Sparkly Vampires, Proms, and Princesses, Oh My!

By Kathryn Krull, Touchstone Apprentice

Young Playwrights’ Lab visits Harrison Morton Middle School in Allentown

While teaching at Harrison Morton Middle School with Touchstone ensemble member and founder Bill George, and our co-teacher Bart Mummey, I learned a big lesson:  Getting old stinks. On one of the first days of our residency, Bill asked the kids, “So if you could tell your own personal story, what would it be about?” The majority of the kids responded with, you guessed it: Vampires. And then I realized, vampires are nothing like they were in Bill’s day. Now, vampires sparkle in sunlight, dress fashionably, and they all are very attractive. All vampires, to these kids, were the famous Stephanie Meyer book and movie: Twilight.

Ew.

Why do kids think the Twilight series is so exciting and compelling? On my first day teaching I found myself swamped in the obsession of Twilight. Of course, a random 23-year-old college graduate would be obsessed with Twilight, but that’s not the point. But what is it that makes Twilight a good piece of dramatic work?  I remember asking the students about Nosferatu and Dracula. Of the eight, only one student was truly dedicated to the art of vampire narrative and history.

I mean, look at this guy! He’s just too great to pass up! Take that, Twilight series!

But nowadays, dramatic structure is minimized by the “cool” and “hot new thing”; in this case, beautiful actors paired with CGI special effects in the movies.

YPL at Harrsion Morton really helped students to look past the “magic and glamour” of the movies, and look at the writing. In my opinion, movies don’t differ much from the stage. The immediacy of theatre is one thing, and the capabilities in the movies are another, but when you get down the writing, there is so much in common.  The kids realized slowly throughout the start of YPL that in order to make “a Twilight” happen, you just have to start writing.  And to be able to help children realize that they are indeed capable of being the next Stephanie Meyer or William Shakespeare – THAT IS AMAZING!

Having now been through the entire experience, I must say working with these kids felt like family. Our assistant teacher Bart Mummey was an amazing help and really worked well with Touchstone antics. The kids in the group had enormous imaginations and that in turn, lead to plays being about everything! From high school proms, kidnappings, and animals, to pieces like the wonderful chosen play, The Princess, by Mirna Ortiz, which is about princes, a princess and mystical happenings… The sky was the limit.

Now if only we had the budget to make that!

But in all seriousness, witnessing children go through this process, and watching their imaginations grow was amazing. I am so thankful to have gotten this experience and work with Bill and Mr. Mummey. Interested in theatre education, I will cherish this YPL and all the wonderful things that came out of it. Thank you Touchstone Theatre and Harrison Morton Middle School! AND COME SEE THE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHT’S FESTIVAL ON MAY 18^th!

Announcing the 2013 Festival Playwrights!

Touchstone proudly presents
THE EIGHTH ANNUAL
YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS’ FESTIVAL AND GALA

“The most magical night of theatre in the Lehigh Valley!”
6 plays. Written by Kids. Produced by Touchstone.
May 18, 7pm at Zoellner Arts Center

THE 2013 FESTIVAL PLAYS

Representing Donegan Elementary School
JACK AND JAY AND THE DANGEROUS STORE
by Keniel Colon

Representing Freemansburg Elementary School
THE DEVIL HAS HIS WAYS
by Mellanie Diaz

Representing Harrison Morton Middle School
THE PRINCESS
by Mirna Ortiz

Representing Central Elementary School
THE GENIE
by Dominique Rosado

Representing Dual Language Charter School
TIME TRAVEL
by Johnell Slappy

Representing Lincoln Elementary School
VOLCANO BEAUTY
by Estefania Velazquez

Don’t miss this inspiring evening of entertainment for the whole family!
Call Touchstone at 610-867-1689 or visit http://www.touchstone.org for tickets.

Definitions

“A play is a place you open up your mind.”
- Bristle, Freemansburg Elementary School

As part of our ongoing efforts to capture in some small way the difference that participating in the Young Playwrights’ Lab makes in a student’s life, we administer both pre and post surveys to the students. We also administer them in an effort to “prove” to granting agencies that our programs produce the kind of outcomes they can continue to fund.

Art is a hard thing to “prove” – the outcomes aren’t easily captured in little bubbles on a printed sheet. What we can show is the way the students think about writing, about art, about themselves in their own words.

Here are a few of them that captured my heart as I read them over, and spoke more truth than the students may have realized:

PLAY
“A piece of paper with words printed.”
“Fake or real.”

PLAYWRIGHT
“Wright your own play and have fun.”
“A person who writhes the play.” (Yes indeedy! – Ed.)

CHARACTER
“A person the playwright wants in the play.”
“Someone who acts like a shoe or anything.”
“Someone in the play who the oddence (sic) pays attention to.”

ACTOR
“A man on a stag.”

DIRECTOR
“Who tells someone to do something different.”
“The person who takes charge of the play.”
“The big bossy one.”

And to the question “Have you ever seen or been in a play before? What did you think?”, my all-time favorite response: “Yes. I think I could have done better.”

Inspired by Tolstoy

By Jennie Gilrain

Recently, I went to a book store and bought the book, Anna Karenina, thinking I would read it before the movie came out. The movie has come and gone and I am still slogging my way through the 800 page soap opera of Anna and Vronsky, Levin and Kitty About 100 pages ago, I came upon a brilliant chapter about the philosophy of education that confirmed everything I believe artists have to offer in educational settings. In this chapter, the lesson is experienced through the eyes of a nine-year old boy.

Tolstoy is incredibly adept at getting inside the heads of all of his diverse characters: men, women and children. In this chapter, the writer is inside the head of Seryozha, the son of Anna and Alexey. Being part of a wealthy Russian family, Seryozha has several tutors, one of whom is his own father.  Below is the core of the chapter that blew me away. (I recommend reading the whole chapter, which you can find online: Anna Karenina, by Leo Tolstoy, page down to Part 5, Chapter 27.)

