Dunbar

Background

The inspiration for The Dunbar Project and Ujima’s emphasis on theatre training for children and teens begins with …And Bid Him Sing, a play written by Lorna C. Hill. Based on the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, and set in 1890 to 1900, it premiered in 1980 and has evolved significantly over the past 21 years. Its ten performances between 1990 and the present establish it as Buffalo’s only African American theatrical tradition. The number of participating young people, ranging in age from three to eighteen, has multiplied from five student actors in 1990 to over 30 student actors and technicians in 2001. The need for training, in addition to rehearsal, and the limited opportunities for young African Americans to learn and experience their rich heritage in the performing arts became increasingly apparent over the years. The Dunbar Project is Ujima's attempt to meet this need.

The Dunbar Project

African American theatre is well positioned to help address many of the cultural and social issues affecting the black community. Many of the programs focusing on black youth track the risks, deficits, and health compromising behaviors that are to be prevented. Ujima believes that such programs are addressing only a part of the issue. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on developing the experiences, resources, and opportunities that are to be promoted. African America once enjoyed a rich oral tradition, tracking its roots through centuries of life in America and maintaining a sense of “connectedness” with its past. To be “connected” is to be engaged, to belong, to be known and affirmed, to have a certain permanence in relationships, to be valued, and to be empowered to contribute. It is Ujima's experience that young people love the theatre and enjoy all levels of participation when given the opportunity. The Dunbar Project helps build and strengthen these connections in children and teens by providing workshops in the following areas:

• Acting and scene work - scenes and monologues are developed by the student, assisted by the Acting Teacher, focussing on the strengths of the individual and the historical connections between the performer and the character.

• Dance - African, Carribbean and African American Dance of the 20th century is taught with a focus on the meaning of the dance and how it reflects the social and spiritual needs of the community that created it.

• Music - African American Spirituals (aka negro spirituals) and African American music of the 20th century is taught with an emphasis on its purpose and its dramatic content.

• Creation and Performance - storytelling and creating performance pieces that reflect the experiences and values of African Americans

Recent and Current Activities

This year, students interested in performance and/or technical theatre began training in March of 2001. Forty students were enrolled in the program and thirty participated in the culminating event, this season's presentation of …And Bid Him Sing, in June. The total of cast and crew members was fifty-five and included adult amateurs and professionals. Four hundred and fifty friends and family members attended the performances. We believe that the activities these students and their families participate in have served as catalysts for them to regard theatre as accessible to them personally, a deeply meaningful form of entertainment, an exciting means of education and as significant to the preservation of their culture.

Due to the support of The Children’s Foundation, the first official class of The Dunbar Project began training in July of 2001. The Dunbar Project students performed in The Green Pastures by Marc Connelly,which opened Ujima's 2001-2002 season.

Participants
We intend to maintain a student teacher ratio of 10 to 1. It is our experience that children are less likely to exhibit inappropriate behavior when they are assured of love and attention. They also learn faster and exhibit greater curiosity when they are addressed as individuals. Acceptance into the project is based on audition, the quality of prior experience and recommendations by professionals in the field.

Goals

The quantitative proof-of-the-pudding, for a project such as this, is the longevity of participation on the part of the students. The Dunbar Project is meant to be a life enhancing, possibly life altering, experience. We will measure our success by the number of participants who remain in the program for longer than one year and meet the basic requirements for "membership". The requirement for membership will be active participation for some percentage of workshop and performance dates. The details will be discussed and agreed upon with the participants and regarded as a verbal contract.

We anticipate that continued development of this program will result in a larger talent pool of African American performers and an ever widening African American audience. It is our hope that the Dunbar children will continue to find a home and a safe place at Ujima Company and develop, in that laboratory, a sense of self and possibility that exceeds all expectations and places them in a continuum of genius that will provide them with a well of positive self-images and purpose for the rest of their lives. We expect the participants to manifest an increased commitment to creative expression and invention; scholarly pursuit; nonviolence as a way of life; and service to the beloved community.


