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Participant Details
- Community Arts Partner Name
- James R. Lapan
- Partner Type
- Individual
- Profile Photo
- Individual Bio or
Organizational Statement
- Jim is a veteran Seattle based actor, director, playwright and arts educator. He's performed at ACT, Intiman, Village, Book-It and Seattle Shakespeare Co., and taught at the University of Washington, Freehold, Youth Theatre Northwest, and the Northwest School. His plays have been seen at 14/48 and Theater Schmeater. In 2014 he wrote and performed 25,000 Posts, his first original solo piece, about navigating the American Dream in the 21st century. It was this work that inspired him to create the Life in Two Worlds residency. Jim has a B.A. in Theatre from Bates College and an M.F.A in Acting from the University of Washington.
Grade Levels Preferred
- Grade Levels Preferred
- 6th - 8th, 9th - 12th
Artistic Disciplines
- Discipline
- 2, 4
- Type
- I use a combination of theatre and writing tools to empower students to discover and tell their stories in theatrically interesting ways.
Experience
- Previous School Partnerships
- WA State TAT Lab Graduate
- Other Trainings or Certifications
- Sample Lesson Description: Student / Classroom Residencies
- Sample Workshop Description: Teacher Professional Development
Areas of Experience and Expertise
- Approved Professional Development Provider
- 1
- Approved Classroom Residency Provider
- Yes
Lesson Plan
- Integrated Art
- Cultural Art
Teaching Approach
- Teaching Philosophy + Approach
- I provide a lot of structure and a lot of safety in the classroom. Students are on their feet daily, and are encouraged to leave their comfort zones. This doesn't happen all at once, and it doesn't happen at the same rate for all students. Confidence, trust, and respect for the work are built progressively over time. Ideally, my job is less about providing inspiration than establishing the conditions in which my students can inspire each other.
- Curriculum Integration Possibilities
- Composition and writing
- Special Skills and Areas of Expertise
- Testimonials from Schools
- Karen Sharp (karens@sct.org)
Mimi Katano (art-dir@youththeatre.org)
Images
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- Image Description
- Production shot from my original play 25,000 Posts
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- Image Description
- Headshot
- Image
- Image Description
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- Image Description
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- Image Description