The Drama Crew is a group of diverse theatre professionals dedicated to bringing the discipline, craft, and creativity of the working theatre into the classroom. The organization was founded by Michael Cowell, who brings over 22 years of experience in theatre-arts education to the Crew’s philosophy, vision, and design.
The Drama Crew designs distinctive drama residencies for Grades K through 12, from 5 days to yearlong, that are age-appropriate and goal-specific. Our unique teaching style actively incorporates learning strategies that challenge students physically, mentally, emotionally, and imaginatively. Using role-play, improvisation, text comprehension, and performance techniques, our multi-modal, active learning approach fully engages diverse learners across multiple intelligences and provides practice in the skills necessary for holistic growth. Our individualized programs integrate Common Core, Hawaiʻi Content Standards, National Core Arts Standards, and Next Generation Science Standards, using drama as the way of learning a wide variety of subjects and/or topics. The Drama Crew has serviced over 1,000 students each year since 1997. We can assist you in securing program funding.
Michael Cowell is a working actor, writer, director, musician, film producer, and Master Teaching Artist raised in Hawaiʻi. With a B.A. in Drama and Theatre from the University of Hawaiʻi, acting training from master teachers in New York to Los Angeles, and twenty-five years in professional theatre and television, Michael brings a wealth of experience to the classroom. Michael is also a founding member of the innovative Art Bento program at Capitol Modern (Hawaiʻi State Art Museum), where he collaborated in developing the program curriculum. The Art Bento program engages students, Grades 2-6, in responding to visual artwork, using a variety of fine arts disciplines. In 1994, Michael received the American Alliance for Theatre and Education’s Outstanding Play Award for his produced and published play, Song for The Navigator, and in 2019, was awarded a Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts Artistic Teaching Partners Fellowship.
The Artistic Teaching Partners (ATP) Roster is an adjudicated directory of Hawai‘i professional teaching artists qualified to conduct in-depth residencies in educational settings. Each artist or arts organization has a page in the directory with contact information, a short bio, and an artist statement. The State Foundation on Culture and the Arts draws from this roster for arts education programs including Art Bento at the Hawaiʻi State Art Museum and Artists in the Schools.