His father and his teacher were both displeased with Seryozha, and he certainly did learn his lessons very badly. But still it could not be said he was a stupid boy. On the contrary, he was far cleverer than the boys his teacher held up as examples to Seryozha. In his father’s opinion, he did not want to learn what he was taught. In reality he could not learn that. He could not, because the claims of his own soul were more binding on him than those claims his father and his teacher made upon him. Those claims were in opposition, and he was in direct conflict with his education. He was nine years old; he was a child; but he knew his own soul, it was precious to him, he guarded it as the eyelid guards the eye, and without the key of love he let no one into his soul. His teachers complained that he would not learn, while his soul was brimming over with thirst for knowledge. And he learned from Kapitonitch, from his nurse, from Nadinka, from Vassily Lukitch, but not from his teachers. The spring his father and his teachers reckoned upon to turn their mill-wheels had long dried up at the source, but its waters did their work in another channel.

While working with Emma Chong at Freemansburg in the Young Playwrights’ Lab these past ten weeks, I witnessed many students, nine and ten year old boys in particular, just like Seryozha. The following is paraphrased from the above quote, adapted slightly to describe my experience with YPL.

In reading and writing class, their teachers (including me) are displeased with them, because they certainly do learn their lessons very badly. But it cannot be said that they are stupid boys. On the contrary, they are far cleverer than the boys their teachers hold up as examples. In their teachers’ opinions, these boys do not want to learn what is taught. In reality, they cannot learn that. They cannot, because the claims of their own souls are more binding on them than those claims their teachers make upon them. Those claims are in opposition, and the boys are in direct conflict with their education. They are nine and ten years old; they are children; but they know their own souls, their souls are precious to them, they guard their souls as the eyelid guards the eye, and without the key of love they let no one into their souls. Their teachers (including me) complain that they will not learn, while their souls are brimming over with thirst for knowledge. And they learn from Emma Chong, from Mary Wright, from Cathleen O’Malley, from Vicki Haller, from Bill George and from Mark McKenna, but not as well from their teachers. The spring their teachers reckon upon to turn their mill-wheels has long dried up at the source, but its waters do their work in another channel.

In Young Playwrights’ Lab at Freemansburg this year, I have seen the souls of nine and ten year old boys in particular brimming over with thirst for knowledge and desire for self-expression. In Young Playwrights’ Lab at Freemansburg this year, I have seen boys who, in the opinion of their teachers (including me) are reluctant readers and writers, sitting and writing their plays with intense focus and concentration. At Freemansburg this year, I have seen artists and teachers together make claims upon students that are in harmony with, rather than in opposition to the claims of their own souls. At Freemansburg this year, I have seen artist-teacher teams use the key of love to open the students’ souls to the joy of learning.

Even though I am an artist and worked at Touchstone for many years before becoming a full-time teacher, I find it easy to fall into the trap of Alexy Alexandrovitch, making educational claims on my students that are in opposition to the claims of their souls.  The beauty of Young Playwrights’ Lab is that it allows teachers to participate as partners in using the key of art to unlock the souls of students. As partners in the creative process, teachers are allowed to step into the new role of artist, facilitator and playful participant in games, warm-ups and exercises. This allows the teachers to see the students in a new light. This has been wonderfully refreshing and rejuvenating for me as a teacher! It is good to find a fresh spring to turn the mill-wheels. 

Delightful!

Delighted Listening – n. – an exercise originally developed by storytellers Jay O’Callahan and Donald Davis, now used in the Young Playwrights’ Lab to introduce the idea of constructive criticism, wherein any feedback must begin with something about the critiqued work that the listener finds delightful. (e.g. “I was delighted with your setting” “I was delighted by how your characters spoke”)

The young playwrights at Freemansburg Elementary are an uncommonly sweet lot. They’re all eager to put on their listening faces at the beginning of a reading and put up their hands at the end to share what it was in their classmates’ work that they found to be particularly delightful. It doesn’t matter if someone else has already said the same thing; everyone wants to share.

And then there’s Anthony. Anthony is a little hesitant to speak, but like his classmates, he wants to add his voice to the mix. Only he doesn’t quite get the phrasing; where the rest say “I was delighted when…”, Anthony says, “I was delightful…”

“I was delightful that Stinky got a new job…”
“I was delightful when the zombies broke down the door…”
“I was delightful when she zapped Princess Fight…”

A few times, we think of correcting him– “Anthony,  you mean delighted, don’t you?”– but don’t, not wanting to be an interruption or stem the flow of creativity.

And besides, after enough repetitions, we realize it’s true. You are delightful, Anthony. You really are.

It’s never too early…

SAVE THE DATE!

Young Playwrights’ Festival and Gala
May 18, 2013
7pm

The world premier of new plays written by some of the newest (and youngest) playwrights in town.  Whether comedy, tragedy, or farce the plays presented are a wonderful leap into the minds and imaginations of some of the most creative people in the Lehigh Valley.

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2012 YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS!

(From left) Young Playwrights Elena Myalo, Nadie Sun Rivera, Leo Rodriguez, Emily Rojas, Biance Acosta, Rosy Vargas & Evan Cartwright onstage with Touchstone Ensemble directors Bill George & Jp Jordan (left corner) and Cathleen O’Malley (right).

Special thanks to all who helped make this event possible:   2012 Festival actors, directors, and backstage hands, to Zoellner Arts Center staff, to Lou Cinquino and the YPF Gala Committee, and to our jubilant audience of teaching artists, families, donors and community members who took the time out of their busy lives to support the arts and be delighted.

Stay tuned–more pictures to post shortly!