Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 07:13:57 -0800
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] workshops


Mark,

  What marvelous conclusions you have expressed here which leads me  
to contradict you. You are by your very nature a "teacher". Doing  
workshops for over 40 years nowI have found that  "meeting needs"  is  
the clue to success. All students come with hidden agendas in terms  
of learning and a good teacher recognizes that. Specifics are where  
it's at and having choices within them are what motivates people to  
find in themselves  the desire to create. Puppetry has all the  
ingredients that lead to success and the puppet itself as it takes  
shape becomes a motivator as well. It want to be born in its own  
image. Great set of thoughts.

Bruce Chessé


On Jan 25, 2009, at 5:39 AM, Mark S. Segal wrote:

> I left off the title of difficult because it disturbs me a bit. I do
> workshops (paper puppet 7-adult (usually)) in all kinds of  
> scenerios. In my
> opinion the important thing to remember is that one has an audience  
> whose
> needs -need to be met.
> "Privelaged" (which I am sure all would like to be) or underserved   
> - each
> is an audience with needs and expectations, if one has a difficult  
> time it
> is the performer's responsibility to see where they have missed. It  
> becomes
> an excellent opportunity for growth.
> Once I started treating a workshop as a performance with a  
> beginning, middle
> and end - had much more success with it. Once I cut down options  
> (for the
> students) and became specific - had much more success. Once as a  
> workshop
> leader (performer) developed flexibilty to what was being given to  
> me - had
> much more success. It was all a process and still is.
> The key is the relationship between presenter/performer and the  
> AUDIENCE.
>
> Have found there are usually four types of participants  
> (irrespective of
> economic or other situation).
>
> Those that try for themselves. (they are the joys and turn out  
> really neat
> stuff - that sometimes teaches me).
> Those that want to have it done for them. (I try and encouage them  
> to do for
> themselves first - will not help until I see an effort)
> Those who want to be right and are afraid of making a mistake (how  
> many
> times have you heard, "is this right"?) (They are self limiting - I  
> try to
> empower them).
> And those that will not participate. (These are always the challenge).
> Always have adult helpers/supervisors working with the kids as well.
>
> I am not a teacher - that takes a set of skills that I don't have  
> and have
> not learned. I am a performer. Teachers are like long distance  
> runners - I
> am more like a sprinter.
>
> The biggest problem I have faced (and again it cuts across all  
> lines) is
> what I perceive as a lessening of attention spans - what I could do  
> with a
> group 10 or 15 years ago - maybe can do half of that today in the same
> 45min -1hour time slot.
>
> So it is up to me as a performer to learn how to deal with that  
> condition of
> audience.
>
> The only power of change I have is on me. But if one changes one  
> element in
> a relationship (performer-audience) one changes the entire dynamic
> (relationship).
>
> Mark S.
>
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