Elyssia Finch led community members in drama workshop

2015 May 1

Students from Concordia University, Nebraska took what they have learned in their creative drama class and shared it with the community through a variety of workshops throughout the Seward, Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, areas.

Students who participated in drama workshops include:

Elyssia Finch, a junior from Omaha, Neb.

"What an rewarding hands-on experience for these students as they took what they learned in class and applied it to workshop settings similar to what they will encounter in their future careers," said Joy Johnson, instructor in the English, communication and theatre arts department and director of forensics at Concordia. "It was a great opportunity for many of them to try out activities they would like to one day use in their classrooms, with youth groups, or with adults in the community."

The students led a variety of workshops in Seward, including a puppet workshop at Seward Memorial Library, a Bible story drama workshop at St. John Child Development Center, a relaxation workshop at Concordia with Seward High School students and Concordia faculty and students, drama workshops with St. John Lutheran School students and a workshop at the Seward Youth Center on dealing with bullying challenges.

Two groups expanded their reach outside Seward by leading a drama workshop at an adult Bible study at Calvary Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, and an improvisation session with high school students in Omaha.

Tara Larsen, one of the students in the drama class, led a workshop at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward called "Being Comfortable in Your Own Skin." The project highlights social pressures students face as they get older.

"By acting out scenes in a safe environment, we accomplished what our education classes stress: 'Teach by having students do,'" said Larsen. "It has allowed me to think of drama activities outside of a theatre setting."

The workshops are led entirely by the Concordia students and count as the final project for the creative drama class. For the project, students planned and led at least two hours of creative drama workshops in the community. Students had to coordinate with the administrators or leaders of the community groups, schedule and discuss activities with them, plan their workshop and lead the session.