Team Triple Threat Debates.

Here's a little secret about theatre artists: we love working with people from other disciplines, because it is really an opportunity to work on one facet of what we do at a time. In addition to remaining an art in its own right as acting, theatre also combines music: through the obvious form of singing, if it is a musical production, or sound design, as in other dramas. It also includes dance in some way; even in straight plays, there is an element of choreography in the blocking, or the way the actors move about stage. So when I have the chance to return to a practitioner of one of these elements, it's really a chance for me to enjoy focusing in one an aspect of theatre I may have been neglecting previously.

So what's all this got to do with this class? My teammates and I have been communicating via email to discuss our upcoming project and are feeling really excited about where it is going. As I have mentioned previously, we have set our sights on highlighting our diverse strengths and areas of interest. Jessica had the great idea of creating a website that would be a resource for teaching one subject across multiple disciplines; for example, teaching Peter and the Wolf using dance, theatre, and music activities. I really like this idea for multiple reasons, but the most notable being that anyone could benefit from it. A lot of general education teachers in the elementary level are pressed to be superheroes: teach all subjects for all children. This will help, in some small way, to hit the required standards for the state and administration, while allowing a lot of creativity in the engagement of students. It's a corny old saying, but we could make this way of learning truly fun!

One subject I hope to pay particular attention to is creating community. A friend of mine who does incredible applied theatre work in many settings, including urban prisons, once commented that without a shared experience there can be no communal learning. I really value that notion and think that the process of creating community standards and culture go a long way towards deepening the work that is done in the classroom.

Okay, now I'm just rambling... I should have a functioning countdown lock when I get on my arts-education soapbox. An idea for the website? Hmm....