Today is the first day of summer and the last day of school. A half day. I've been home for 90 minutes and am already antsy and looking for something to do. Those of you who know me probably expected that. Even though I plan to rest this summer, I'm not one who is really able to rest. And there is plenty to do - a whole summer's worth, in fact. But I'm trying very hard to take the second half of this day - and the whole day tomorrow, if possible - to not do work. Writing seems to be a happy medium.
This year was a long one and like many other educators, I'm relieved to reach the end. This was a hard one. In some ways, this year was more difficult that the last two with Covid, but it ended on a relatively high note. Lots of yearbooks signed. A couple of student requests for selfies. A few gift cards. And one student who quietly asked me to sign her book and then, when I was finished, quickly told me I was one of her favorite teachers before she ran off and away from what was clearly a moment of vulnerability for her. As I told the two other students standing there with me, "that's why I like the last day of school".
Middle school graduation was last night and high school graduation is tonight. I view this last day in the same lens that many graduation speakers tend to take: Every end is a new beginning. There will be time to further reflect on the year and make adjustments for September. I have a pile of data from student surveys to peruse; oh, and a new classroom space being built! (More on that as we get closer). For now, I will try to take it easy. Maybe read a book, or play a game with my kids. There's so much more time for that now. The work will be there for me on Thursday.
Today, I met with a middle school class that is one of the most energetic I've had this year. They were working in randomized, small groups on a "final" performance project that ended with about 8 minutes left in the period. As I sat in the back of the auditorium marking the final group's rubric, the class - all of whom were sitting together in the first three rows - began to laugh and joke around with one another. A few students began performing on stage. They were doing funny bits, acrobatics, singing... I was in awe. A few turned around and asked if I was okay. It seems that I was sitting there rather comically with my mouth open just taking it all in. I walked to the front of the room as the circus died down and told them that was the most incredible eight minutes I'd witnessed all year. A few of them wondered if they were in trouble. Quite the opposite, I told them. I was just enjoying watching them let loose and have so much fun with one another.
I try to keep the classroom fun. I'm lucky because theatre is built to be that way, but sometimes things can get a little too serious, or a little too formatted. Their display was a great reminder that sometimes we just need to let loose and have a good time... especially in school.
Seven days more until summer. June 21. Coincidentally, that is our last day of classes. I am especially looking forward to this one and to having time over summer for the preparation of new programming and to revise curriculum for 2022-2023.
These last days of school are always interesting. With middle school, it's about keeping things "normal" while battling the students' ever-growing feeling of summer freedom.
In the high school, there's more a sense of winding down. As tests and projects come due, we all breathe a bit easier and reflection takes the stage. I love sitting with classes and asking general questions: How are you? How did things go? What worked? What didn't? What would you like to see/do next time? What can we do better?
These conversations over the last five school days brought excellent ideas and suggestions from students that I can't wait to put into action. It's great how this work always comes back to the core finding that has become my mantra: "take them seriously". They've begun taking themselves seriously, too, and the awakening that has begun is going to be fun to watch develop in the next school year!
This school year presented a unique opportunity to direct plays on both sides of the MS/HS complex. At the end of January, we closed the middle school musical production of Rock of Ages: Youth Editionwhile the high school production of Oklahoma!was in full swing. Having collaborators on both projects made this a smoother transition than one might expect. I am grateful for their flexibility while I swung back and forth between the two projects.
It seems this arrangement may continue into next year with additional directing opportunities. It sounds like a lot of work (and it is), but an incredible way to further develop the theatre programs in both schools. An added benefit will be the time I've been given to plan.
Choose any number of quotes about the importance of planning here. The most difficult challenge in the process this year was being handed the reigns to the middle school shows a month into the school year. Again, having a collaborator made that process easier. The addition of time gives us the ability to reflect on this past process and to make adjustments for the year ahead. I already have a few ideas in mind and am excited by the possibilities.
It is a unique arrangement to be in charge of theatre programs at two schools. Perhaps some of you reading this post may have experience with this. Any suggestions or advice you may have are greatly appreciated!
