The first rule of improv acting is you never say, “No!” So when theater teacher Ms. Colby Christina Myers found herself telling fifth graders some version of “stop” on a regular basis, she found a way to lean into the solution of, “Yes, and…”
The problem was hardly a terrible one to have. Students were so curious about each other’s cultures that they kept asking questions at the beginning of class. The conversations were so dynamic that they often took away from acting time.
Because you’re never supposed to disrupt the natural flow in improv — just go with it! — Ms. Myers adapted her lesson plans by having students practice improv scenes around family artifacts that they brought in for a cultural show-and-tell.
Students shared their items — a boomerang from Australia; red envelopes that elders use to gift money to children in Chinese families; the Jamaican flag; Shalwar Kameez worn on Eid Al Fitr; a picture of a grandfather who served in Spain’s military — and used them as props to tell a new story that built upon the original themes of tradition, location, and emotional connections. For example, Jonathan Dynega shared the picture of his grandfather because he “admires his strength.” In the improv scenes, students often used the picture to represent a safe person who was a protector.
“My perspective of theater comes from lived experiences. At the core of it, most plays that we see, most films that we see, most TV shows that we see are about someone’s life,” Ms. Myers says. “Even though the students are only in fifth grade, they have lived experiences too, and we’re honoring those experiences.”
Fifth graders are part of the Middle School at Friends Academy. It’s the first time in their academic journeys that they attend regular theater classes in the Dolan Center, and it’s when they are introduced to the seven principles of acting: projection, enunciation, vocal inflection, body language, facial expression, gestures and blocking.
“They’re applying those seven skills in every way, shape or form,” Ms. Myers says. “Soon we’ll be moving away from improvisation into scripted scenes. We’re going to work towards memorization and applying those seven principles to staged scripts.”
The chemistry that students built in this improv show-and-tell will undoubtedly carry over into other parts of their theater experience — and other parts of the campus too.
“Standing in front of the class and sharing your story, and then doing improv scenes around what you shared, helps build so much confidence,” Ms. Myers says. “We can shine light on their cultures and their identities. When we do it in an arts space, I can help direct those conversations so they can all build empathy and understanding in a fun and playful way.”
Photos by Alvin Caal / Friends Academy