1.24.2011

artist in residence: middle school drama

during the day, i am a drama director in a middle school fine arts program.

teaching theater to sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students is a wild adventure.

it has some wonderfully rewarding moments but is not recommended for the faint of heart.

managing to get thirty adolescent humans to collaborate and perform is indeed an artistic endeavor but could also be compared to herding cats.

here are a few quick snaps from my classroom...


{the stage}



{backstage}



{student artwork from our last play}



{backstage: props}



{backstage: costumes}



{my reflection: closing the theater after a show}


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cool! I run our elementary drama club and it is so much work. People don't understand how hard it is sometimes- like herding cats! I know that middle schoolers add the drama of hormones run-amuck!!!

This semester, we are collaborating with the local college children's theatre troupe. I am a bit nervous! We start next weekend.

Caiti said...

What a fun job! Although I'm sure it's totally exhausting at times. Teachers get so much of my respect!

thursday said...

oh lady, I have a new found admiration for you. somehow I didn't realize you are a drama teacher. that takes some SERIOUS patience! I was a drama kid and I can remember how full of energy the room would be at all times. exciting for a 14 year old, but probably exhausting for anyone else.

Unknown said...

what a great gift you are giving them...those kids will remember it for the rest of their lives! I still remember fondly my brief moments on stage in elementary school [although shy little me really had no business up there!] my mom teaches 6th graders and does a Shakespeare play with them every year...this year they're split 50/50 on whether to do Hamlet or The Tempest...(adapted, of course) it's very exciting :)

diane said...

mim...i didn't know that you run the elementary drama club! how cool! and yes, middle school hormones galore over here.

caiti...it really is a ton of fun. in some ways, i get to play every day. a dream!

chantilly...it makes me so happy to know you were a drama kid! i love that. yes, my room is always zippy with dramatic teen energy. never a dull moment. :)

sara...hamlet or tempest with sixth grade would be amazing. does she know about the hobart shakespeareans? they are a fifth grade class in los angeles that stages an unabridged shakespeare play every year. mind-blowing stuff, i say. there is an excellent DVD about their story.