		THE DUNBAR PROJECT Ujima Company, Inc.
			Background The inspiration for The Dunbar Project and Ujima’s emphasis on theatre training for children and teens begins with …And Bid Him Sing, a play written by Lorna C. Hill. Based on the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar, and set in 1890 to 1900, it premiered in 1980 and has evolved significantly over the past 21 years. Its ten performances between 1990 and the present establish it as Buffalo’s only African American theatrical tradition. The number of participating young people, ranging in age from three to eighteen, has multiplied from five student actors in 1990 to over 30 student actors and technicians in 2001. The need for training, in addition to rehearsal, and the limited opportunities for young African Americans to learn and experience their rich heritage in the performing arts became increasingly apparent over the years. The Dunbar Project is Ujima's attempt to meet this need. The Dunbar Project African American theatre is well positioned to help address many of the cultural and social issues affecting the black community. Many of the programs focusing on black youth track the risks, deficits, and health compromising behaviors that are to be prevented. Ujima believes that such programs are addressing only a part of the issue. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on developing the experiences, resources, and opportunities that are to be promoted. African America once enjoyed a rich oral tradition, tracking its roots through centuries of life in America and maintaining a sense of “connectedness” with its past. To be “connected” is to be engaged, to belong, to be known and affirmed, to have a certain permanence in relationships, to be valued, and to be empowered to contribute. It is Ujima's experience that young people love the theatre and enjoy all levels of participation when given the opportunity. The Dunbar Project helps build and strengthen these connections in children and teens by providing workshops in the following areas: • Acting and scene work - scenes and monologues are developed by the student, assisted by the Acting Teacher, focussing on the strengths of the individual and the historical connections between the performer and the character. • Dance - African, Carribbean and African American Dance of the 20th century is taught with a focus on the meaning of the dance and how it reflects the social and spiritual needs of the community that created it. • Music - African American Spirituals (aka negro spirituals) and African American music of the 20th century is taught with an emphasis on its purpose and its dramatic content. • Creation and Performance - storytelling and creating performance pieces that reflect the experiences and values of African Americans Recent and Current Activities This year, students interested in performance and/or technical theatre began training in March of 2001. Forty students were enrolled in the program and thirty participated in the culminating event, this season's presentation of …And Bid Him Sing, in June. The total of cast and crew members was fifty-five and included adult amateurs and professionals. Four hundred and fifty friends and family members attended the performances. We believe that the activities these students and their families participate in have served as catalysts for them to regard theatre as accessible to them personally, a deeply meaningful form of entertainment, an exciting means of education and as significant to the preservation of their culture. Due to the support of The Children’s Foundation, the first official class of The Dunbar Project began training in July of 2001. The Dunbar Project students performed in The Green Pastures by Marc Connelly,which opened Ujima's 2001-2002 season. Participants We intend to maintain a student teacher ratio of 10 to 1. It is our experience that children are less likely to exhibit inappropriate behavior when they are assured of love and attention. They also learn faster and exhibit greater curiosity when they are addressed as individuals. Acceptance into the project is based on audition, the quality of prior experience and recommendations by professionals in the field. Goals The quantitative proof-of-the-pudding, for a project such as this, is the longevity of participation on the part of the students. The Dunbar Project is meant to be a life enhancing, possibly life altering, experience. We will measure our success by the number of participants who remain in the program for longer than one year and meet the basic requirements for "membership". The requirement for membership will be active participation for some percentage of workshop and performance dates. The details will be discussed and agreed upon with the participants and regarded as a verbal contract. We anticipate that continued development of this program will result in a larger talent pool of African American performers and an ever widening African American audience. It is our hope that the Dunbar children will continue to find a home and a safe place at Ujima Company and develop, in that laboratory, a sense of self and possibility that exceeds all expectations and places them in a continuum of genius that will provide them with a well of positive self-images and purpose for the rest of their lives. We expect the participants to manifest an increased commitment to creative expression and invention; scholarly pursuit; nonviolence as a way of life; and service to the beloved community.