This past week, I led a summer camp at Monmouth County Parks that introduced the basic concepts of theatre design to students in grades 6-8. This is most definitely not my comfort zone as my design background is largely self-taught and I do not need to run any tech at school. However, I think there's something to the idea that one doesn't fully understand something until they can teach it and leading these camps has definitely taught me a lot.
Building from the experience last year, I incorporated a few changes into the program that worked well. The main change was moving away from a diorama-style build to one that would allow for a larger scale. The workshop encourages students to think more about scale and function that artistic skills, but working in the confines of a shoe box limited how things could work. This year, we used foam to create a base and backdrop on which the set would then be built. This allowed for a generous 1 inch: 1 foot scale and resulting set models that are easier to manipulate because they are bigger. Students who had chosen to build sets based in natural settings cut corners to not have to build such large trees and mountains. This produced great teachable moments when their "scale actors" suddenly dwarfed the trees! Theatre seems easy from the audience's perspective viewing the finished product - there's a LOT of work that goes into the planning and execution of what ends up on stage. You can see the students' models in the pictures included on this post.
I also picked up a valuable lesson that I will incorporate into my design unit at the middle school. I could tell that the campers were going to finish early on the last day and asked my wife, who is also a drama teacher (Instagram / TpT) for ideas of what I could do with them in the meantime. She suggested bringing in the board game Clue to play and to maybe incorporate into a final lesson on design. In the morning, I (re)introduced the game to the campers and instructed them to design one of the rooms from the game. I handed each of them cards from the Who, What, Where decks and encouraged them to build the room as they imaged it, but to incorporate elements (or clues) about the weapon and suspect into the drawing. They did this with subtle hints like color (for the suspect name), or a cutting board (for the knife), and in other ways. We played a modified game of Clue using those drawings, which didn't quite go as planned. Then we played the board game after. I think if I were to switch the order of those things, there might be an interesting and fun lesson about designing a location on stage. We'll see.
As fun as this camp was, I am glad that the summer camp sessions are over. As of this writing, there are 15 days until my first (PD) day at school. My wife and I are trying to use this week to do a number of family things with the kids before we need to really get serious about planning, prep, shopping, etc for whatever this school year has in store for us all!
Back in March, I wrote a post exploring my initial thoughts about the role of a school theatre program within the larger school community. A few weeks later, I created a brief survey that I sent to the membership of my high school drama club to gain insight on students' perspectives of the program and its function. About 20% of the students who received the survey provided a response. The results were generally what I expected:
students participated in their school theatre program as a creative outlet and because it was a place where they felt comfortable to be themselves
Those within the drama club frequently refer to it as a "family". I've only been at the school for two years, but what I've seen supports the kind of inclusion you might assume when you read or hear that word.
On the flip side, families can be exclusive groups, too. The next logical step is to explore the perception of the program from those who are outside the family... or is it?
Who is school theatre for? The quick and obvious answer is it is for the students who are active members; however, the primary function of the club is to present stories that are seen by those who exist outside of the family. It is an interesting tight rope to maneuver. That dichotomy also makes school theatre an incredible training ground for collaboration, empathy, and leadership.
More on that in a future post. In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on this. How do you balance the need for school theatre to serve its students members and the community audience? Is there a point where one may take precedence over the other?
Yesterday was the last day of the school year and I said "goodbye" to students (and a colleague) with whom I had the honor of working these past two years. We've been through some unusual and emotional moments together, most of them Covid-induced, but also that's the nature of doing work in the theatre:
the people you work with become like family.
Saying goodbye has always felt bittersweet; although I think that's only become a recent revelation for me. More often it feels sad and uncertain. I could see that in the seniors as they teared up, or had the first moments of uncertainty as they talked about what lies ahead. Graduation is a celebration of what has been accomplished, but Commencement is the beginning of something totally new. The 8th graders embraced that change as they join a family they've been destined for. The seniors are leaving the nest for things unknown.
