Brush

Students explore the life, times and works of Tom Thomson with Joan Chandler.  Book now for a residency in fall 2010.

A Project In Your School:
Using theatre, its related arts, and non-traditional approaches, students explore their ideas about the world. During an engaging participatory workshop, we'll communicate with our bodies and our voices, and project daily thoughts through artistic expression.

A project can readily be designed to best suit your school and classroom needs and timetable. Workshops vary in length from three hours to 25 hours or five full days.

Is there a theme or a concern that would augment your curriculum and / or help students to interact positively with their world? A project can readily be designed to best suit your needs.

SHEATRE is the only interactive creative arts company that has a dedicated program drawing on the life, works and inspirational spirit of Tom Thomson. This program is available to come to your school. For students from Grade 4 – OAC

What’s Brush?
Brush is a workshop where students explore their creativity and extend your artistic skills. You’ll be acting, writing, singing, moving, making music and diving into the mystery and wonder of Tom Thomson and his paintings.

Brush is an energetic, collaborative, colourful, playful, multi-layered exploration. We strive to create an atmosphere where participants feel absolutely comfortable so that they can be free to explore. The workshop includes warm up games, theatre, writing and music exercises, individual, small, and large group work, varied rehearsal & research methods, and performance preparation. We bring selected resources: prints, books, oral histories & historical background.

Our goal is to creatively and personally respond to the story of a Canadian artist, Tom Thomson, and his work. Participants draw from their imagination, experience and this new guided exploration of the art and life history of Tom. Together we find common ground and work with the common language of visual art, music, story and theatre (rhythm, colour, composition, tension, contrast, dynamics). We also aim to explore and embody the artistic spirit and the highs and lows of a complex artist and person. We look for ways to encourage a spark, a word, a colour, a snatch of melody into a scene, a story, a character, a song.

Please click images to enlarge:

What have Students and Teachers had to say?
"You didn’t always know what was going to happen, but it was comfortable because no one cares if you do or say something stupid.” – Isabelle

"You had to just act, you can’t stop and think. I had fun.” – Veronica

From teachers:
“I saw what the students are capable of and how to best tap into that.” – Kelly Reid, McPhail Memorial School, Flesherton

“I would recommend this workshop to any classroom. My students benefitted in many ways from this experience. The gift of the arts – painting, writing and singing was invaluable. The development of their sense of team and co-operation abilities was great, and we continue to use and benefit from the workshop strategies.” – Wendy Kipp, Dufferin School, Owen Sound




Facilitating Artists:

Joan Chandler, theatre
David Sereda, music


Time Commitment:

The full-length Artists in the Classroom residency takes 25 hours including workshop, performance and group evaluation.  

Generally projects are delivered as five full days of five hours each. Sessions are broken into segments according to the school’s daily schedule.  The five days are generally concurrent.

Workshops of varying lengths may be negotiated.


Cost:

$575 covers the fee for two artists and their materials.  That’s $115 per day.  Accommodation and travel expenses may apply. Subsidies may be available.




This program has been developed with support from The Ontario Arts Council Artists in Education program, The Laidlaw Foundation, The Trillium Foundation and Heritage Canada Cultural Capitals of Canada.