Philosophical Stages will work on the ancient art of living in the classroom of tomorrow. While students become familiar with "theatrical" spaces of the ancient world--e.g. the theater, marketplace or agora, Senate House, and private residence--they will also learn to move and perform in a number of contemporary theatrical spaces--e.g. the videoconference, boardroom, blog, email, and wiki. We are fortunate to have at our disposal the state-of-the-art facilities of Stanford University's Wallenberg Hall. Wallenberg's classrooms "provide support for a wide range of traditional as well as emerging modes of teaching. The rooms contain:
- sophisticated collaborative computing environments,
- the ability to record activities for later use,
- large wall displays that can be used as recording whiteboards, as well as for videoconferencing and presentation,
- and adjacent breakout spaces for group work."
In addition, every student has access to his own computer, and the structure of classroom space is adjustable. All of these features provide a variety of opportunities for participants:
- They can record, evaluate, and edit their own performances
- They can as directors be responsible for the shape and dynamic of their theatrical space
- They can provide through the wiki real-time evaluations of personal, peer, and instructor performance thereby shaping the objectives of the program while in progress
- They can master a number of emerging technologies while becoming proficient in traditional staging, acting, and directing techniques
Participants will have the opportunity to record their own performances, and then evaluate and learn from the recordings in order to prepare for subsequent performances. How am I projecting my voice? How am I carrying myself? How am I responding to my surroundings? How has my performance changed since last week? These participants will be able to see themselves developing, becoming more confident and more effective. In addition, they will be responsible for editing these recordings into their final performance of Antigone for family and invited guests. In essence, they will be directing, editing, and crafting themselves for a performance of what they they believe they are taking away from the whole experience. Antigone itself will become an adaptation of their experience on the philosophical stage.
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