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NOVEMBER 2007 ■ EDUCATION UPDATE ■ COLLEGES & GRADuate Schools19New Actors & New Writers BringWords to Life for StudentsBy Lisa K. WinklerArriving at the 22nd floor of an industrialbuilding off 8th Ave, a few blocks up from PennStation, you wouldn’t expect to find a 50-seatblack box theater. A class of male high schoolstudents, about to attend a performance, was alsosurprised.Currently offering nine titles, the AmericanPlace Theatre’s “Literature to Life” program presentsan actor playing multiple roles, and deliversverbatim adaptations of the writers’ works. Itdoesn’t matter if students have read the book.“We cheer anything,” executive director, DavidKener told Education Update at the theater.“Students can say, ‘I’ve read part of it, I’ve readnone of it, I’ve never heard of it or it’s my favoritebook of all time. We take great writing, combineit with great acting, and bring the words to life.”Formerly based on 46th street and devotedto discovering new writers and nurturing newactors, the theater now focuses on “Literatureto Life”, which Kener calls a literacy program.Audiences range from middle school studentsthrough college. Presentations include pre- andpost performance discussions between studentsand actors. The company provides study guides,staff development, and artist-in-residence opportunities.Most recently, the theater sponsored ashowcase of its current titles in early October atthe Museum of the City of New York. Amongthose included were Richard Wright’s BlackBoy, Jeannette Wall’s The Glass Castle, SandraCisneros’ The House on Mango Street, KaledHosseini’s The Kite Runner, and Tim O’Brien’sThe Things They Carried.Kener grew up in Brooklyn, attended a Jewishday school, and intended to major in orthotics andprosthetics, or limbs and braces, he said, becausehis parents, Holocaust survivors, expected him toenter a “respectable profession.” He discoveredacting as a New York University undergraduate.Though successful in theater, television, andfilms, Kener realized “it was all about me. I’ddone it and so what?” He met Wynn Handman,the theater’s co-founder and artistic director,acted in one of the plays—a series of vignettesabout immigration, became education director,and assumed his current role in 2001.Through partnerships with arts organizations,“Literature to Life” has performed at WashingtonD.C.’s Kennedy Center and schools and universitiesnationwide. A collaboration with the NewYork Historical Society last year tied exhibitson slavery, with a theatrical production basedon Harriet Ann Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life ofa Slave Girl, and a contemporary art show. ForKener, this is the ideal approach to education.“We need to get people to think expansivelyabout everything,” he said, noting that theseexperiences tend to motivate students to read.In selecting texts to adapt for “Literature toLife” performances, Kener looks for “active language,great characters and stories that need tobe told, that take you on a journey.” Every year,the theater honors an author of a novel beingperformed. Frank McCourt’s Teacher Man, willreceive the 2008 award. Kener’s eyeing Life of Piand Fahrenheit 451 for future performances.For information about “Literature to Life”, goto www.literaturetolife.org #visit us online at www.educationupdate.com2 million hits per monthThe Art of TeachingMaster’s ProgramDiscover our unique community oflearners with a passion for teachingOPEN HOUSE Thursday, November 295:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. Slonim HouseR.S.V.P. to grad@sarahlawrence.edu Small seminar classesconnecting theory withteaching practice, leadingto a Master of Sciencein Education Student teaching andfieldwork in tri-statearea public andalternative schools Students prepared forcertification in EarlyChildhood, Childhoodor dual certification Students of diversebackgrounds andexperiences areencouraged to applyPart-time/full-time studyand financial aid availableFor information contact:Sarah Lawrence College Office of Graduate Studies1 Mead Way, Bronxville, NY 10708(914) 395-2371 x236, grad@slc.edu or visit us atwww.sarahlawrence.edu/teachingThe Art of LeadershipAre you interested in advancingyour career and enhancing yourskills so that you can make adifference in the lives of yourstudents and community?Union Institute & University is the ideal place for you to earn your Ed.D.• One-to-one mentoring• Strong emphasis on social justice• Designed for busy professionalsSpecializations in:• Educational Leadership• Higher Education Administration440 East McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH 45206Contact:Offering:admissions@tui.edu • www.tui.eduB.A. • B.S. • M.A. • M.A. in PsychologyM.Ed. • M.F.A. • Ed.D. • Psy.D. • Ph.D.