During this episode of Why Change? co-hosts Rachael and Jeff speak about the impact of theatre in their lives and why policy-makers should increase access to arts education. Jeff interview Corey Mitchell, a long-time educator, the first recipient of the TONY Award for Excellence in Theatre Education, and founder of the Theatre Gap Initiative. They discuss how increasing access to theatre education opportunities for students of color to reimagine the future of American theatre. Rachael and Jeff debrief with a dialogue about how young creatives are envisioning the future of education and the arts.
In this episode you’ll learn:
The long-term impacts of increasing access to theatre and arts education;
How exposure to people and experiences can impact young people; and
What young creatives see in the future of education and the arts.
Check out some of the things mentioned during this podcast, including:
Women Robots and a Sustainable Future - Report on UNESCO Futures of Education Report
Redefining Leadership: Results from a Global Study on Leadership in Arts and Cultural Education
Please download the transcript here.
ABOUT COREY MITCHELL
Since 1995, Mitchell has been a fervent and passionate classroom teacher who believes whole-heartedly in the potential of his students. He joined the faculty of Northwest in 2001 where he now teaches Theatre, Musical Theatre, Middle School Drama, and Directing for the Stage. During his tenure there have been way too many musicals, plays, music revues, and cabaret shows to list, but some of the productions that really standout include—Ragtime, Hair, Pippin, Godspell, Shrek, All Shook Up, and The Color Purple (that production was the basis of the 2017 award-winning documentary, Purple Dreams, produced by GreyHawk Films). In addition to his work at NWSA, Corey has directed plays and musicals for a number of area theatre companies, including Theatre Charlotte, Charlotte Children’s Theatre, Central Piedmont Community College, Hickory Community Theatre, and Davidson Community Players. In 2015, Corey was the first recipient of the Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre Education. In addition to the Tony Award, Corey has received recognition from several other organizations, including the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, the Educational Theatre Association, North Carolina Theatre Conference, the Arts Empowerment Project, the Charlotte Post Foundation, and the National Black Theatre Festival. Notably, Corey was a top fifty finalist for the one million dollar Global Teacher Prize in 2017. Since 2017, Mitchell has been a consultant for the National Center for Educational Statistics (a non-partisan division of the U.S Department of Education), and he has presented keynote addresses, workshops, talkbacks, and master classes across the country and internationally. Corey thanks his family, friends, colleagues, and collaborators for their amazing support for all of these years. Check out my Burger King commercial that was an instant classic https://youtu.be/D6ZyvrZNoX0
WHERE TO FIND COREY:
Twitter: @Cmitchellclt and @Theatre_Gap
Instagram: @Cmitchellclt and @Theatre_Gap
Facebook: Theatre Gap Initiative
Website: www.theatregap.org
This episode of Why Change? A Podcast for the Creative Generation was powered by Creative Generation. It was produced and edited by Daniel Stanley. Artwork by Bridget Woodbury. Music by Distant Cousins.