What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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10 WHAT'S UP! OCTOBER 11-17, 2020 Online Update Artists share successful 'pivoting' LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette S ince March, we've talked a lot about artists and arts organizations "pivoting" in the face of a global pandemic — and, in fact, artists in Northwest Arkansas have proven to be quite adept at finding ways to stay connected with the community while many are staying home. We asked them to let us know what online and virtual programming they've helped create — as well as what programming created by others they've been enjoying for the past six months. This is Part 2 of a three-part series. Morgan Hicks Morgan Hicks wears a lot of hats in the arts community of Northwest Arkansas: she's a co-founder of TheatreSquared and serves as the director of education and program development there; is an assistant professor of theater at the University of Arkansas; and is a board member (and former executive director) of the Fayetteville Film Fest. My Online Projects: When schools started closing in March, TheatreSquared's education department was immediately alerted that the teachers in our region needed some help. Almost overnight, we responded with our "Play On" series, a series of daily videos (a total of 30) that featured jobs in the theater, backstage tours, hands-on activities and tutorials for teachers. We were learning as we went, like everyone else, that virtual delivery may be around for a while and that we needed to do everything that we could to support the amazing teachers in our region who were doing their best to provide for the educational and emotional needs of their students during a crisis. We were also discovering so much about the opportunities that virtual theater had to offer. After a very short period of confusion — "how do you even teach something like acting through a computer??" — we were able to explore all the ways that humans can still connect, be creative and grow in their craft. We had an amazing summer of programming where, through a generous grant from the Arkansas Community Foundation, we were able to offer free camps for dozens and dozens of students and a virtual version of the TheatreSquared Professional Development Institute where we worked with 23 secondary teachers to help them prepare for the specific challenges this year would likely bring. We found in the camps that the students were not only as engaged as they always are for in-person programs, but they were even more excited about the opportunity to collaborate with their peers and commit to creative projects that were such a change from their typical routine in quarantine. We were able to explore Zoom technology to create a filmed version of "Macbeth" that we have been able to use as a case study with hundreds of teachers in Arkansas to help them As executive director of both the Young Actors Guild and Pilot Arts, Missy Gipson stays busy bringing theater opportunities to the Northwest Arkansas area. (NWA Democrat-Gazette File Photo/Charlie Kaijo) Morgan Hicks has taken much of T2's educational programming online since March. (Courtesy Image) GO ONLINE! Artists At Work Find Morgan Hicks' projects at theatre2.org. Find Missy Gipson's projects at weareyag.com and pilotarts. org. Find Katy Henricksen's projects at trilliumsalonseries.com and on Apple podcasts. See Artists Page 38 ROUNDUP