One thing that I've found comforting in my "advanced age" is the ability to offer my students the assurance that while leaving high school (and everything they've ever known) can feel sad, there's a whole new world of possibilities waiting for them.
March 12 is a dubious date in my school theatre program. There are two reasons for this distinction:
March 12, 2020 - opening night for our winter musical, Into the Woods, which was postponed due to Covid just minutes before the end of the school day
March 12, 2021 - the final day of filming our Covid-restricted winter musical, Disney's The Little Mermaid
There may be many things to say about redemption and tenacity when you look at those two dates together like that. It was certainly the message that I repeated to the students as we pushed toward the end of filming through a variety of Covid-, and non-Covid-, related delays and hiccups and issues and roadblocks. But what I think is more interesting, and likely more important, is the influence those experiences will have on the students who lived them. The past two years have been difficult, which makes it easy to view them negatively; however, there is strong positive flip-side to that story. I'm curious how it will be perceived by my students and how it will play a role in their futures.
That leads me back to a question that I love to explore: "what is the role of theatre in schools?"
School theatre saved my life; there are others who have told me the same thing. Participation in theatre programs has benefits within a student's future artistic life as well as within the "real world". That has been seen in research published in Youth Theatre Journal and in my own doctoral dissertation. Now I'm curious to learn how school theatre programs can play a role within the larger school community. What is the perception of these programs from participants and non-participants? How do school theatre programs influence the overall function of a school? What happens with theatre programs are not present, or suddenly seek to exist? How about when they are first built, or "revitalized" after a significant absence?
Looks like I have some reading to do... and surveying my students for their stories... uh oh! Is this another research project in the works?
Friday marked the half way point in the school year as we began the 3rd marking period. It was a bittersweet time to say "goodbye" to the inaugural group of Playwriting students at the high school and hello to a new group of middle school Theatre students & the first Acting 2 Honors class in many years.
I struggled to put together a lesson plan map for the Acting 2 Honors class that I liked. The curriculum guide left by the previous teacher had some great idea for performance projects with a devised piece and a performance for children. But, the structure felt too disjointed for me. It wasn't until I peeked at the student surveys from the Playwriting class that it finally clicked. What the writing students enjoyed so much was the ability to learn from lectures, lessons, and exercises while having the freedom and time to let their creativity flow at their own pace. The one-on-one instruction was also helpful. That was it. If that was what creative students wanted, now I needed to find a way to apply it to the honors level acting class.
Friday afternoon, I presented my ideas to the Honors class at our first meeting. The class would have an acting studio-type structure and engage them in a series of individual and group performance projects. They liked the ideas of the devised and children's theatre pieces, but also the opportunity to do some self-reflection and to develop their own individual goals and projects. We will see how that all works out, but I'm excited by their excitement. I cannot wait to see how giving them the room to run supports whatever their imaginations can conceive.
Procrastination is defined as a habitual delay of something that "should be done". I often interpret that as "wasting your time"... but what constitutes as a waste of time?
As I write, I am sitting in my car outside a music studio where my daughter is taking ukulele lessons. There is an hour until she's done, which gives me an hour of time to use. How should I use that time? What should be done right now?
Playing a game on my phone would be a waste of time. That isn't necessary right now - it shouldn't be done. Knowing that I had this time ahead of me, I actually made the decision that I would not play games while waiting. There is work I could have done, but I try to use as much time as I can for family matters and personal projects. So instead, of leveling up in Disney Tsum Tsum, I've chosen to write a blog post.
But couldn't that also be a waste of my time? Shouldn't I also be doing something else? Who determines what I should and shouldn't do?
Our default answer here is probably work-related. I could use this time for grading papers, or making lesson plans for next week. Typically, I do that on Sundays. I could also use this time to catch up on emails, reading, working on a project, anything really. No matter what I choose to spending time on, any of those activities could be time well spent, or a complete waste of that time. It is all a matter of perspective.
