The Black Rep is hosting the “Free Your Mind: Afrocentric Theatre Masterclass” taught by Carton Molette. Two different sessions are being offered Friday, March 29, from 4 ro 9 p.m. and Saturday, March 30, from noon to 4 p.m. at The Black Rep Administrative Offices, 6662 Olive Blvd, University City. MO 63130. Session 1:SUCCEED! Clarify values. DEFINE success. PLAN to succeed. A healthy ego is as necessary as competence in creating art. Society fosters fear that failure is likely for artists in general, and virtually inevitable for theatre artists of color. Promoting strategies to cope with failure is not support. Do not “Brace yourself to fail.” Instead, “Plan to succeed.”PREMISE: CHALLENGE assumptions that delineate a community’s values. Objectivity and universality are myths that advance one culture’s values as the “default mode” for defining, interpreting, and evaluating all things, thereby urging culturally different artists to create from a world view that is not theirs.HISTORY: INTERPRET historical narratives from a fresh perspective. Contrast Afrocentric perspectives with historical narratives that promote the dominate culture’s world view. Session 2:PRESENTATION: APPRECIATE Afrocentric culture’s presentation idioms. Gain insights into how values, culture, and rituals impact style, structure, time, space, visual imagery, what is heroic, how character is exposed, and how observers perceive and respond. MUSIC: EXPERIENCE aesthetic and stylistic features that distinguish the performing art that forms the foundation of African American cultural identity. QUESTION! INQUIRE effectively. COLLABORATE cogently. Hone skills that increase the urge to learn, think new thoughts, discover unknown answers, and solve unsolved problems.
Ground-breaking author and playwright Carlton Molette, 79, known for establishing Afrocentric Theatre with his late wife Barbara. He was born in Pine Bluff, Ark., and earned a B.A. from Morehouse College in Atlanta, a master of arts degree from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. from Florida State University.
The Molettes were married in 1960, and have two children: Carla E. Molette-Ogden and Andrea R. Molette. They worked in partnership for most of their careers, until her death in 2017.
Plays include “Rosalee Pritchett,” “Legacy: A Comedy of Southern Manners,” “Prudence,” “Presidential Timber,” “Our Short Stay” and “Fortunes of the Moors.” They taught in a number of university theater departments.
To register, please click on link Registration Link*payment must be made to reserve your spot in the class: call 314-534-3807 ext 2 or email jillianf@theblackrep.org with your questions or attendance confirmation.
Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.
She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.
She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women’s and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle.
She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.