Performing Wisdom Workshop


for students who want to think and act philosophically

Please Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the workshop is moving online. Interested students should submit an application as soon as possible and they will receive additional details about the program’s new format.
Apply now!
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the program is full.
Program dates: July 13-31, 2020
Program location: Online via Zoom

Image of Epidarus by Uta Scholl on Unsplash
Image of Epidarus by Uta Scholl on Unsplash

The Performing Wisdom program introduces high school juniors and seniors to issues in philosophy that have been important since ancient times – issues surrounding justice, ethics, truth, and knowledge. While we will research, write about, and debate these issues together, we will also explore creative, dramatic approaches to making our philosophical thinking relevant, engaging, and powerful. Under the guidance of the Performing Wisdom faculty, students will undertake daily investigations of questions such as: What does it mean to be a just person? When is it right to disobey? What responsibilities does a citizen have to her society? These investigations will use philosophical texts, but the heart of the Performing Wisdom program is its emphasis on the power of dramatic action to encourage creative thinking and expression.
Over the course of three weeks, students will write, direct, and perform original pieces of drama, which transform philosophical debates into vivid, realized dramatic conflict. On the final day of the program, participants will stage an adaptation of the ancient tragedy Antigone—a deeply philosophical drama—via Zoom.
For more information and to apply, visit the webpage.