This leads me to turn attention back to school. As a theatre teacher, I often have students who see my class as a waste of their time. I could provide arguments and evidence of why it is not, but from their perspective, those arguments don't matter much. Theatre class, or gym class, or art class, or math class, or any class can be perceived as a waste of their time. How many times do teachers hear "when will I ever use this in life?"... how many times have we asked that question ourselves? Why? Any of those subjects have use. They are in the curriculum for a reason. It goes back to perspective - or perhaps more specifically - goals.
What is the goal of a 7th grade student? What is the goal of 11th grade student? A basic answer could be: "to do well in school". If that is the case, we might argue that a student seeking to do well in school should apply themselves equally in every subject and every assignment - anything that has to do with school should be the focus of "doing well". But that doesn't happen. We all have our own interests and perspectives that make it virtually impossible to approach everything with equal interest and seriousness. Perhaps then it becomes more important to ask what does "doing well" mean? How do we define "well"? That can't possibly be the same for each person, either.
Sometimes I wonder what would happen if individual students had personal goals for the year ahead. For example, the 7th grade student may want something general like "to do well" with the added goal of identifying the subjects and fields that they are most passionate about. This may help further down the road when specializing: choosing electives, or narrowing down potential college and career plans. The 11th grade student may then have more specific goals focused on college applications and majors that mean "doing well" in the classes that will provide the best opportunity to achieve those goals.
What is emerging here is a more individualized, and specialized, approach to education that reaches beyond simply "doing well". Now students are reaching for specific goals; taking specific action. I wonder how a change like that would not only alter education but also improve student engagement across-the-board. I also wonder what would be lost in such a shift.
I don't have answers here. Nor am I making any strong suggestions or recommendations. This is a line of thought about what is or is not a "waste of time". Maybe the answer to that question is "whatever does not further our goals", but even then is it possible to have a clear view of the unknown future from a uncertain today?
Remote learning was challenging. That's no surprise and while each stakeholder has their own reasons why, we can all agree that it was a challenge. But from my perspective as both a teacher and a parent, it was a challenge well-received and one that - after a series of significant hiccups - went pretty well.
That's not a consensus view, I know. Plenty of people want school buildings to open up rather than struggle with the challenges of remote learning again. I miss working directly with my students and want to return, too. I'm all for a return, provided that we can do so safely. The rising numbers in my neck of the woods is troubling and hopefully we can get things under control before September. I'm also fortunate that my school district is starting a week later than most in order to finish some major construction projects at the middle school/high school complex. We are six weeks from the first day. The district is also planning very thoroughly and the plan currently under consideration is sensible and oriented toward safety for us all.
Whatever the return to school buildings (NOTE: not to "school" as some people will claim. Schools didn't close in March, the buildings did. We all continued with school even when working from home - an important distinction)... the return NOT be a return to normal. I think that under it all what we really want when talking about going back to school is a return to "normal". That leaves me in an interesting place where I am planning for something that is not quite clear, or understandable. But that's all things, isn't it? No matter how often we've experienced a certain something, or know what that something has been, it is never the same one year to the next - not even one day to the other. That idea is important to keep me from overthinking things. I'm going to plan for my classes and be more open than ever to the unknown of our hybrid classroom/remote learning model.
I'm excited to return. It's all I can think about and I'm doing my best to temper that excitement so as not to overwhelm my supervisors with questions and ideas that need to take a backseat to the pressing details of just how we all get back into the building safely.
That excitement comes from a love of my work and is further fueled by frustration. We had incredible excitement and momentum surrounding the high school winter musical and the new Theatre classes at the middle school. I know the students feel that frustration, too, and suspect that it will fuel them as it does me. Above all else, this whole experience reminds me the importance of grit and resilience and the need to just keep swimming, especially when the current gets rough.
This week, I return to Monmouth County Parks to teach a newly developed "Theatre Design" camp for students in grades 6-8. I worked with the parks last year on the "Theatre Techie" camp, which had to be revamped in lieu of the current Covid-19 restrictions. It occurs to me that this will be my first time in a classroom setting with students since my school shut down on March 12th. I will also have one of my middle school students in the camp. They were in my 4th marking period class, which only met online, so while they were a student of mine for 4 weeks, tomorrow will be the first time that we meet face-to-face. Crazy!
