“This book captures better than anything I have ever seen, what it was that I spent 45 years pursuing. This is the work.”
Eric Booth, internationally acclaimed author and arts educator
About the book:
CITIZEN ARTISTS: A Guide to Helping Young People Make Plays That Change the World
Citizen Artists takes the reader on a journey through the process of producing, funding, researching, creating, rehearsing, directing, performing, and touring student-driven plays about social justice.
The process at the heart of this book was developed from 2015–2021 with and for Epic’s youth ensemble: Epic NEXT. Author and Epic Co-Founder James Wallert shares his company’s unique, internationally recognized methodology for training young arts leaders in playwriting, inquiry-based research, verbatim theatre, devising, applied theatre, and performance.
Readers will find:
- 4 original student-written plays
- 7 complete timed-to-the-minute lesson plans
- 36 theatre arts exercises
- AND pages of practical advice from more than two dozen of Epic’s professional teaching artists!
Citizen Artists is a one-of-a-kind resource for:
- Students interested in learning about theatre and social justice
- Educators interested in fostering learning environments that are more rigorous, democratic, and culturally-responsive
- Artists interested in creating work for new audiences that is more inclusive, courageous, and anti-racist
Click here to support Epic with a donation and receive a signed copy of Citizen Artists!
- $25 NOURISH: provides a day of catered meals on a film set for one student or Alumni performer
- $50 PROTECT: provides rapid testing and PPE each week on set for 2 student/Alum performers
- $100 MENTOR: Provides an on-set professional Mentor-Artist from Epic’s ensemble for one day for 3 student/Alum performers. *Comes with a student signed thank-you card and an Epic pen*
- $250 INSPIRE: Provides a weekly stipend for a student/Alum performer from an under-resourced community. *Comes with a student signed thank-you, an Epic pen, and a signed copy of James Wallert’s CITIZEN-ARTISTS*
Click here to support Epic by purchasing your “I am Epic” gear!
