I will be teaching a workshop at Greenfield Community College for early childhood teachers as part of their “Creative Experiences” class. For many of them, it will be their first and only exposure to theatre. Hopefully, it will inspire them to learn more so they can include it in their curriculum.
I have been visiting this particular class for several years now because my co-author, Sharon, is the professor. What I’m excited about this time around, though, is that I will be taking a new approach. Usually, I teach the students as if I were teaching children. We step our way through a children’s theatre class and culminate with several versions of StoryBook Theatre. This time, I will spend at least half of the time “teaching teachers.” We will do improvisational and dramatic exercises designed for adults who teach children. They will learn how to say “yes” to a situation, how to improvise a story, and how to loosen up and play.
Although I have taught these games to adults before, this will be my first time combining adult theory with children’s theory. I’m very excited to see how it goes. Hopefully I’ll get some good pictures to share with you.