I'm looking forward to the program as it draws from some of the design elements that I brought to my general Theatre class at the middle school this year. However, with design as the focus we can spend a LOT more time on it than we did before. We will do some text analysis, sketching, modeling, revision, and "building". The end goal is for students to create a model set out of foam core. This something that I've seen done, but have never tried on my own. I'm curious to see how it will work and look forward to creating along with the students. More to come!
Persistence and curiosity may be the most important qualities we possess, yet I'm not sure they are the easiest to access. We are curious about everything as a baby, but seem to bury that away as we get older. What happens? How do we rekindle that curiosity? I try to spark it in my theatre classroom, especially at the middle school. A few students have told me that they would like to try working backstage, or performing, as a result of the class. They would never have wanted to do so before. I wonder: what specifically sparked that curiosity? What keeps us interested enough to feed that curiosity and to continue exploring?
How can that be applied elsewhere?
Look, I know it sounds cheesy, but the more we smile, say "hello", hold the door open for someone, or offer to help, the better off things are going to be. I try to do these things when I can and find that it often makes a difference. Just seeing another person smile can make the day that much better. This is particularly true with students and perhaps especially so in middle school. Give it a try sometime. Follow @jimdevivo
This is my third consecutive year teaching in the classroom (not counting the one year immediately after grad school). My journey to this work has been anything but traditional, which I think is one of the biggest benefits that I bring to the position I am in today. And not just content-wise as a theater teacher, but because of what I learned about audience engagement. My daily audience is my students; however, they're not the audience to whom I'm referring. Student engagement is important, of course, but so is engagement with the families and community outside of the school.
Audience engagement is important inside and outside the classroom
Dr. Joe Sanfelippo is the superintendent of Fall Creek School District in Wisconsin. His One Minute Walk to Work videos are a great resource for educators, but also a master class in leadership. In a recent Tweet, Dr. Sanfelippo talked about regularly connecting with parents, not just in the moments where we need them, or need to inform them. I've recently found how important that part of the job is. In the short time I have been in my current job, a number of parents have told me how much they appreciated hearing from me. Building those relationships is important for a child's education. I've taken steps this 3rd quarter to reach out to parents more often, but also emphasized the idea that Theatre is a communication between actors and audience. That skill is at the heart of my curriculum and surprisingly something in need of development in our society of advanced technology meant to bring us closer together. Just two weeks in now and already it seems as if students are creating with each other quicker and with less hesitation than in previous quarters. I hope this will lead to deeper collaboration by the end of our 10-week session. At the high school, I hope to achieve my goal of expanding the student theatre program's social media presence will have long-term benefits. Our first gauge will be how well increased communication and engagement works with regard to ticket sales for the upcoming musical (Into the Woods - March 12, 13, 14). Perhaps from there, a link can be made to the transferable marketing skills developed in the theatre classroom.
In September, I began a new adventure when I was hired as the first ever Theatre teacher for a school district in suburban New Jersey. This was a unique opportunity to fulfill a dream of mine to develop a theatre education program and I could not pass it up. I am based in the middle school with an additional high school class. I am also directing the winter musical at the high school (Into the Woods - details to follow in a future post!). Now that the school year has passed the halfway mark (and done so quickly!), I've had two rotations of the quarterly class on which to reflect and make a series of changes to the curriculum. Just eight days in this has already improved the students' experience.
One thing that helped was the opening of the brand new performing arts studio, I share this space with the part-time dance teacher after we both had been bouncing around between traditional classrooms. I took the opportunity to bring the classes to the high school auditorium (the middle and high schools are attached), but that was always dependent upon the availability of the space. The new room keeps me in one place and is arranged the way I need it to be (even though it is primarily arranged for dance, which has more specific needs than a theatre class). The students and I enjoy the wide open space and the freedom that it brings - though I do miss the auditorium some times; we will return there for a future unit and the final performance project.
