Today we’d like to introduce you to Gwen Tulin.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Gwen. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Brain Arts Productions was founded in 2007 as Brain Surgeon Theater, a company that focused on original, intergenerational theater productions. As our focus shifted to arts education programming over the years, we moved into movie making and other areas. We also recently rebranded as Brain Arts Productions!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a bit of a long, slow road at times. I started Brain Surgeon Theater as a passion project when I was a young theater artist with a day job. As our camps have grown (and our parties grew out of campers wanting us to come to their birthday parties!), we’ve spent some time fleshing out what we want the organization to look like as it grows outside of our small intrepid group of campers who kept coming back every summer in the early years. I would say our biggest struggle has been figuring out how to keep our camps feeling like something small and special (like a cool secret club), while being able to serve a wider audience. We’ve mostly accomplished this by keeping our camp sizes super small and offering more (and varied) camps throughout the summer.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Brain Arts Productions – what should we know?
Brain Arts is unique for two reasons: we focus on interpersonal skills just as much as creative skill-building, and we like things just a little bit weird.
In our camps and classes, Brain Arts students take on every role in creating their final product: they devise the stories, develop their own characters, build the sets, make their own costumes, and of course perform in the show. In this storefront theater model, our campers are building their communication, problem-solving, critical thinking and team building skills just as much as they’re honing their acting chops or learning how to focus a stage light.
Because our professional teaching artists work with the young people in our camps as direct collaborators, our final products often have a tinge of unexpected zaniness to them- like the time a team of pizza-loving aliens saved their planet from invading yoga practitioners. We really honor the voices our students bring to the table and celebrate their unique perspectives.
We’re best known for our Rock Musical Camp, a staple of Brain Arts Camp for 10 years. Over the past few years, we’ve really expanded into movie making, both through camps and parties. People love our music video and movie trailer parties because they’re both a super fun party experience, and come with an incredible memento to watch over and over (and screen at graduation parties down the road…).
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Our respect for the young people we work with. They are our collaborators, and because of that belief, we truly have fun and learn while we’re working with them. We respect their ideas, we appreciate their hard work, and we also have high expectations for them, just as we do for ourselves. This doesn’t mean we don’t have fun – in fact, I think this foundation of mutual respect is what makes it possible to manifest so much joy in creating our plays, movies, and inventions. It is a privilege to be gathered together with each cohort of young people, and that so long as we never lose sight of this, we will always be creating work from the right place.
Pricing:
- In-home movie-making parties: $495
- Two-week summer camp: $650
Contact Info:
- Address: In residence at Prop Theater
3502 North Elston Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60618 - Website: www.brainartsproductions.org
- Phone: Call or Text 773-850-2199
- Email: info@brainartsproductions.org
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brainsurgeontheater/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/brain-surgeon-theater-chicago
Image Credit:
1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 : Michael Courier
Photo of Gwen: Evan Hanover
