SPACE (Near and Arnold's School of Performing Arts and Cultural Education) is thrilled to bring on a new instructor who has a wealth of experience, local connections and a global perspective.
Rickie Farah is SPACE's Young People's Drama Co-Chair. She was born in Novato but spent the bulk of her youth in Peru- the home of her mother, sister and grandmothers- who left Peru due to the ravages of the Shining Path- the guerilla insurgency group that was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
"Since my mom was born, there had been terrorism," says Farah. "I didn't realize it had been happening since I was born until a recent trip back to Peru." The family returned to Lima when she was seven-and-a-half. When Farah returned, her parents placed her into a theater program, where her English speaking landed her a role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast. She was hooked- and continued with extracurricular theater programs until her return to the states.
Farah's family wanted her to retain both languages, so she was enrolled in a bilingual school, where two of her instructors had acting and voiceover backgrounds. Most schools are private in Peru, and parents have a variety of options for education, largely based on income. Additionally, municipalities offer many types of classes- Arabic dancing, etiquette and modeling. "This variety is normal in Peru. It's such an interesting country," Farah continues. She characterizes the culture in Lima by citing a popular television show- "In the Back, there's Space." The show features wealthy and poor neighbors whose homes are backed up against each other. "It's a magnifying glass of Lima, where mansions and colorful houses of poorer people are built close to one another." Farah received instruction from individuals involved in these productions and became involved in the summer theater community.
Another norm in Peru is to attend University upon graduation.
"Our plan was always to return to California for college. My sister ended up moving to Ukiah, and I ended up attending Mendocino College." She elected to enroll in the theater/conservatory cohort, working at theater, dance and singing prior to her transfer to UC San Diego.
Mendocino College instructors Reid Edelman, Marilyn Simpson, Les Pfutzenreuter, Eryn Schon-Brunner and Janice Timm were great inspirations, as well as local dance instructors Kirsten Turner, Trudy McCreanor and Rachel Young.
"My first theater endeavor was at Mendocino College- Grow, directed by Dan Hoyle. I'd never sung in public until I went to Mendocino College." Additionally, she appeared in Mendocino College productions of Once Upon a Mattress, Julius Caesar, Sueño, American Idiot and The Cherry Orchard.
From Mendocino College, Farah transferred to UC San Diego.
"Then Covid happened, so I came back to Ukiah, doing school from home. My theater program turned into a film program," she smiles. "I acted through a different medium, where you can't be as big on screen as on stage." She was able to graduate in-person with her parents in attendance.
Following college, Farah returned to Ukiah and joined Hardly Artists- a group of local filmmakers. "We're filming a movie tomorrow. It's a group of mainly theater people trying to be film people, except for Scott Spears and Cody Phillips, who got their majors in film. The skills that I learned at college through Zoom have helped me to be a film actress."
Currently Farah is substituting at Grace Hudson Elementary School as well as being the co-chair of Young People's Drama at SPACE along with Olivia Zamora. She is teaching several acting courses.
Acting I is Farah's Physical Theater class for children ages 8-10.
"We're telling stories with our bodies, and learning voice, projection and the basics of theater. There's more weight on visual acting. Sometimes conveying messages without words can be very powerful. I'm using a technique that I learned from Ellen Weed called Moment Work. I ask kids to show me a moment when, for example, they felt happy. I clap, they show the moment, and we end. It's like little charades, using our real lives to make stories."
Her second course: Tell Your Story- is a class she has been hoping to teach for over a year.
"When I was at the college, I had an opportunity to attend an acting intensive through CSU's Summer Arts program. There was a solo performance called 'Transcribing the Soul.' We were asked to tell a story we needed to tell now. Mine was deciding which university I should attend. I was feeling guilty about living so far from my dad. My story started with me, swinging on a swing. As a child, every time my dad would push me, he'd say, 'Get out of here!' It was the funnest thing ever. When I asked my dad about college, he said the same thing. Calling this an acting class doesn't suffice. It wasn't therapy, but it was therapeutic. It helped me figure out thoughts I was struggling with and gave me a creative way to express them. Everything I'd ever done went into it- dance, singing- each performance was ours. I'm hoping to do something similar with these 11 and 12-year-old-kids at SPACE."
The SPACE curriculum has expanded so much that they are now offering courses at the Presbyterian Church next door, according to co-founder Laurel Near. "We have more and different acting teachers. It's been wonderful growth for the organization," Near notes.
"Rickie is so fun!" Near smiles. "Her comedy is nuanced and detailed. Plus, because she's a teacher, she has classroom management down pat. Kids are picking up all the techniques Rickie is using, and she's been picking up techniques since she was a seven-year-old." Teen interns are also helping out in Farah's classes.
"One of my classes had a few more students, and the support of the interns was essential," says Farah.
"SPACE has great tools that we receive when we get hired. The reflection time at the end of class is amazing. We talk about what students noticed and appreciated. For kids doing this for the first time, it's so important. Reflection is something that is definitely a SPACE practice that the kids enjoy," Farah explains.
One of the most important fundamentals that is present in all SPACE courses is teaching kids that they have imagination. Farah's experience on stage, doing physical comedy and dance give her tools that are perfect to bring out the creative in her students. She likes to create games with her students. She worked with Lucas Near-Verbrugghe as an assistant prior to taking over as a teacher. One of the games they constructed was "Let's all be in a Bathroom Together."
"The kids jumped in- 'I'm the curtain! I'm the rug! I'm the shower!' You arrange them and it all comes to life. Theater allows us to take a few risks," she smiles. "We create a context and a structure and let kids play in it."
Along with teaching, Farah will be playing the role of Mrs. Wormwood in Matilda, the Musical, which will be performed Sept. 29, 30, Oct. 1, 6 and 7.
For more information on SPACE courses visit https://www.spaceperformingarts.org.
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