Theatre Rats

Today the lovely and talented Christine Hennebury came to my Theatre Arts class to do a workshop with us. She did lots of theatre games with my participants, focusing on movement and action since the students have a tendency to stand still and talk when they're acting, forgetting to move their bodies. Christine gives a great workshop and I think everyone had a good time.

I am so impressed with my Theatre Arts students. They began as a group in which a couple of people were comfortable acting and a lot were wary and uncomfortable. In less than two months they have grown into a group where almost everyone is willing to take some risks, get up in front of the group, improv a scene or try a game. It's really great to see.

I played "Party Quirks" with them the other day and I was delighted to see how they threw themselves into the game ... Vince's performance as the guy who thinks he's in an action movie, or Chris's as the melting snowman, were moments to remember. They brought the same kind of energy to the workshop today and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them in action.

I always remember that (with a few exceptions) my students at The Murphy Centre were the ones who, when they were in high school, sat at the back of the class and rarely got involved or participated -- not necessarily because they're not smart, but because they were disconnected from school, bored by it, or "in trouble" of some kind. Seeing them up front, taking centre stage and actually enjoying themselves in their own very uninhibited way, gives me joy.

I haven't blogged much about school this year but I am having a great year -- if possible, even better than last year. What I remember about this time last year is that I was excited about my classes but I was also very absorbed in the situations of several students who were having difficulty staying in school and keeping up with their classes. This year is different -- we have lost a few students who decided not to stick with it this year, and as these include a couple of my old friends from last year, I feel sorry about that. But those who are still with us seem to be pretty committed to being there and doing well, which makes teaching much more fun.