For a lot of kids and teens, the best
part of school comes when the school day is over and they can participate in
their school’s theater productions. This
was the case for Yellin Center Learning Specialist Lindsay Levy, Ed.M. when she
was in high school. Read her story and her reflections on what makes theater so
rich with opportunity for children of all ages with a variety of strengths,
challenges, talents, and affinities.
Lindsay remembers deciding against
trying out for the school play when the opportunity was initially introduced to
her in sixth grade because she didn’t want it to interfere with her
studies. She laughs now at what a
needlessly serious middle schooler she was.
When she finally auditioned for a musical and was cast in a part, she
learned that not only was she able to balance rehearsal with obsessiveness over
homework, but also that she really enjoyed the experience, and found her fellow
theater loving students to be a fun and welcoming group. In college, where she spent most of her time
and energy on her studies, she made time to include dance in her
extracurricular activities. While her
psychology courses helped pave the way toward the interest that led her to The
Yellin Center for her full-time work, her dance and choreography experiences
started turning the gears that led her to what is now her work-outside-of-work
(when she is not teaching Zumba) in community theater.
As Lindsay prepares to choreograph and
co-direct an upcoming community theater production of Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, she considers the
ways that being involved in theater or other student productions can build
important skills that students can use well beyond their senior play.
- Collaboration - Teamwork is a huge part of being able to put on any
show. In order to reach the shared
goal of a successful performance, everyone needs to work together. Personal achievement is contingent upon
group achievement. Because of this,
theater naturally fosters an environment in which helping is the
norm. Rehearsals and
behind-the-scenes work are great opportunities for socialization and
building social skills.
- Listening - While speaking is clearly one responsibility of an
actor, listening is a significant part of his/her work. Directors frequently give “notes,” or
constructive feedback and instructions, which are then expected to be
incorporated into future rehearsals of scenes. Cast mates need to pay close attention
to each other’s lines and actions, in order to most effectively respond.
- Memorization - Learning lines for a show can be an excellent and
inherently motivating way to figure out what type of studying works best
for a particular child. How much
should he try to learn at once?
What tricks help the dialogue and movement stand out in his
mind? How can he be sure he knows
it?
- Confidence- For children who may normally have a hard time with
public speaking, saying lines as a character can actually be a less
threatening way to practice. For
children who struggle academically, theater can be an opportunity to use
strengths that they may not get to display during the school day. For children who might not have done
theater before, simply doing something new and seeing that they can take
on and conquer a challenge can be confidence-building.
- A Place for
Everyone- Putting on a show involves so
much more than the action the audience sees taking place on stage. Productions need set builders, stage
crew, painters, costumers, prop masters, pit members, ushers, publicity,
etc. While school can often be
filled with a sense of feeling out of place, theater offers an opportunity
for everyone to find a niche where they are comfortable, where they can
thrive, and where they can find satisfaction and joy.
