This blog focuses on Preschool-1st grade dram classes.  

Did you miss INFORMANCE DAY in drama?   

Below are words from Quest parents who shared thoughts about their experience and watching their child participate in class:

More confidence.  Focused and serious.  Paying attetion.

More observant and excited since last year.

The lesson engages the students.  

Amazed in how drama includes so many areas of learning.

My child’s imagination has grown leaps and bounds!

I love how the students interact with one another.

The group work is so amazing.

It’s great how you get them to keep trying.

In our instant gratification culture… we can click a button and surprisingly, get some kind of response or answer.  The actor’s process doesn’t work that way.  Not only are there years of training and skill development, hours are spent on creating one character, developing one scene and even more hours rehearsing one play that you may only perform once!  The artist in the theatre must learn to embrace and enjoy the PROCESS of getting to performance level because it takes energy, focus and a great deal of perseverance without complaint.

Pre-School & Junior Kindergarten OTTERS AND LEMURS have been learning about and exploring the Five Senses to help them use their imagination.  The actor relies on sense memory to help create a truthful performance and learns to dive into the imaginary circumstances as if they were real.   In our class we have smelled scents, tasted sweet and salty, listened to sounds, observed objects and touched temperatures and textures.   We then imagine… a cold, blustery day, hanging out at the beach, smelling delicious cookies baking, tasting a sour lemon, hearing the wind howl and watching an ant crawl or a monster enter the room!  The students are eager to participate and play – jumping right  into the imaginary world of play.  One class we put on imaginary shoes of all kinds and jumped, ran, danced and crept around.   

1st graders BELUGAS AND DOLPHINS After reviewing stage directions, we have begun the process of blocking their play for BUGGED.  A blocking rehearsal is deciding where and how the actors will move on stage.   During this process, the goal is not on memorization or making a connection to what the character is doing or saying.  The students often get restless waiting for their turn while the focus is on other characters.  They are learning how to exercise their patience muscle. 

Most people believe acting is about “being” the character.  Well, there is some truth to that, however … acting is about DOING.  It’s about…”action,” not emotion.  Emotions come out of the actions and circumstances.  A state of being is not actable because it provides nothing specific to do.  It leaves the actor stuck with a general emotion.  It leads him into stereotyped movements and gestures – clenching his fists to show he is angry, putting his hand to his forehead to show he is thoughtful, or contorting the muscles of his face to show he is in pain.  Although I will ask the students to express emotions that are believable, our main focus is on action. 

The 1st graders enjoy warming up to an exercise called “What are you doing?”  It’s a tricky exercise that challenges the students mentally and physically.  One student will start any kind of physical action. The other student will ask, “What are you doing?”  The active student will respond “Feeding the dog.” Now… here’s the tricky part – The action the student is currently doing is not “feeding the dog.”  It may be something completely different. However, the student who asks the question must begin… feeding the dog. This action moves back and forth between the two actors.  There are rules they must abide by and if not follow – one can “get out. 

The Kindergartens SEA TURTLES AND STARFISH have been practicing moving around the stage and responding to different Stage Directions.  Eventually, this language will become second nature to them and they will respond intuitively.  We are fine tuning the blocking for their play BUGGED, that will be performed on March 13 along with the 1st and 2nd graders.  

These young students are learning to read, so the memorization process can be a bit more challenging.  As they step up to the mic, most often they just say their lines.  I have to remind them to be thinking like their character.  We’ve been working on vocal expression and the use of GESTURE – using the body to clearly express a thought or idea.  I will encourage them to bring their own ideas or enlist the help of their classmates.  Acting is DOING. Acting is… Living truthfully under imaginary circumstances.  My hope is that these young students will propel themselves into the imaginary world of the story, sharing it with excitement and intrigue.

 The Odyssey is this Thursday, February 7 from 6-8pm. 

Come to be informed and inspired!