Bio
Shannon Woolley is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Looking for Lilith Theatre Company, a women's ensemble theatre in Louisville, KY that is dedicated to re-examining history from women's perspectives and creating original performance pieces based on that examination. She holds a BFA in Acting from Southern Methodist University, and a Master's degree in Educational Theatre from New York University. She works with both boys and girls in grades K-12, and specializes in teaching students how to create original theatre based on personal stories, as well as using theatre to teach social studies curriculum, with a particular focus on women's history. Past residencies include leading 4th grade students in a drama focused on KY history in which they lived in role alternately as settlers and Native Americans, and explored the dynamics and conflicts therein, and a residency in which she led Junior English students at an all girl's school in using Arthur Miller's “The Crucible” to explore themes of peer pressure and mob mentality.
Potential Residency Project
All of my residencies use the interactive tools of drama (voice, body, imagination, concentration, and cooperation) to actively engage students in discovering more about themselves and the topic they are studying.
My residencies fall into two categories:
Theatre Education—introducing students to the tools of the actor: exploring play creation, script analysis, character development, staging, and scene work.
Process Drama—using drama activities to explore an area of academic curriculum such as Social Studies, Science, or Literature.
Possible residencies include:
Rat & Tiger
(3-5 day residency, preK-3rd) - Bullying and Communication Skills
Set in India, the children step into role as rats and meet Rajni Rat and her best friend Tapi Tiger. Tapi tends to push Rajni around, bullying her without realizing it when they play. The rats explore this issue with puppets and come up with ways to discuss the problem with Tapi so that they can have a healthier friendship.
Travel by Night: The Underground Railroad
(3 to 8 day residency - Grades 5-8)
In this historical drama, students will learn about a dark chapter in our nation's history by exploring the actions of the brave individuals who worked relentlessly to bring slaves north to freedom. In this inspirational residency, students take on the roles of both slaves and abolitionists, using tableaux, role-play, song, creative movement, and visual art to relive a journey that passes through KY along the Underground Railroad.
The Crucible of Peer Pressure
(5-10 day residency – Grades 8-12)
This residency uses scene and character study from Arthur Miller's The Crucible as a jumping of point for student actors to explore the interpersonal dynamics of peer pressure and mob mentality: from 17th century Salem, MA to the political climate of the 1950's to their present day environment and school community.