EdTA Model Curriculum Framework Project premieres at UC High

University City High School theatre teacher, Matt Moody, was selected to participate in the EdTA Model Curriculum Framework Project. This is a year-long pilot in which 10 two-member teams of secondary classroom theatre educators and teaching artists, from across the nation, will work with mentors to create a standards-based curriculum framework and embedded instructional units based on the 2014 National Theatre Standards. It is part of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Model Cornerstone Assessment (MCA) Project in partnership with the Educational Theatre Association (EdTA) and the National Core Arts Standards (NCAS).

Matt Moody has partnered with Julia Cuppy, Associate Director of Education and Outreach, and Teaching Artist for La Jolla Playhouse. Their unit is a six-week study of Devised Playwriting Strategies.

The goal of this project is to expand instructional practice for both teachers and teaching artists. All teams will pilot their units of study and collect evidence of student learning. In the UC High School project, students will first learn how to devise a story using various theatrical techniques, and then learn playwriting techniques to capture their scenes in a script format. The scripts will be created, revised, rehearsed, and performed by the students in collaborative teams with designated roles: dramaturg, actor(s), director, and stage manager. Two actors will take on the role of designing lights, props and costumes. Each mini-play is inspired by a New York Times image from their creative writing series. This project will eventually be recreated in theatre programs across the country.

A public staged reading of the student-developed works will be held on October 12th, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. in the UC High School Theater. An audience talkback will follow the performance and is an important part of the revision process for these young playwrights.