It's been such a joy to start a brand new production of the Junior High this fall! Introducing - a new one-act adaptation of 'Little Women' for young ages and audiences. As a teaching artist, I think it's important to remember how deep and interesting the cast and crew ideas are, even at a young age. It's difficult to try to help young ones realize and actualize their ideas, but I think it's worth it. The whole team grows creatively together. I remember how when I was young in rehearsals, I would offer ideas to the director as well. Now I am a director/storyteller myself! (This makes sense!)
This last year has been about how we tell stories. We started with a production of 'Newsies,' then moved to finding our own works! This theme of new works started with my 'Campfire Chronicles' workshop and 'Star Rise Bakery: A One Act Play' through Footlight Players. Then it followed with a new ten minute play for 4th-6th grade with 'Tiny Mites' through Arts Camp- and now 'Little Women' at the Junior High. These pieces were written specifically for them.
Some parents said how we tend to focus on important stories as if they are graved in stone and something that's out of reach to create ourselves. They also have said how exciting is it for students to see that you can create stories and plays from your own mind - and they could even be performed or read aloud! Sometimes because the ideas are so fresh and new, it's difficult to follow once and a while. It's easy to follow a story about Cinderella. When you tell a new story, one must be sure the audience is following along!
Even more so, creating a new work helps with building story structure, confidence in our own voices, and building a creative world! When something in the story isn't making sense to the audience, when something isn't working, we learn how to tell stories even better! It's also important to acknowledge that it's okay to grow and make mistakes as we tell the most epic tales.
Now hopefully the audience is following along and your story did make sense. Then they say, 'Wow! How ever so amazing!'
Sometimes your story makes sense to a certain group, then it's important to remember who the audience is. Maybe it's just your friends who understand at first. What a great place to start.
You'll most likely feel represented in the stories you tell by the perspectives you offer. (And your words and influence are powerful! With great power, comes great responsibility. How exciting!)
My high school teacher, Mr. Jesse Patterson, was one of the teachers that had focused on the stories we could create just as much as the stories we would hear. I liked that a lot and this was extremely influential for me.
After the Junior High Production, I'll be teaching a workshop called 'Saturday Sagas,' where I will help ages 12-17 build their creativity into new 10-minute plays and teach them how to do play readings! Woah! What fun.
Anyway, that's what's new and upcoming from this storyteller. We are telling new stories and new adaptations here and having fun with it. What stories would you like to tell?
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