My name is Lori Brown-Niang and I am the Site Coordinator at PS/MS 95. I also teach six theater classes where with my teachers, we integrate theater into their curricula. I also teach two after school drama club classes where we practice arts for arts sake.
Currently as the leader of the PS/MS 95 Arts Leadership Team, we have a goal of creating an Arts Festival week to take place during the last week of May. During this festival, we will have a chance to share the work that has been going on in the classrooms of not only integrated DreamYard class but also any class that has created an arts or arts integrated project that they would like to share.
I envision the walls of the auditorium covered in art from pre-K to 8th grade and the performances to include theatrical skits, monologues, poetry and ballroom, jazz and african dance.
The Arts Festival will be an opportunity to celebrate the creative work that has taken place throughout the year. This is also a time for students to share their not only their process but their growth. Last year’s festival sparked an interest in students that were not receiving any arts instruction. Many students stopped me in the hallway to remark about how much they enjoyed the experience of seeing their fellow students’ creative process. They also showed an interest in joining our after school programs. Because of this, I had 50 students show up to audition for the 20 spaces that were available for the after school drama club.
There was a hitch in last year’s festival when it came to the theater pieces being heard because to my knowledge there were only hand-held microphones. Also, one of the unfortunate realities when working in an elementary school auditorium is that there is no wing-space. So my question to you would be… How can I overcome those obstacles for this year’s festival?
2 responses so far ↓
1 Phil // Mar 25, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Yes, those school auditoriums are quite challenging for anything more than a lecture/demo.
Regarding lack of wing space: Can you bring the back curtain downstage more? You’ll lose some performance space, but you gain some backstage space. This is best for storage of scenery and props, but not for people to hang out in. Maybe you can employ more student stage managers to get people into the right position at the right time.
I don’t know enough about sound amplification to suggest what to do about the microphones, but there has to be more than one solution here.
Good Luck!
Phil
2 laura // Apr 18, 2008 at 2:26 pm
Hi, Lori–Did you put the hand-held mikes in stands positioned at the foot of the stage? I used to have only three, and doing that would help. Of course, we relied heavily on projection skills! And, without wings, are there at least doors back stage to a hallway or another room? I’m sure you’ve thought of that; my kids used to change in the chorus room across the hall from the back-stage door in the ‘cafetorium.’ Good luck!
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