As one group stayed in the gymnasium and worked with Darby to emulate a storm, the rest of our readers returned to the library and worked through their specific parts and enjoyed a very interactive reading.
The specific groups that work with each actor, Group Alonso, etc., have made their picks and now the children are hard-pressed to focus toward the future, toward the performance. There is a simultaneous wave of excitement and trepidation.
But, continuing from week one there is something infectious about the interaction between the students from both schools (Lowell and Boise State), a bridge that connects both generations to a world created by William Shakespeare--the gap is quickly closing and it becomes more and more obvious why Shakespeare is said to be, "not of an age, but for all time."
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Day Four
Day Four:
Today was the last day of the first week. And what a week it's been! We've all had a blast. Today we continued to work on our acting and reading skills. We started the day with a few "shake it out" games that let the kids wiggle and shake out some of their energy. We also played another game of "Bunny Killer" so the kids could continue working on their improvisation and facial expressions. Finally after our game we broke up in groups and began working on reading lines, singing and dancing. The kids worked hard today, learning new words like "prithee," and "thou." The kids really got into the story and did a great job reading Prospero, Miranda, Ariel and Caliban... so they were extra excited when we announced that we would be casting over the weekend. So cast and crew, next week the real work begins :) We'll be learning lines, working on blocking and talking a lot about sets, props and costumes! See everyone on Monday!
Today was the last day of the first week. And what a week it's been! We've all had a blast. Today we continued to work on our acting and reading skills. We started the day with a few "shake it out" games that let the kids wiggle and shake out some of their energy. We also played another game of "Bunny Killer" so the kids could continue working on their improvisation and facial expressions. Finally after our game we broke up in groups and began working on reading lines, singing and dancing. The kids worked hard today, learning new words like "prithee," and "thou." The kids really got into the story and did a great job reading Prospero, Miranda, Ariel and Caliban... so they were extra excited when we announced that we would be casting over the weekend. So cast and crew, next week the real work begins :) We'll be learning lines, working on blocking and talking a lot about sets, props and costumes! See everyone on Monday!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Day Three
Getting into the Groove
It 's day three and everyone is really getting into the groove. The Shake-it up crew (aka Team Shake) has been really impressed by the Lowell kids' energy, talent, and listening skills. Good job guys!
We started the day by getting the Lowell kids playing a game of rhythm monster, which helped us all to warm up by wiggling out fingers, waving our arms and moving like sprites and fairies. Next we played a game of the "Bunny Killer" - which allowed the kids to practice watching each others' facial expressions and respond to them by improvising their own "death." This let them do some acting and encouraged them to think about movement and action. The kids proved to be quite the actors, their death scenes were quite moving :) Our next activity was moving them into groups so they could work on reading lines and learning a few dance moves. We also talked a little bit about casting and got some input from the kids about the kinds of parts they're interested in and the kinds of behind-the-scenes work they might want to try their hand at. Once again the kids rose to the challenge and we're all really excited about working with such a talented bunch of musicians, dancers, singers, and artists. We ended the day with a Q&A session regarding the story of The Tempest. The kids did a great job remembering the who's who of the story. Everyone worked hard and had a good time!
Crew: Please remember to meet in the teacher lounge tomorrow. And keep in mind that we'll have the camera on hand tomorrow
Thanks everyone!
We started the day by getting the Lowell kids playing a game of rhythm monster, which helped us all to warm up by wiggling out fingers, waving our arms and moving like sprites and fairies. Next we played a game of the "Bunny Killer" - which allowed the kids to practice watching each others' facial expressions and respond to them by improvising their own "death." This let them do some acting and encouraged them to think about movement and action. The kids proved to be quite the actors, their death scenes were quite moving :) Our next activity was moving them into groups so they could work on reading lines and learning a few dance moves. We also talked a little bit about casting and got some input from the kids about the kinds of parts they're interested in and the kinds of behind-the-scenes work they might want to try their hand at. Once again the kids rose to the challenge and we're all really excited about working with such a talented bunch of musicians, dancers, singers, and artists. We ended the day with a Q&A session regarding the story of The Tempest. The kids did a great job remembering the who's who of the story. Everyone worked hard and had a good time!
