To Strut Upon the Stage

Today the Herons found out the roles they will be playing in our production of Twelfth Bite. I can't wait to get started. I am continually amazed by the power of theater in a classroom. We recently had a half a day of professional development devoted to looking at how we employ the habits of mind in our classroom. Our play will challenge us in so many of the habits:

Persistence – memorization is not an easy task…and it's just the first one. An actor must learn blocking and learn to project. The there's timing and, well, acting. We will have worked through most scenes 6 times before our dress rehearsal.
Striving for Accuracy – Our actors will reach a high standard. We will work on volume and diction again and again and again. The students bring a commitment to craftsmanship and professionalism to their work — they seek out feedback and tweak their performances.
Flexibility - some students are working on this right now — perhaps they envisioned themselves in a different part. That feeling fades quickly as our work on the play begins, however. Then we have to react to each other, think quickly when something goes wrong and try new things.
Creating and Innovating – more than 10 Herons worked on the creation of our script – thanks to the marvels of Google Drive (which is another blog post). We'll continue to add jokes, create scenery and make costumes.
Wonder and Awe - there is no thrill like that of the applause at the end of a performance. We did it!
Working Interdependently – teamwork is essential in theater. We all depend on each other. When one person struggles, we all struggle. Creating a cast that supports and encourages each other is crucial. Even today, students cheered and applauded each other as they went up to audition.
Taking Risks – Over half of the Herons said they'd be willing to sing and flirt on stage. Many took risks today, deciding to audition even though they were unsure of their memorization. Acting is constant risk taking.
Finding Humor – things rarely go perfectly…
Managing Impulsivity – waiting…waiting…waiting…waiting…then — boom — you're on stage. And for all that waiting, you're silent.

I could probably make an argument for all 16 Habits. Suffice to say, we'll be working hard in the next week (and planning ways to share our Elizabethan London knowledge with you, too.) If you have some time from 8:20-9:00 — we'd love to have some volunteers to help students run through scenes.