Witches in the Auditorium

by Doug Halsey

Performing in front of an audience is always a little nerve wracking. But this time I was really tense. I was about to go on before my most critical audience ever. No, there weren't any Broadway producers or casting agents out there. This was much more intimidating: I was performing before 250 high school students. Imagine watching all these kids pour into the auditorium just to see you. Sure, they'd rather be here than in math class, but all I could think of was "You know how cruel kids can be."

As it turned out, they weren't cruel at all. In fact, they were quite enthusiastic about the whole production. Sure, there were some giggles of the Beavis and Butthead variety at some of the adult themes (we were doing an adaptation of The Crucible). But for the most part, they were very well behaved. The students' questions after the performance indicated that they cared as well. Nicole Jesson, who played Abigail Williams, was impressed by the students' queries: "The kids asked a wide variety of questions. Some were from a historical viewpoint and some questions were on the text itself. There were even some questions about the acting, why the actors were making certain choices and so forth. It showed they were really listening."

Scene one
You may be wondering how I found myself at the mercy of 250 high school-aged critics. The answer begins back in 1994. The Bishop Fenwick school in Peabody, Massachusetts was studying The Crucible in English class and the witch hysteria in social studies. In nearby Salem, the Delvena Theater Company was putting on a performance of The Crucible. Naturally, a field trip was in order. When they noticed a lot of students in the audience, the folks at Delvena got an idea: A scaled down version of the play that could be brought into the schools. The experience has been so positive that the theater company is working on adapting other plays.

The stage as a classroom
But what if your child doesn't attend school in Massachusetts? How do you bring the theater to your schools? The answer is quite simple: Touring companies such as The National Theater of Performing Arts out of Westport, Connecticut, specialize in incorporating plays with various schools' curriculums. They bring 14,000 performances to schools in 44 states. The NTPA has been in business for 20 years. However, there are many schools that do not take advantage of this opportunity. One reason may be that they are unaware of what a powerful teaching tool theater can be.

Carol Howard, a social studies teacher at Bishop Fenwick, loves the idea of using theater in the classroom. It would have been a lot easier to rent the film, but Howard says, "The performance is so much more personal than the movie." This intimacy is reflected in an experience Boston actor Doug Rainey had while acting in a touring production of A Diary of Anne Frank. "After a performance in Maryland, a 12 or 13 year-old girl came up after the show and said "I just wanted to let you know it's great you could come here and do this. I'm Jewish and hope to be an actress and this performance really meant a lot to me." Rainey says touching even one person makes it all worthwhile.

Jesson says theater is so effective because "Kids watch so much TV and it is such a routine format. To be in an auditorium with a live production makes them much more likely to pay attention."

Rare cultural opportunities
Elizabeth Carmichael, managing director of the NPTA, says the broad subject matter of many plays is relevant to many different classes. "We can incorporate into almost any curriculum. Plays like A Diary of Anne Frank or To Kill a Mockingbird are perfect for social studies. We even do foreign language plays. Cyrano and The Three Musketeers are done in French and we perform plays in Spanish and German as well."

Carmichael believes the use of drama provides opportunities for children to experience more than just an adjunct to learning. It's also a cultural broadening. "Where else are some of the less affluent children going to get to see theater? And where are some of the children going to hear a foreign language used to actually communicate. Seeing and hearing people use the language in context is really beneficial."

The curtain calls
The wonderful thing about theater is that even as an audience member, you really can feel the energy of the actors, as if you are up on stage with them. Theater can naturally draw you in. The enthusiasm the students had during The Crucible was palpable, and as an actor there's no greater reward. I can tell you from experience that students do pay attention. As Carmichael says, "Bringing the story alive can stimulate conversation and that really helps the teachers."

Add a Comment (0)