Panorama of Studio 205 the day before moving in
The dance teacher and I have been slowly making the room a classroom with furniture and decor. I can't wait for my storage cart to arrive this weekend and am searching for some posters and pictures for the walls. I also need to create some signs for the two mirrored walls, which are more of a distraction to self-conscious middle school students than I had imagined!
This weekend, Seth Godin posted an interesting idea on his blog called "Break the Lecture". In short, Godin is suggesting that we live in a digital age where interactive technology is nearly ubiquitous and people experience things less in person than they did years ago. One area he suggests hasn't changed is the classroom lecture, which has remained one-sided whether in person or online. He offers the idea of a "back channel" app that asks students questions throughout the lecture. This provides a means for engagement while offering a speaker feedback in real time. I like the concept and agree that lectures need to be rethought in order to engage with the audience. However, I don't know if using our digital technology is the best way.
PeopleImages/Getty (Is that the lecturer from HigherEdJobs.com?)
Immediately, I think of my middle school and high school classrooms where technology is a constant distraction. This is particularly true in middle school. While Godin's theoretical app would block all other apps and programs, I wonder if it only exacerbates the distance that device use has created. Listening and discussing during a lecture is an important skill that will be of benefit to students in the future. Interacting with a live person - while becoming an incredibly less prevalent experience in our society - is a skill that needs nurturing; one might argue it to be one of the most important for children in the middle school years.
So instead of an engagement app, I propose making those lectures more engaging. A good first step would be getting some of that text off the screen (or at the very least, please stop reading what text is up there). Using tech to elevate engagement in the lecture will go a long way. In the end, it always comes down to the age-old "know your audience" and gear the presentation toward their needs and interests. Admittedly, with students, they also need to be willing to take that journey, but as a teacher it is my job - our job - to meet them at that point and provide an interesting path forward. Jordan Tannahill explores this idea within the context of creating theatre in his book Theatre of the Unimpressed. Plenty of strong ideas in there that can be applied to the classroom. I am trying to do this myself, but the jury is still out on it... but so far, so good.
Had a great time Wednesday accompanying the 7th grade class on their field trip to the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia today. I am a big history nerd, especially when it comes to the American Revolution. That period has been an interest of mine ever since I learned as a kid that I shared a birthday with George Washington. I am also fascinated by museums and libraries - I could spend all day getting lost in them reading, learning, dreaming... of course that wouldn't do on this trip. It was my job as chaperone to keep an eye on a group of 17 students as they were led around the museum by one of the education tour guides. It was the perfect opportunity to do what I ask my students in the TYA class at NYU to do: watch how the youth in the audience react to what is being presented and the students did not disappoint.
The museum uses a few techniques to gauge audience interest. The layout meanders through the second story of the building much like the snake depicted in the "Join or Die" drawing featured prominently on the wall in one of the first rooms on the tour. Each of the rooms is dimly lit - no doubt this is to protect the artifacts within, but it also serves to help illuminate the items, statues, and stories most important to the narrative of the museum. The students and I also received character cards that included the name and some basic background information about a real person who lived at the time of the Revolution. We were told by the guide that at the end it would be revealed whether or not the person on our card survived the war. It was a technique reminiscent of the passport given to visitors at the United States Holocaust Museum when I went many years ago.
There was at least one statue, or tableaux, present in the museum rooms depicting important steps on the road from Stamp Act to the Treaty of Paris. These seemed to capture the students' attention most, as did the various interactive touch screens in other locations. The figures were so close and so lifelike that I found that if I imagined enough, it almost seemed as if I was there in the moment. The most engaging part of the trip for the students seemed to come at two separate moments. First, we boarded a replica of the bow of a privateer's sloop where seven students were pressed into service to load and fire a cannon. They took the work seriously and were deeply engaged in the moment. It was unfortunate, however, that the rest of the tour group was disengaged. With four cannons on the ship, I wonder what it might take to get everyone involved in that activity. The second most engaging moment came at the end of the tour when students came face to face with photographs of the people listed on our cards (everybody's character survived). It was fascinating to watch as they eagerly sought out the picture with a name plate that matched the name on their card. Many were surprised by how the person looked in the portrait; the photographs were of the people in old age. The students also touched the photos as if to have a more personal connection through touch.
