January 23, 2017 - January 27, 2017 Weekly Agenda for Play Production

Monday, January 23rd:

Discussion about class, theatre games

Theatre games: Twenty-Second Characters, the Entrance Game

Chynna, Jess, Carter, Gus

Research:

Chynna: Advertising because Black History is for the entire month! Poster proto-types of Sandra Bland, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Lamar Kendricks

Akili: Black Lives Matter website #hashtagphilandocastel, etc. Also went on CNN and New York Times to corroborate.  Read the website information about the murder of Mr. Castel, a cafeteria worker, in front of his girlfriend, and her child.  Philando Castel was pulled over forty nine times in the last three years for minor offenses such as broken tail light.

Alden Sterling, the C.D. seller in front of a store in Louisiana.

Akili found really good pictures.

Norman: Racial Appropriation

“Ten Times Black Culture Was Appropriated in 2015”

Kylie Jenner – has corn rolls but calls them boxer braids

Kim Kardashian – corn rolls

Teen Vogue – using white models for Senegalese hairstyle 

Tuesday, January 24th: 

Passed out folders and the weekly work logs

Discussed the “What Being Black Means to Me” with Akili and the need to coordinate with Polina.

Fast theatre games: “Kitty Wants a Corner”

Present research

New fresh ideas regarding cultural appropriation

Jessyka: Cultural Appropriation – instagram and snapshat. The word “ratched” is now a big thing on the internet. Everything that was considered bad and tacky was called ratched ten years ago, but now that it’s been appropriated by white people it’s considered cool and wonderful.

Jessyka will work with the writers Chris and Dale on a skit about “ratched” and “instagram baddies”.

Akili: Iggy Azalea, Macklemore have appropriated music from the black community.

Went on “Black Lives Matter” to investigate the deaths of Philando Castile, etc. Contributed:

 “Philando Castile was shot sixty two seconds after the traffic stop began.

Alton Sterling – was reported as a very easy-going guy who never posed a problem to anyone. He took off his gun before he was arrested so he was unarmed.

Dale: Emmet Till was one of the best known victims of racism. Originally from Chicago, he moved to Mississippi in the 1950’s, where he was tortured, mutilated, and killed for saying, “Bye, baby” to a white female shop keeper.

Cultural Appropriation: In Belgium “Black Pete” is still part of Christmas celebrations. “Black Pete” is one of Santa’s helpers, who is depicted – usually by white people in black face – as a caricature of blacks. “Black Pete” is the deliverer of punishment to bad children.

Jess – mentioned “Hidden Figures”. Will speak more about this tomorrow on stage.

Wednesday, January 25th: 
Not here today.
Theatre games

Thursday, January 26th: 

Discussion

New Line-up:

Suggestions from Mr. Briggs

Mr. Bah Drumming

Black Anthem

Tai – poem

23 Ways to Die

Dance Guard

Cheyenne and Akili

Tai and Khalah – POW by Alicia Keyes

Jazmine – Poem “And Still I Rise”

Revised Tentative Line-Up: 

As the student body is filing in there will be live drumming, or recorded music

Martin Luther King, George Washington Carver, Hidden Figures, Michael Jackson, Thurgood Marshall,  C.J. Walker, Sojourner Truth, Nelson Mandela, Lewis Howard Latimer – Inventor of the Traffic Light, Benjamin Benneker, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Park, Malcolm X, Barbara Jordan, Abe Lincoln, Bessie Coleman

Mohammed Ali – 20 second speech by Ali (Flo)

Prince

African Tradition of Honoring the Dead – Mr. Bah and Mr. Briggs

“Pouring of Libations” – 3 minutes

 

The Singing of the Black National Anthem – 3:34

(Put  up the lyrics on one side of the screen and pictures of notable people on the other side)

Black National Anthem – Khalah, Tai, and Chynna

Someone begins singing the anthem onstage

Then “random” people with electric candles scattered throughout the auditorium stand up and join in singing the song

Tai – Poem  (Two minutes)

Twenty Three Ways to Die

Dance Guard – Edith (Choreographer) Chandler (Dancer)

Cultural Appropriation

Jazmin – “And Still I Rise”

Video Montage: “What Does Being Black Mean to You?”

Akili and Polina

Prerecorded and edited video of “What Does It Mean to be an African-American?”

Akili and Polina  and Daesha

Three Questions in video: “What do you want people to know about being a black man or a black woman”

The third question will be forthcoming from Daesha Campbell

Will be shot in the NMA office

Dance – “Bottom of the River”

Cheyenne Dioh,  Akili, Noah, Kaelen, Monai

Mr. Briggs:

Black Lives Matter – Twenty Three Ways You Can be Killed if You’re Black in America 
(Khalah)

* Maybe have students do the 23 ways to be killed…

Tribute to Michelle Obama

Cultural Appropriation – (Briggs)

Bridges + 5^th Period

Section is introduced by an actor who explains what cultural appropriation is

Then a scene is played by actors to illustrate misappropriation of African American culture (Shania)

Meaning of cultural appropriation

Prison incarceration rate of Black males and females – Mr. Briggs

Why is it happening? – Flo

Scene showing two cocaine users, one white, one black, and the disparate treatment of drug users based on race - Beverly

Meaning of the rising of black incarceration rates

Black Lives Matter (Tai Jones)

Begin with footage of the Rodney King beating  (suggestion by Flo to put at beginning of assembly)

Then fast forward to the present with the beatings within the past four years and the emergence of Black Lives Matter

Archival Material

Students write sketches or speeches about Black Lives Matter and present

Victims of Police Brutality

Examples: Sandra Bland

Have an actor walk on with a sign “I died because I refused to put out my cigarette.”

The actor in the guise of Sandra Bland tells her story.

Then the actor turns the sign around and shows a photo of Sandra Bland.

Example:

The therapist who was shot while attending his patient.

Example:

The man who was pulled over by the police and shot and killed in front of his child while filmed by his girlfriend. 

Michelle and Barack Obama – Mr. Briggs

A portrayal of the Obamas

Obama’s Farewell Speech

Ending:?

Following people want to participate:

Tai, Jazmine, Chrishandala, Madison,

Shania and Carter worked on and staged “Twenty-Three Ways to Die If You Are Black”

Friday, January 27th: 
Went to the Magnets Assembly