Jenn Banda
About Jenn
Because of Jenn Banda’s passion for all aspects of theatre, drama becomes three-dimensional in her classes; students are never bored no matter what their age. She brings to her classroom a sense of universality, of commonality which is essential for all students to embrace. Jenn helps her students to realize that they have a voice through theatre, that they can connect with others in an ensemble and in life, and that they will discover their own essential being by studying and bringing to life the characters which they portray. Furthermore, Jenn’s goal is to make her students laugh realize that theatre is approachable for all students and is so much more than “playing a part”
Theatre is a medium to present the human condition. Whether it be the classic view of the Greeks and Shakespeare or the devising of a current political theme, theatre reflects the spirit of our humanity and gives expression to it. More importantly, theatre is a medium for social change. For years, Jenn has valued text, applied theatre, and devising as an integral part of her teaching. Physical theatre plays an essential role in her teaching and in the worlds which she creates when directing. Theatre as a voice for the voiceless and as an instrument for change has always been the foundation of Jenn’s work. From Brecht to the Public Theatre’s “Julius Caesar”, Caryl Churchill’s “Far Way”, Anna Deveare Smith’s “Twilight” , Young Jean Lee’s “Straight White Men”, and Michaela Coel’s “Chewing Gum Dreams”, theatre reflects the human concerns of major political and social issues.
As a teaching artist Jenn has taught and directed globally in public, private, and performing arts schools from New Hampshire, Arizona, France, and the United Kingdom to Bali, Indonesia. Her students have been diverse: ESL and foreign born, from Universities, to High Schools, Middle Schools, Private Schools, Title 1 Schools. In all cases, she has been able to successfully engage and excite them even when they have been reluctant. It is her passion for theatre and her compassion for her students that stands her in good stead in any classroom; she enthusiastically shares her craft, she learns with her students, and she applauds their successes. Her students have earned awards at such festivals as the New Hampshire Drama Festival, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Zoni Awards in Phoenix, Arizona. Others have gone on to study and perform in the United States, Europe, and South America. Her university students in Denpasar (Bali) excelled in both learning Shakespearean English text and production of Balinese/Western theatre. Just recently, several of her theatre students were accepted at prestigious English academies such as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, the University of Essex, and the University of Liverpool. In the United States her students have been accepted at respected schools such as Carnegie Melon, Boston Conservatory, Cal Arts and AMDA.
Her experience in directing has ranged from full stage productions to black box theatre, monologues to classic theatre and musicals. She has worked in parks and at the seashore, venues which her students enjoy tremendously while they learn to project and to work in a space without walls. Also, it is not unlike Jenn to also join forces with creative arts staff to use original student dance and music for her productions because she strongly believes that collaboration is essential as theatre encompasses all the arts, history, culture, literature….not to mention the technical needs of a production! For Jenn theatre touches all disciplines, all voices, all humanity.