Crew: Please remember to meet in the teacher lounge tomorrow. And keep in mind that we'll have the camera on hand tomorrow
Thanks everyone!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Day Two
This morning several folks from ENGL 345 volunteered to help record The Tempest so that in a few weeks we can give all the Lowell Shakespeareans a CD recording of the script. Thanks everyone who helped out!
For Day Two at Lowell, we transitioned from a quick roll-call into a reiteration of the name game, where Tiara named off everyone flawlessly (way to go Tiara - impressive!). Tiara led us through a reenactment of the play itself, inviting us to improvise the roles ad lib. This allowed us to acquire the story in a personal way and to connect with it through roleplay.
Then Chris les us through an activity focused on posture and spatial awareness before we moved through a series of "character stations" with the various character-team leaders and a "movement station" with Darby. There was some really fantastically monstrous and spritely movement and we started to see a wide array of characters emerging from all our aspiring actors.
We are continuing to get to know each other, to learn the story of The Tempest and to figure out what kinds of roles and participation will best suit everyone as we work together to move Shakespeare from the page to the stage.
Wish you were involved?
I would too--if I wasn't.
For Day Two at Lowell, we transitioned from a quick roll-call into a reiteration of the name game, where Tiara named off everyone flawlessly (way to go Tiara - impressive!). Tiara led us through a reenactment of the play itself, inviting us to improvise the roles ad lib. This allowed us to acquire the story in a personal way and to connect with it through roleplay.
Then Chris les us through an activity focused on posture and spatial awareness before we moved through a series of "character stations" with the various character-team leaders and a "movement station" with Darby. There was some really fantastically monstrous and spritely movement and we started to see a wide array of characters emerging from all our aspiring actors.
We are continuing to get to know each other, to learn the story of The Tempest and to figure out what kinds of roles and participation will best suit everyone as we work together to move Shakespeare from the page to the stage.
Wish you were involved?
I would too--if I wasn't.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Our First Day
Our First Day!
Today the cast and crew of the Shake It Up After School production of The Tempest met for the first time in the gym of Lowell Elementary school. It was quite an adventure. We started off with the name game... which challenged both our creativity and our memory. The Lowell kids stepped up to the challenge and came up with some kooky crazy combinations. Next we learned the story of The Tempest by acting it out. We made a big storm, wrecked a ship into an island, met a magician, his daughter, a monster, a sprite and a host of other characters. Then we played a rhythm game that got us all tapping, clapping, and stomping... we made marvelous sweet music. Finally we ended the day with a exercise in volume.. and the kids blew us away. Tomorrow we'll continue working on getting to know each other and becoming more familiar with the story of The Tempest.
Reminders for the Crew: We're recording the script in the LA Building RM 208 at 9am
We're still missing a photos of few teams (Prospero, Ariel) so if we don't have your picture make sure we get it on Wednesday!
Reminders for the Crew: We're recording the script in the LA Building RM 208 at 9am
We're still missing a photos of few teams (Prospero, Ariel) so if we don't have your picture make sure we get it on Wednesday!
Friday, March 5, 2010
The Crew
The Crew ( some of us - photos will be updated as we take them)
Producer: Matt Hansen
Utility Team: Casey, Bernice, Ashlie, Jason
The tech team : Eric, Diana. Kaysi, Doug
Team Caliban: Grady, Todd
Team Miranda and Ferdinand: Natalie, and Ambur
Producer: Matt Hansen
Team Alonso et al.: Vern, Chauntain, Rochelle, Justin,
Director: Tiara Thompson
Assistant Director: Sandra Loera
Education Consultant: Valerie Baugh-Schlossberg
Utility Team: Casey, Bernice, Ashlie, Jason
The tech team : Eric, Diana. Kaysi, Doug
Team Caliban: Grady, Todd
Team Miranda and Ferdinand: Natalie, and Ambur
Monday, October 19, 2009
Welcome!
This space will allow us to share resources and information in support of "Shake It Up After School." Check back here regularly for daily re-caps of what's been going on and what needs to be done.
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