Arts & Education
For nearly 40 years SPDT has garnered critical acclaim for their compelling and poignant performance work and commitment to education and community-inclusive programs. SPDT’s Arts & Education programs provide an in-depth experience in the creative process to engage students in finding ways to develop performance work from personal story. SPDT has presented Arts Learning programs in hundreds of K-12 schools, colleges, and universities.
Moving Together: The Power of Arts, Health & Wellbeing
Artistic Co-Director Suzanne Costello has recently designed and taught a course at Colorado College titled Moving Together: The Power of Arts, Health & Wellbeing. This course invites students of all disciplines to interact with different arts mediums throughout the semester, culminating in a final showcase of their final creations.
“The workshops at UCCS were really interesting and fun,” says Andrew Han ’25. “Almost no one knew what to expect, so the UCCS students especially were surprised when we started doing intimate movement exercises. The exercises each had different metaphors that could be applied to healthcare and caregiving. It was interesting to see the UCCS students’ perception of CC and the Block Plan. Their classes seemed far more focused on lecture, and had less interdisciplinary aspects than CC.”
This course was first taught in Winter 2023 and will run again in Winter 2024. Visit Colorado College’s site here to read more.
College & University Programs
Commissioned Work & Repertory – SPDT’s acclaimed performance work for college performing arts programs. Recent commissions include: James Madison University, Weber State University, St. Olaf College, National Autonomous University of Mexico, and the University of Florida.
Theater for the Heart & Mind – a movement class based on SPDT’s approach to meaningful movement
Intentional Moments – a composition class focusing on SPDT’s interdisciplinary methodology for employing The Five SPDT INs:
- – INtention – always doing something, whether specific or abstract
- – IN the moment – being present for the risk
- – INside – inner dialogue that fuels
- – INtimate – personalizing your performance – dedication
- – INsight – what are you learning about yourself
Moving through Arts & Healthcare – an introduction to the field of Arts in Health and SPDT’s innovative programs
The Artist as Citizen – an overview of the history of community-inclusive art making and strategies for creating art with diverse populations. Topics related to social justice, identity, race, gender, and power are typical focal points for discussion.
