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Drama Professor Joe Mattys
Click on A.C.T. for a slideshow of photos. |
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All smiles: Students in the "Masks and Acting" workshop. |
“We think we’re pretty good at judging people,” says Randolph-Macon College
Drama Professor Joe Mattys. “But we’re all actors—we put on masks and we frequently act. We try to project a certain face.”
In one hand he holds a colorful mask, painted and glittered to the extreme. Sitting in a semi-circle in front of him are seven high-school students enrolled in a week-long Arts for Change Today (A.C.T.) camp.
They listen intently, and, prompted by Mattys to describe the imaginary “character” behind the mask, offer a range of suggestions. Mattys encourages them to speak up, and assures them that there are no wrong answers.
“What happens behind the mask is always more interesting,” says Mattys, who led the students through an hour-long workshop, “Masks and Acting,” that drew analogies between literal and figurative masks.
Click on A.C.T. for a slideshow of photos.
The workshop is just one of many that A.C.T. offered July 24-30, 2011 at Randolph-Macon College. The non-profit camp, spearheaded by R-MC students and alumni, was a unique opportunity for participants to learn about diversity and tolerance.
The camp was funded through a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace Grant awarded to
Cassie Morgan ’12,
Derek Gayle ’11,
Jill Porcelli ’11,
Melissa Mowry ’11, and
Tommy Proffitt ’11, who collaborated to create A.C.T.
Davis Projects for Peace is an initiative for undergraduate students to design projects that promote peace and address the root causes of conflict. Grant applicants are encouraged to use innovative techniques to engage participants in ways that focus on conflict resolution, building understanding, breaking down barriers that cause conflict, and finding ways to resolve conflict. The grant is issued to only 100 groups each year. R-MC student volunteers assured that the week went by smoothly.
Elizabeth Jean ’13 volunteered to help with A.C.T. because she was “eager to see what was in store” for the campers. A drama major, Jean helped set up workshops and supervise students between classes and on field trips. She also participated in discussions about diversity.
Participants enjoyed a multitude of activities throughout the week. In Professor Ray Berry’s
Studio Art class, they used clay, calligraphy and paint to discover how art is created in a purposeful way. Berry also served as faculty advisor for the project. Students also took drama, creative writing and dance classes, and they toured the Richmond Holocaust Museum and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
“We want to promote peace through the study of artistic diversity and also give back to R-MC by reaching out to the community,” says
Tommy Proffitt ’11. “Participants learned about Aikido, a Japanese martial art; they learned the ins and outs of writing a novel; and they crafted blankets as part of a community-service project.” The blankets will be donated to The United Methodist Family Services, an organization that provides adoption services, foster care services and a number of other services in the community. The A.C.T. founders will deliver the blankets to the Richmond UMFS affiliate.
Additional R-MC faculty and staff who helped make A.C.T. a success include: Jack Trammell (
disability support services), Maria Jose Bordera (
Spanish), Jennifer Shotwell (
French), Leslie Shiel (
English), James McGhee (
student life), and Mayumi Nakamura (
office of international education). In addition, Caroline County high-school teachers Amber French and Ray Carver were integral to the camp’s success.