The final message from the tour guide was that the spirit of the Revolution continues on in America today as we constantly strive for a better life and society. It was a great message that was alluded to at least once or twice along the way. I find it empowering to leave an audience with a big question to think about after an experience like this; that is one of the great powers of theatre. Did it work in the museum setting? It did for me. How well it resonated with the students is something I would need to follow up on with them. We quickly left the gallery for lunch (an hour later than we typically eat at school), so thoughts quickly shifted from the revolution to our stomachs, I'm sure. That only emphasized the importance of a follow up event like a post-show discussion, or something else along those lines. My TYA class at NYU often advocates for these although I am often skeptical of how well they work.
Elizabeth "Mum Bett" Freeman
One other thing I enjoyed was that our tour guide took a moment to tell one of her favorite stories from the museum: that of Mum Bett, an enslaved woman from Massachusetts who successfully sued for her freedom under the Massachusetts Constitution in 1781. It set a prescident that allowed for other slaves to sue for their freedom and eventually led Massachusetts to become the first state to abolish slavery. Mum Bett, or Elizabeth Freeman as she was later known, was a topic of discussion during the TYA class at NYU yesterday as we discuss the play, The Judgement of Bett by R.N. Sandberg along with Harriet Jacobs a dramatization of Harriet Jacob's slave narrative adapted by Lydia R. Diamond. I love tying together theatre and history and was happy to have this connection on the tour. Looking forward to considering it again in class tomorrow; perhaps it is something that I can bring - at least in part - to the 7th graders, as well.
Theatre In Our Schools Month kicks off today and for the first time I am participating as the leader of a school drama club. Our state Thespian chapter shared a series of prompts for the occasion that were created by Thespian Troupe #5840 at Gloucester County Institute of Technology. I have adopted and shared these with the community at Lacey Township High School with the goal of getting as many students, teachers, staff, and community members involved in celebrating. While I look forward to seeing what they share, I am also excited to share a few things myself, particularly today with the prompt:
“Favorite song that you have performed or want to perform”
I am a huge musical theatre nerd. The history of the genre is fascinating to me and I have also been known to burst into song on occasion. This is something I usually try to keep under wraps, of course (unless I’m teaching upper elementary or middle school students whose appalled amusement is quite enjoyable), so it may come as a surprise to some reading this blog (and not quite a surprise to others, like those who live in my house).
Finding just one favorite song for this prompt is tricky. So here are a few that might fit the bill:
1. “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’!” from Oklahoma!
I’ve written about this song before and how much I like Hugh Jackman’s performance of it. This is an easy song to sing and I think I manage it pretty well in the car. Not a role I’d ever want to play, nor is it one in which I’d be cast. The character’s name (Curly) isn’t accidental!
2. “If I Can’t Love Her” from Beauty and the Beast
Similar to “Mornin’”, this is a great song to sing and way back when I was an auditioning actor (as opposed to a working one), this was one of my go-to songs. It fit my range well and the emotional depth of the song is moving. Terrence Mann sung the song well, but Josh Groben's pretty good, too.
3. “A Little Priest” from Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sweeney Todd is my favorite musical. It has all of the Sondheim qualities to enjoy and is an amalgamation of performance styles that feel appropriate to, if not actually of, the Victorian era in which the story is set. “A Little Priest” is a good music hall / vaudeville routine that swings across the emotional and psychological spectrum of the murderous, vengeful Todd. I have never played Sweeney Todd - and would gladly welcome the chance to do so -, but did perform the song during my freshman year of college. In my undergraduate program, senior Honors students research and present a performance thesis at the end of the year. I was cast with three other students to perform a musical revue that included “A Little Priest” and the preceding “Epiphany” (another excellent song).
Click here to see Angela Lansbury & George Hearn perform this song.
