"EDEN Engagement" is a special project within the 2024 Theater Arts and Education Project, focusing on environmental sustainability. It aims to help students understand the connection between art, environmental protection, and ecology through artistic experiences. Collaborating with the International Teaching Artists Collaborative (ITAC), this project incorporates choral elements to enhance students' musical and environmental awareness, opening new avenues for the integration of art and environmental education.
Two schools that focus on local environmental issues were invited: Hou-Zhuang Elementary School and Renwu Elementary School. About 30 fifth-grade students from each school participated in 13-week workshops led by YANG Yu-chiao. The workshop begins with topics like air and water pollution, gradually guiding students to explore how these issues impact our vocal, carbon and water cycles, and ecosystems. Students also collected environmental sounds and created artistic works using natural materials from their surroundings.
Students also learned to interact with nature and practice choral techniques, further enhancing their music literacy. Ultimately, they took the stage at the Weiwuying Opera House to sing the program's anthem, "Seeds of Hope," and their chosen piece, "Happy Paradise," using their voices to express their commitment to environmental protection. This project reflects Weiwuying's long-term dedication to art, the environment, and education, making Kaohsiung the "Root City" with the longest duration since the launch of the EDEN Engagement.
Weiwuying Theater's Theater Arts and Education Project launched in 2020, aiming to bring art into schools. Through a 13-week Stage Reading Course and a 3-week Experiential Course, the program guides students in a deeper understanding of performing arts and various topics. The courses are developed in collaboration between teaching artists and school teachers and include vocal exercises, discussions on issues, use of the body in artistic expression, and experiencing the senses. The aim is to get students to open up their senses and experience in depth the process and fun of creating a play. The students from Stage Reading Course put on a stage reading at the end of each semester.
