Open Forum

Hi all,
I know a lot of you do outreach with elementary schools or have worked at camps, etc., so I'm hoping you have some tricks up your sleeve. We're in the process of re-designing our elementary outreach lesson, and while I like the overall theme, I'm having a hard time refining my specific activities. We'll have groups of about 25 fourth- and fifth-graders for two 45-minute activity sessions (one in the fall and one in the spring). Our overall theme is Finding Your Inner Artist. We want to convey the idea that everyone can find a way to make some kind of art (we'll also have visual art and poetry activities). Ideally in the second visit we'd like to emphasize sharing your art with the community through a collaborative art piece. My initial ideas were to explore some basic comedic acting exercises and introduce clowning so they could create their own clown persona, but I'm NOT sure I have enough time or a strong enough connection to the other activities. Does anyone have ideas of good activities that would fall under the umbrella of finding and unleashing your inner artist? I also like the idea of focusing on individuality during the fall visit and collaboration in the spring.

Thanks!

------------------------------
Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Theatre Department Coordinator
Fishersville VA
------------------------------

In my Elementary outreach classes, I actually had some success with using an age-adjusted retooling of Dan Diggles Improv course outline. An excellent book in itself and wonderful for high schoolers, I was really wary of using it and it being appropriate/understandable for the younger aged students, but with a little tweaking of language, it worked fine. 

There is a focus on the three rules of Improv and it uses Gift-Giving, Status exercises, and other things to push them along the path to understanding performance and the giving aspect (many young performers get caught up in the 'it's all about me' aspect, and this course really helps them to start seeing performance as a group/collaborative activity). A little more tweaking and this material could be steered toward your 'Unleshing your inner artist' theme, which is broad enough that much could be made to fit under that umbrella. 

Another great resource is Drama Games by Jessica Swale. Also Drama Games for Devising has some excellent creative exercises for generating material that would really fit well with your theme. 

Email me for specifics if interested, I'm on the lamb right now but could dig out more specific examples/exercises on request. 

Good luck!

------------------------------
Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor

Etobicoke ON
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-30-2017 09:58
From: Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Subject: Elementary Drama Activities

Hi all,
I know a lot of you do outreach with elementary schools or have worked at camps, etc., so I'm hoping you have some tricks up your sleeve. We're in the process of re-designing our elementary outreach lesson, and while I like the overall theme, I'm having a hard time refining my specific activities. We'll have groups of about 25 fourth- and fifth-graders for two 45-minute activity sessions (one in the fall and one in the spring). Our overall theme is Finding Your Inner Artist. We want to convey the idea that everyone can find a way to make some kind of art (we'll also have visual art and poetry activities). Ideally in the second visit we'd like to emphasize sharing your art with the community through a collaborative art piece. My initial ideas were to explore some basic comedic acting exercises and introduce clowning so they could create their own clown persona, but I'm NOT sure I have enough time or a strong enough connection to the other activities. Does anyone have ideas of good activities that would fall under the umbrella of finding and unleashing your inner artist? I also like the idea of focusing on individuality during the fall visit and collaboration in the spring.

Thanks!

------------------------------
Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Theatre Department Coordinator
Fishersville VA
------------------------------

We hosted a summer camp in July, for the first time ever and it was a huge success. We had 15 rising 4th-6th graders in one group and 15 rising 7th - 9th in another. The camp was a week long. The younger group did a reader's theatre piece with lots of movement, and using their bodies to create settings (houses, trees, etc). They learned a song with choreography and we also had a visual arts component. Over the course of the week, they created self-portraits, and sock puppet characters, as well as fiber art character portraits. They were encouraged to create names and backstories for their creations. My original idea was do to a short puppet show with the puppets they created, but it didn't work out this time. I plan to try it again next year. 

I am hoping to implement more elementary outreach this year, with some Saturday Drama Days and getting my Jr Thespians in on the planning, and helping with the younger kids.

------------------------------
Dianne Rowe
Birmingham AL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 08-30-2017 10:50
From: Phillip Goodchild
Subject: Elementary Drama Activities

In my Elementary outreach classes, I actually had some success with using an age-adjusted retooling of Dan Diggles Improv course outline. An excellent book in itself and wonderful for high schoolers, I was really wary of using it and it being appropriate/understandable for the younger aged students, but with a little tweaking of language, it worked fine.

There is a focus on the three rules of Improv and it uses Gift-Giving, Status exercises, and other things to push them along the path to understanding performance and the giving aspect (many young performers get caught up in the 'it's all about me' aspect, and this course really helps them to start seeing performance as a group/collaborative activity). A little more tweaking and this material could be steered toward your 'Unleshing your inner artist' theme, which is broad enough that much could be made to fit under that umbrella.

Another great resource is Drama Games by Jessica Swale. Also Drama Games for Devising has some excellent creative exercises for generating material that would really fit well with your theme.

Email me for specifics if interested, I'm on the lamb right now but could dig out more specific examples/exercises on request.

Good luck!

------------------------------
Phillip Goodchild
Theatre Arts Instructor

Etobicoke ON

Original Message:
Sent: 08-30-2017 09:58
From: Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Subject: Elementary Drama Activities

Hi all,
I know a lot of you do outreach with elementary schools or have worked at camps, etc., so I'm hoping you have some tricks up your sleeve. We're in the process of re-designing our elementary outreach lesson, and while I like the overall theme, I'm having a hard time refining my specific activities. We'll have groups of about 25 fourth- and fifth-graders for two 45-minute activity sessions (one in the fall and one in the spring). Our overall theme is Finding Your Inner Artist. We want to convey the idea that everyone can find a way to make some kind of art (we'll also have visual art and poetry activities). Ideally in the second visit we'd like to emphasize sharing your art with the community through a collaborative art piece. My initial ideas were to explore some basic comedic acting exercises and introduce clowning so they could create their own clown persona, but I'm NOT sure I have enough time or a strong enough connection to the other activities. Does anyone have ideas of good activities that would fall under the umbrella of finding and unleashing your inner artist? I also like the idea of focusing on individuality during the fall visit and collaboration in the spring.

Thanks!

------------------------------
Cassy Maxton-Whitacre
Theatre Department Coordinator
Fishersville VA
------------------------------