Enriching San Antonio Schools through St. Louis Black Repertory Company in San Antonio SchoolsResidency

By Mid-America Arts Alliance Staff

The Carver Community Cultural Center promotes African-American art and cultural traditions through workshops and performances like those provided by the St. Louis Black Repertory Company, seen here in a production of Follow the Truth: The Story of George Washington Carver.  Photo Courtesy of Mid-America Arts Alliance

Andrea Wilson, Residency Coordinator of the Carver Community Cultural Center in San Antonio, is no stranger to the idea of booking touring performances. The Carver regularly places artists in residencies throughout the area to help promote African American art and culture and presents artists in both its Mainstage Performance and Youth Matinee series. The St. Louis Black Repertory’s award-winning Touring Company performs more than 170 shows each year for schools, community groups and other organizations throughout the Midwest. Touring shows are designed according to grade level and are developed to complement educational curriculums. When Andrea met with the St. Louis Black Repertory Company at the Midwest Art Conference in Austin, Texas, it seemed a perfect match, and a residency was developed.

Though the Carver had originally planned to present the St. Louis Black Repertory’s production of "Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters", when they learned that the company’s season included "Follow the Truth: The Story of George Washington Carver", they couldn’t resist the obvious tie-in and significance. A Missouri native, Carver was born into slavery in Missouri and later raised there after the Civil War. The residency included workshops in addition to the Mainstage performance of "Follow the Truth".

Actors from the St. Louis Black Repertory Company worked with students with varying economic, experiential and racial backgrounds from several San Antonio schools as part of their Carver residency. Students worked on basic listening, learning and concentration skills and participated in theater-based exercises in improvisation, character development, and voice and projection training. Photo Courtesy of Mid-America Arts Alliance

The play begins in Alabama, with Carver’s agricultural research at the Tuskegee Institute.  Katina Cross, the Company’s education coordinator, in talking about the significance of the play, notes that, "This man came from nothing, he had very little and he used his spirituality and his know-how to do great and wonderful things.  That is, I think, one of the big things that hopefully, we take out to the kids, that you don't have to be very wealthy and have the best of everything and go to the best school in order to be a great person."

The Carver Community Cultural Center has strong ties and a long history in the San Antonio area. From the 1920’s through the 1950’s Mrs. Myra J. Hemmings, the drama teacher from the segregated Phillis Wheatly High School, directed her award winning performances at the Center. In the 1960’s, Carver became home to the Langston Hughes African American Theatre Company, whose works included poetry from the New Black Theatre Movement. Today, the Carver continues to explore and promote the rich African American artistic tradition, through workshops and performances like those provided by the St. Louis Black Repertory Company.

While the Carver enjoys a strength in presenting and promoting African American artistry, the St. Louis Black Repertory residency was not for African Americans alone. The Carver seeks to reach as broad an audience as possible through its programs, and for the St. Louis Black Repertory’s residency sought out students from varying backgrounds and from several different schools to participate in the workshops. "[I] was really trying to work with two different populations of students," says Andrea, when asked about the importance of bringing children in from both public, and magnet schools, "Thomas Jefferson Magnet School of the Arts draws from a student population that is economically and experientially diverse; but not particularly racially diverse. I wanted to give Latino and white students who have little contact with African American professional artists this unique experience with this very professional company."

The Youth Matinee program performance of "Follow the Truth" was well received by the audience. "Both teachers and students attending were enthusiastic in their praise. Questions asked during the question and answer period following the performance indicated that students were very interested in the story of George Washington Carver. Students were also very interested in the St. Louis Black Repertory actors, and in the process of writing and producing this play."

The Company stayed for two days following the performance to conduct workshops for students. The Company staged a "Cooperative Games" workshop for 35 theatre arts students at Martin Luther King Middle School. The workshop, though challenging for the students at times, was a great success. Andrea Martin explains that, "One exercise in particular proved difficult for the participating students, and demonstrated the patience of the artist in guiding the children through the prescribed exercises that show how actors must cooperate as a group in order to succeed. After numerous unsuccessful tries, it was rewarding to see the students finally complete the exercise successfully. Their sense of accomplishment was noted by their drama teacher, who said the students rarely tried as hard as they did in this workshop.

Students’ interest in theatre and performance was fueled by the residency. Many who participated in the residency activities have chosen to pursue additional theatrical training through the Carver center’s Acting-Up drama workshops for youth.  Photo Courtesy of Mid-America Arts Alliance

Teachers from the Martin Luther King Middle School praised the workshop, saying that the one-on-one interaction of the artists with the students was outstanding. Exercises taught the children to listen, learn, and concentrate, important skills for all students, not just those interested in pursuing thespian activities. Also, the members of the Company, though used to working with students with previous exposure to the performing arts, did not lower their standards or expectations when dealing with the students at Martin Luther King. The result was an extremely positive and productive mentoring and role-modeling opportunity.

On the following day, the Company conducted a workshop for 40 students of the Theatre Arts department of Jefferson Magnet School for the Arts, a public high school of the San Antonio Independent School system. Though these students had more exposure to the performing arts than those at Martin Luther King, the workshops were no less successful. The Company conducted theater-based exercises in improvisation, character development, and voice and projection training for these more experienced students. One teacher noted, "It was evident that participation in this residency with a professional theatre troupe was invaluable to these talented students who aspire to become professional actresses and actors themselves." The students said they could have worked with the company all day, and wished they had more workshop time to develop the skills they had learned from the Company.

In addition to the acting workshops, poetry workshops were conducted at the Carver School for Visual and Performing Arts on the two days after the performance. These workshops were open to all writers, with members of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company helping to coach them on dramatic delivery and presentation of their own work. One member of the Company, Linda Kennedy, was awed by the workshop experiences. The challenge of working with a cross-cultural multiracial group of young women, and the difficulties of getting them to overcome their shyness and fear of performing made Ms. Kennedy wish she’d had more time to work with them. However, all participants appreciated the in-depth discussions after each poetry performance.

The Carver center’s ability to bring in troupes such as the St. Louis Black Repertory Company enhances its ability to serve the San Antonio community with diverse cultural and educational opportunities. Being able to offer workshops, classes, and demonstrations by artists like those in the Company enables the Carver to contribute to the overall artistic education of the community. In addition, through these residencies, the Carver hopes to build future audiences for their presentations. "We hope to actively engage students in a lifelong interest in the performing arts by presenting performances by some of the top professional touring companies in the nation, such as the St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre Company," says Andrea Martin, "In this way, we expose many more San Antonians to African American performers, arts, and culture."

When asked about the SLBRC residency, Andrea Wilson replied, "We would love to have the opportunity to work with the St. Louis Black Repertory Company again. They are a young professional group, so the students can really relate to them. We believe that it is very beneficial for local students to see young African American actors making a career out of the arts." Not only were the performances powerful and question raising, but the workshops developed and furthered the students’ interest in theatre and performance. Several of the students who attended the workshops held by the Company have signed up for the Carver center’s youth drama classes–the Acting-Up Workshops.

The residency of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company at the Carver Community Cultural Center was funded by the Heartland Arts Fund. The Fund, a collaborative venture of Mid America Arts Alliance and Arts Midwest; is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts Regional Touring Program of the National Endowment for the Arts, and the state arts agencies in the region.

The Heartland Arts Fund supports performing artist fees for presenters of all sizes and types. Presentations of any professional performing artist or company outside the presenter’s state are considered, with special incentives provided for engaging performing artist from within the heartland region. Additional incentives are provided to rural and underserved communities. The program emphasizes the value of the artist-audience relationship through both performance and educational activities.

National Endowment for the Arts
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