insight into the creative processes that have shaped some of the most groundbreaking productions in recent theatrical history.
The training session will culminate in a showing of the student created work at 2 p.m, on Sunday, Sept. 1, in the Tyler Hall Lab Theatre. This public showing is open to all members of the campus and greater Oswego community.
"We are thrilled to collaborate with Tectonic Theater Project and welcome their talented artists to our campus," said theatre faculty member Steven Mazzoccone. "This workshop represents a unique and necessary opportunity for our students to learn directly from industry leaders, and it underscores SUNY Oswego’s commitment to fostering innovation and excellence in the arts.”
The partnership between SUNY Oswego Theatre and Tectonic Theater Project will continue into the fall semester when head writer for "The Laramie Project" and chair of Tectonic’s Moment Work Institute, Leigh Fondakowski, will visit as a guest speaker at a community talkback after SUNY Oswego’s performance of the play on Friday, Oct. 18. Fondakowski will also join the cast and production team for a rehearsal prior to the show’s opening.
This partnership, training session and hosting of the guest artists are all supported in part by the Student Arts Fee, administered by ARTSwego and by the SUNY Oswego Theatre Department.
Students interested in participating in the training session with Tectonic can sign up using this Google Form.
All interested students are welcome to sign up and add this experience to their professional resume.
- For more information about Tectonic Theater Project, visit www.tectonictheaterproject.org.
- For more about Moment Work, visit www.momentwork.org.
- For more information about SUNY Oswego Theatre, visit www.oswego.edu/theatre.
-- Submitted by the Theatre Department