4. “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid
That may seem like a goof, but file this song under “favorite that you want to perform” for me. A few years back, I was teaching a playwriting residency to a large group of 4th and 5th graders. We were talking about how sometimes a play is fueled by a character who wants, or needs, something that they feel they must have. This song popped into my head and I went with it... actually, I began singing it… and it worked. Ariel has everything she could possibly have, but what she really wants is a whole world away from her. We all feel like that at some point in our lives. It is also a good touchstone for younger audience members from elementary school to high school who can’t wait to get older and get out into the world to see what is beyond what they’ve always known.
Obviously, I will never play Ariel, but if there was ever a “miscast” performance like they do at MCC Theatre’s annual gala, this would be a song I’d like to sing. Or perhaps even “Never Go Back to Before” from Ragtime. That’s a good one, too.
5. "Lily’s Eyes" from The Secret Garden
When this show opened on Broadway, I fell in love with it to the point of jealousy when my sister received a copy of the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. We lobbied to produce the play in college and when it was chosen for the season during my junior year, my friend Lou and I auditioned with “Lily’s Eyes”. We were cast in the roles of Archie & Neville Craven, respectively, and sang this song quite often. I couldn’t get enough of it. The song still moves me today and is absolutely the most favorite song I have performed.
One thing that I look forward to doing with this blog is reviewing books and plays for young people. There hasn’t been as much time as I would like to spend reading this year, but I did have the pleasure of reading The Kindling and Penumbras, the first two books in the Middle School Magic series by my friend, Braden Bell. Penumbras was released in July and I am happy to join the final leg of the Penumbras book tour with my first book review.
The Middle School Magic series focuses on Connor, Lexi, and Melanie, average middle school students who are quickly thrust into the epic struggle between the forces of Light and Dark when it is discovered that they are Magi-in-training in service to the Light. All of this while they struggle to find a balance in their rapidly-changing, pre-teenage lives. The Kindling introduces readers to the characters and the world of the Magi. Penumbras picks up where the first book left off and defines those factions in more detail and explores the grey areas where Light and Dark can intersect: often within the human soul. Much of the book tells of Connor, Lexi, and Melanie’s training under the guidance of Dr. Timberi, a master Magi who also happens to be the music and drama teacher at their school. Penumbras has plenty of action and intrigue to keep an audience (young and adult) engaged throughout. Bell has a knack for infusing even the most intense action scenes with a great deal of humor. I particularly enjoyed the battle in a department store at the mall. Also, there are some interesting and controversial character developments (link here) and a surprise ending that will leave you wanting to get your hands on the next book as soon as it is published. But what particularly excites me about Penumbras is how the story is as much about the emotional development of its young characters as it is about the epic struggle between Light vs. Dark.
While Lexi, Connor, and Melanie work to understand their abilities and responsibilities as Magi, they must also navigate the treacherous emotional landscape of early adolescence. Bell shows the experiences of being a young person in the language of a young person with great skill and honesty, undoubtedly a result of his years as a middle school teacher. Within the narrative, the Light and the Dark become parallels for the “good” and “bad” that may exist within the human soul and continually impact the characters’ thoughts and actions. The narrative as a whole demonstrates the much larger implications that personal decisions and actions can have and, perhaps more importantly, shows that it is possible for a person to be more than just “good” or “bad” and that redemption and forgiveness are always possible. I can imagine such a message resonating with young readers as they struggle, often silently, to understand the numerous new and often accentuated thoughts and emotions that accompany the journey through puberty and into adulthood. Bell seems to say to our children, and to us, that sometimes you need to go through the Darkness to get to the Light. And that in the end, there is still the possibility that everything will be ok. That is a strong and encouraging message that all of us, young and old, need to hear.
I strongly recommend Penumbras (and The Kindling) to you and to the young people in your lives just as I have recommended the books to my students and my family. I hope that you find Penumbras and the rest of the Middle School Magic series as enjoyable as I have. And please let the author know how much you enjoyed it. As he says on his website, he loves interacting with his readers!
Please see the links below for further information about this series and its author, Braden Bell. There is a discounted rate on the book when you order through the author’s website.
