PDF Version and Application

As for our own time, consider the cinema. When we think of the cinema, most of us think of actors or actresses…or we think of directors….you can insert any names you like. But we do not think of the screenwriter….

Something analogous happened with plays in Shakespeare’s time. Plays belonged to the acting company, not to their authors. Each time they were staged, new scenes with up-to-date touches were added…Shakespeare did not write to be read, but to be performed….when he wrote…he adapted his words to one actor or another; as someone once said, when a character sings in Shakespeare’s work it is because a certain actor knew how to play the lute or had a nice voice. Shakespeare needed this circumstantial stimulus.

                                                                                                                             Jorge Luis Borges
“The Enigma of Shakespeare,” 1964

This summer, Exploraciónes Dramáticas will help you expand your cultural horizons and improve language skills in a creative and stimulating environment. You’ll read classic and contemporary plays and act in selected dramatic scenes. You’ll get to know the work of stars and directors in unforgettable films from Argentina, Chile, Mexico and Spain. From Don Juan to Amores Perros, Buñel to Almodóvar, Calderón to telenovelas, Cantinflas to Penelope Cruz, the Spanish-language theater and cinema have captured the imagination of audiences the world over and also influenced the dramatic work of Molière, Mozart, Byron, Shaw, and Beckett. Exploraciónes Dramáticas provides a special opportunity to share in this tradition by reading, watching, imagining and performing.

Each morning session will be conducted as a dramatic literature and performance workshop, augmented by occasional lectures and demonstrations. In the afternoon, everyone becomes a critic with classic and recent films screened as a point of departure for analysis and comment. Exploraciónes Dramáticas will conclude with an evening “showcase” of scenes from selected plays performed by students for an audience of friends and family. All instruction and performances will be Spanish.

This 5-week program of learning by doing is open to students from the Houston metropolitan area who will be entering the 10th, 11th, 12th grades or college. To apply, complete the student section of the PDF form and give it to a teacher who knows you well or a counselor to fill out the recommendation section. Your teacher/counselor should mail the completed form along with an official transcript directly to:

Exploraciónes Dramáticas
Wonderworks
PO Box 667550
Houston, TX 77266-7550
Fax: 713.523.6145

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 5 May; early applications are encouraged. All applicants will be notified by 2 June; early applicants will be notified sooner.
If you have any questions or need additional information, call 713.301.4882 or email exploracionesdramaticas@wonderworkshouston.org.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from Houston Endowment Inc. and
the Greentree Fund.