Cool Theater for Cool Kidz

Day 1: June 11th, 2024

Our class had a great first day! We got to know each other by introducing ourselves and making name posters, which are now hung up on our classroom door. We also established our classroom rules, and learned some of our daily theater warm-ups. Finally, we practiced showing emotions using only our face.

Day 2: June 12th, 2024

Today, we learned many theater warm-up games, such as a game called "Bippity Bippity" where actors must react quickly to different prompts. We also learned how to show different actions or characters using our whole body, and practiced this skill by playing charades.

Day 3: June 13th, 2024

Today, the actors and actresses auditioned for a play! They read from different scripts and did their best to speak loudly and with character. Tomorrow, they will find out which play they will be in, and which part they have received. Scripts will be sent home tomorrow to practice.

We also learned a new game called "Picture Olympics", where actors are given a scenario, and work together with a team to make a frozen picture of that scenario. There was a lot of creativity and teamwork on display.

Day 4: June 14th, 2024

Today, we played an improvisational game called "What Are You Doing?", where students acted out an animal or action given to them by a classmate.

Roles for our plays were also given out. Everyone has been given a role for one of three plays, as well as a script to practice their lines. Scripts were sent home with the actors/actresses today for them to practice.

Please take care of these scripts, and have your child bring them to each day of class moving forward!

I would like everyone to try their best to memorize their lines by Tuesday, June 25th (or earlier, which is even better!). This is the day before our open house. It might sound intimidating, but it is very doable!

(Narrators are not expected to memorize all of their lines. However, if they want to try to do so, that is awesome!)

Memorization Guide:

1. Start by memorizing one line. Then, stop and do something else. 

2. Come back in ~30 minutes. Rehearse your one memorized line, and then memorize one more. Then stop, and come back later.

3. Practice your two memorized lines, and add in a third! 

4. Repeat this process as needed.

General Tips for Memorizing: 

• Practice a line at a time. Do not attempt to memorize everything all at once. 

• Practice in short, ~10-minute bursts. Then take a break. It does not need to take over your life.

• Practicing before bed is a great habit. Your mind will retain the information easier by doing this.

• Utilize the downtime in your day. The more repetition, the better!

I understand that this is the first time being in a play for almost everyone, so if complete memorization doesn't happen, reading from a script or having lines fed to them onstage will always be an option! With or without memorization, practicing lines at home will help your child become more comfortable with reading their lines, as well as expressing the character that they are playing.

Please remember that students will need to bring a lunch to school for our extended day trip to Big Marine Park on Tuesday, June 18th. (A thunderstorm is on the forecast for this day, so we will stay back if necessary...but I really hope that it works out for us to go.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Day 5: June 17th, 2024

Today, we learned what the word "pantomime" means, and acted out different actions through pantomime. We also acted out the story of the "Three Billy Goats" by acting out the words of the narrator. The actors and actresses did a great job with playing the role of the mean troll under the bridge, or one of the friendly goats.

We also began practicing running through our plays! We will do this every day from now on. Thank you for keeping your scripts in good condition and bringing them to class each day.

Our extended day trip to Big Marine Park is tomorrow. Our field trip bus will be departing from school at 8:30 am, and our class will be at the park from 10 am - 1 pm. There is a mild chance of rain until about 12 pm, so my hope is that we are able to play on the playground for 1-2 hours, and eat lunch (under shelter if necessary) around noon. Pickup will be at 2:30 pm, just for this extended day.

Please bring rain coats and lunches tomorrow! It should be a lot of fun.

Day 6: June 18th, 2024

We had an awesome day at the Big Marine Park playground! There was no rain, so we got to play the whole time. We also had a picnic lunch, and worked in a quick rehearsal of our shows. Some of us have already memorized our lines- wow! It was a very fun day.

I have sent emails to each family regarding what I would like your child to wear as their costume for their part when our open house performance comes around, so please be on the lookout for that message. Costumes will be simple for these shows.

Here are some details about open house next week on Wednesday, June 26th:

• We will be performing all three plays back-to-back at two separate show times. This will take place in our classroom, room 701.

• Our series of plays will be performed first at 5:15 pm, and again at 6:15 pm. 

• I do not yet know the total runtime, but the series of shows should be less than a half hour in total.

• Please plan to have your child present from 5:00 pm to 6:45 pm  on this day.

Remember, there is no class tomorrow, June 19th. We will be back together on Thursday, June 20th. Have a nice day off everyone!

Day 7: June 20th, 2024

Today, we acted using finger puppets, which are simply eyes worn on your hand. We practiced different ways of making the puppet speak, making it show different emotions, and we made our own play about two friends having an argument. The actors and actresses were allowed to keep these and take them home, so they can have fun making their own shows at home now! 

Day 8: June 21st, 2024

Today, the actors and actresses learned about hand puppets by meeting Mr. Nate's puppets named Razz, Winks, and Secret Agent Waddles. Then, they made their own hand puppets! They turned out great and showed a lot of creativity. The puppets will stay here this weekend to dry and will be taken home next week, after we have a chance to try acting with them.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Day 9: June 24th, 2024

• Today, the actors and actresses made characters out of their hand puppets! They filled out a character sheet describing their puppet's personality, and introduced their puppet to other puppets.

• Tomorrow, all those who were cast as characters will be practicing their plays without scripts! (Narrators are not expected memorize.)

• Here is a note from our Project SEEK coordinators regarding open house:

"Project SEEK's Open House will be this week on Wednesday evening, from 5:00-7:00 pm. Feel free to stop by to see all of the wonderful projects that our students have been working on! 

When you arrive at North Branch Middle School, you can park in the lot to the east side of the building, then walk to door #25 to enter the building. You can stop by your child's classroom to see what they've been up to, as well as other rooms to see what's happening in other classes. 

One of our classes, Strike it Rich, will be selling a few food items in the cafeteria such as hot dogs, pizza and nachos! They can only accept cash for payment for this. Proceeds from the sale of these items will be donated to a charity of the classes choosing, Como Zoo."

Day 10: June 25th, 2024

Today, the actors and actresses made backgrounds for their plays. They worked together to draw what the setting of their play would look like, and showed great teamwork!

• Tomorrow, please make sure that your child arrives in our room in their play outfit by 5:10 for our 5:15 performance. 

• After our first 5:15 performance, you can explore the other seek classes with your child if you would like, but please return to our room by 6:10 for our 6:15 performance.

• They do not have to wear the outfit to our morning SEEK class, but they can if they would like to. 

• If you are not able to bring the outfit listed in the email I sent to you, an approximation of that outfit is okay too, because the costumes are not the main focus of our shows (but color coordination is helpful).

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's plays! I hope your child is excited to have all of their hard work pay off.

Day 11: June 26th, 2024

WOW! Bravo, everyone! We had a great night of performances for friends and family at open house night. Thank you for bringing so many people out to see this wonderful cast!

Tomorrow, on the last day of class, we will perform our shows for other Project SEEK students. Costumes are optional for this day, but welcome.

Day 12: June 27th, 2024 (Final Day)

We had a very fun last day of class by performing our shows three times for the other Project SEEK classes! After this, we celebrated our hard work by eating popsicles outside.

This class was truly a joy to teach, and will definitely be the highlight of my summer. Thank you for helping your child with their parts at home. I'm so proud of everyone's efforts to put together our classic book plays. They were so entertaining!

This class isn't just about theater- it's about gaining self-confidence in front of others, speaking loudly, pretending to be different characters, trying new things that you haven't done before, and more. Everyone in this class demonstrated growth in some way during our time together.

Have an awesome rest of your summer, everyone!