Play in a Weekend
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Youth aged 7-14 come to us on a Friday after school. They're excited and a little nervous. We take them under our wings, play some theatre games, and then tell them about the play we've written for them. Maybe it's The Spindle and the Burp, a feminist and gassy retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Or maybe that weekend it's Hamlet, Schmamlet, a reimagining of Shakespeare's great tragedy in which Ophelia saves the day instead of drowns herself in a river. But what they really want to know is: What part will I get?! The students audition in such a fun and funny way, that sometimes, on Sunday evening when they're filling out the evaluation forms, they tell us that the auditions were the most fun they had all weekend!
Youth aged 7-14 come to us on a Friday after school. They're excited and a little nervous. We take them under our wings, play some theatre games, and then tell them about the play we've written for them. Maybe it's The Spindle and the Burp, a feminist and gassy retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Or maybe that weekend it's Hamlet, Schmamlet, a reimagining of Shakespeare's great tragedy in which Ophelia saves the day instead of drowns herself in a river. But what they really want to know is: What part will I get?! The students audition in such a fun and funny way, that sometimes, on Sunday evening when they're filling out the evaluation forms, they tell us that the auditions were the most fun they had all weekend!
The young actors are given their parts. The playwrights have
written the plays so that 1) everyone has a part, and 2) everyone has a really
good, fun part is meant to stretch them as young actors.
All day Saturday we balance rehearsal with games with
snacks. On Sunday, after a final dress rehearsal, we put on the show for
parents, grandparents, community members, and friends.
Then we celebrate with cake. Because after the weekend the
kids and staff have had, we deserve cake!
Of course, while the kids think they're having fun (and they
are), the Play in a Weekend staff and parents know that they are also learning
a great deal. Research shows that:
·
Theatre increases academic success. "Longitudinal data
of 25,000 students involved in the arts, conducted at UCLA’s Graduate School of
Education by Dr. James Catterall, shows that consistent participation [in
theatre] greatly improves academic
performance and significantly bumps up standardized test scores." (Danielle Wood, "Why Children's
Theatre Matters," education.com) And The
American Alliance for Theatre & Education found that students involved in
drama performance “scored an average of 65.5 points higher on the verbal
component and 35.5 points higher in the math component of the SAT. (Denise
Simon, "3 Ways Acting Boosts Self-Confidence in Young Performers."
backstage.com)
·
Because when students are playing a role, they develop empathy. Empathy is not
just important in interpersonal relationships, it's also one of the personality
skills that are most important for corporate leaders, doctors, and other
professionals. (Cathlyn Melvin, "The Top 5 Reasons Kids Should Do
Theatre," npnparents.org.)
·
Theatre--and especially the
plays written by our Play in a Weekend playwrights--exposes children to literature, to history, to imaginative
retellings, to feminist and class theory, and to the idea that the same
archetypical stories can be told in many different ways. (Any student who has
participated in Hamlet, Schmamlet has
learned the basic plot and themes of Hamlet
by Shakespeare, for example--even if they're seven years old.)
· Acting
instills pride and confidence in children. Our young actors work hard at remembering their
lines, at understanding their characters, at connecting with the other actors
on stage, at listening to the directors and understanding their feedback, and
at improving their skills. Our students develop earned self-esteem because they feel more confident about
themselves after they have successfully a play in only a weekend. How many
adult actors could do the same?!
If
you're interested in having your child participate in one of our Play in a
Weekend Workshops (traditionally we have two weekend workshops in
January/February and two weekend workshops in August/September), please contact
Kelly Dwyer at Kelldwyer@yahoo.com