Kulture Teach Theatre & Writing Workshops for Youth
Kulture Teach is designed as a comprehensive theatre/writing workshop specifically for teens, ages 13-17. The workshop will enhance the overall educational, personal, and professional development of teens, while providing a host of advantages for participating schools and organizations. Kulture Teach has a micro-curriculum that incorporates theatre education with a specific emphasis on Black theatre to offer cultural relevance. In addition, the workshop has a component that will enhance written communication skills. Most importantly, this unique workshop is designed to meet specific Language Arts components of the Common Core Standard (9-12 grades).
Theatre has a variety of benefits for the youth. For instance, theatre can improve the self-esteem and confidence of youth through performance as well as improve public speaking. In addition, theatre can enhance concentration, memory recall, and organizational skills that can be leveraged for the youth’s progression into early adulthood. The workshop will be executed through a series of meetings or sessions, online participation, and culminate in an original theatrical production. Participating students will learn how to write and perform a monologue for a special showcase.
Theatre has a variety of benefits for the youth. For instance, theatre can improve the self-esteem and confidence of youth through performance as well as improve public speaking. In addition, theatre can enhance concentration, memory recall, and organizational skills that can be leveraged for the youth’s progression into early adulthood. The workshop will be executed through a series of meetings or sessions, online participation, and culminate in an original theatrical production. Participating students will learn how to write and perform a monologue for a special showcase.
About Chandra Kamaria, Facilitator
Chandra Harkins is the Founder & Senior Playwright of Harkins House Productions. Writing under the pseudonym of Chandra Kamaria, this Mississippi native has been an avid reader and collector of Black literature for well over 20 years and writing since the age of thirteen. Her interest in theatre began in 1994 when she attended a production of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf by Ntozake Shange at the University of Memphis, hosted by the Black Student Association. Since then, she has attended many productions by various local theatre companies such as the defunct Memphis Black Repertory Theatre, Playhouse on the Square, the Orpheum, Germantown Performing Arts Center, Southwest Tennessee Community College Theatre, and Hattiloo Black Repertory Theatre.
During the time that she spent attending theatrical productions, Chandra studied stage plays and taught herself how to write them while also learning the business of theatre. After volunteering at Hattiloo as a Stage Manager for its production of the Broadway hit, Top Dog/Under Dog by Suzan Lori Parks and being an extra in Ekundayo Bandele’s Forget Me Not Christmas, Chandra went to work on her first script, FOUR WOMEN, which debuted in November 2010 and founded Harkins House Productions in March of the same year. In addition to playwriting, Chandra has over fifteen years of corporate experience, working for companies such as Clear Channel Communications, AutoZone, and the United States Postal Service. Lastly, she holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing Management and a Master of Science in Leadership & Policy Studies with a concentration in Higher Education Administration, both earned from the University of Memphis.
During the time that she spent attending theatrical productions, Chandra studied stage plays and taught herself how to write them while also learning the business of theatre. After volunteering at Hattiloo as a Stage Manager for its production of the Broadway hit, Top Dog/Under Dog by Suzan Lori Parks and being an extra in Ekundayo Bandele’s Forget Me Not Christmas, Chandra went to work on her first script, FOUR WOMEN, which debuted in November 2010 and founded Harkins House Productions in March of the same year. In addition to playwriting, Chandra has over fifteen years of corporate experience, working for companies such as Clear Channel Communications, AutoZone, and the United States Postal Service. Lastly, she holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing Management and a Master of Science in Leadership & Policy Studies with a concentration in Higher Education Administration, both earned from the University of Memphis.
Kulture Teach is a community service initiative for Harkins House Productions
Harkins House Productions is a company that believes in the power of the community. Drawing from the legacy of Black artists, our work for the stage is created to educate & inspire as well as entertain. Our community service initiatives, such as Kulture Teach, are designed to continue in the work of advancing the African American community and ensuring that our rich cultural legacy remains alive and in tact. For more info about HHP, click the logo to the left.