Romeo and Juliet Field Trip

Well, we did it! We took 180 students to the Shakespeare Tavern on Tuesday to see Romeo and Juliet. What a treat! I, for one, enjoyed the performance, and even better, the students enjoyed it. Everyone agreed that Mercutio was incredibly entertaining, and I could hear and sense genuine sorrow when he died in Act 3. We studied the language a little before we went, and the students said, while they didn't understand everything that was being said at all times, they still understood what was going on. I look forward to delving into the text a little more now that they've seen the play. I think it will make reading the play an incredibly rich experience. I have assigned them an essay to write: "Which is better, the play or the movie?" I can't wait to hear the responses.

Tales of Edgar Allan Poe

SO MUCH FUN! This may very well be my favorite performance. I can't wait to see another puppet show! I am simply blown away by the creativity and talent displayed in this show. I am so thankful that we got to speak with the performers and director after the show. One thing from that conversation that has really stuck with me is the process involved in creating the show. As I was watching it, I kept thinking, "How did they come up with this?" Then, they explained how it developed in stages and how different people contributed - set design, music, etc. What a great lesson for our kids about teamwork and the importance of diverse talents. It takes so many different people to put on a great show. If I could one performance to take my students to, I think this would be it. These are tales they are familiar with and that they love, so I think it would be a very positive experience for them. Plus, they would get to experience the genius of the percussionist. Another thing I can take back to my classroom is the idea of turning a short story into a puppet show - and not necessarily a traditional, behind the curtain puppet show. I'm beginning to see that there are so many outlets for creative performance! I really want to give my students the opportunity to express themselves in these ways. My only concern is what to do for the students who don't want to do a performance. What creative outlet do I offer them?

Women and War

This was not my favorite production. I didn't really like the interpretive dance moves, but I did love most of the dramatic monologues. They were very compelling. I also found it interesting that they combined video with live performance. I noticed they were using the choral reading strategy we had discussed, and I thought it was interesting. What I did love about this production and what I want to take back to my classroom is the way the writers took NONFICTION and turned it into a dramatic piece. I'm not sure if I could assign something like this because it would be hard to communicate my expectations to the students since they haven't seen what I've seen. But then, maybe that's a good thing - this way whatever they produce is completely their own. It would be cool to offer this as an alternative to the traditional research paper.