AOL Fondation started it's first sessions with two 4th grade classes consisting of a total of 63 students at Birney Elementary in Redondo Beach, CA on February 7, 2018. Flavia Costa our Executive Director and Creative Director is leadig the way with bringing Dramatic Arts back to students.
The Choice to be premiered at Flicks4Change Film Festival on Monday November 13, 2017
"The Choice" Cristina says yes!
Play Reading
You should read the play first to get a general idea of the story, characters, action, and staging. There’s no need to figure out everything right away – that will come, and it will be a lot easier than you think.
Study Guide
The first part contains information about the play’s subject that you can use to enhance the play project. You’ll find background, history, resources, bibliography, along with suggested classroom activities, studies, and discussions.
Performance Guide
The second part contains information, ideas, and suggestions to help you and your students create, rehearse, and perform the play.
Play’s Characters
Take a look at the list of characters at the beginning of the script. Look at each name and consider the personality traits of each one. What words would you choose to describe Mowgli: Brave, strong, curious, impulsive, funny, adventurous? What kind of traits would you use to describe yourself? If you are brave, give an example of when your bravery was present.
Theatre Games for Young Performers Maria C. Novelly, Meriwether Ltd., 1985. A collection of classic "Theatre Games" for students. All the activities in this book are intended to train children in performance technique. Lots of fun.
It’s More Than Just a Play
Some teachers may think that performing a play is just something that requires extra time and work – an extracurricular activity beyond the normal process of education; something outside the classroom; something “nice to do for the parents”. They often don’t realize that preparation and rehearsal, and ultimately, the performance itself – whether for the class, for the entire school, or for parents and the public – all can be incorporated into the day-to-day teaching and learning process. There are many educational benefits in staging a play and in adding creative drama to the curriculum.
Working Together for a Common Goal
Producing a play involves many different activities: memorizing lines, learning stage movement, and creating costumes, props and set pieces. Students get to experience the process of taking a project from inception to completion. By its very nature, drama is a collaborative art: students learn to cooperate in a group activity and enjoy the camaraderie of the experience.
Imagination
Making believe is completely natural for children. It enhances their creativity, builds self-esteem, and teaches them to deal with others in a cooperative manner.
Ability to Focus
When a child performs in a play there is the added element of being observed. Often, when you first begin rehearsals, the children will not concentrate on their roles. They may seem fidgety, interrupt, or not pay attention. Don’t be too concerned about this. In time, they will understand that they must concentrate on their part when others are watching and waiting for them to speak or perform an action. By the time the play is ready, you will notice a vast improvement in their ability to focus – not only on their parts, but on the other roles and the play in general.
Performance – The Joy of Learning
On the day or evening of the performance, as the audience enters and the play is about to begin, the children will sense the excitement that it’s show time. They may be a bit nervous, but they know that now all their diligent work will come together in something new and special. They rise to the occasion, create a whole new world of make-believe, take their bows, and beam in the applause that tells them they did a great job. They are proud to be there, they have a sense of accomplishment, and they are joyful that they learned and performed the play.
Costume Suggestions
It is quite all right to perform this play with very few costumes. Every child can name a costume piece or two that will distinguish them and clarify what part they are playing. Ask kids to look at home for things that might serve as part of the costume.
Rehearsal Warm Ups
In your first rehearsal sessions warm up exercises will help everyone relax and get used to working together. This is especially helpful if you have several classes or groups of kids who don’t already know each other. Some creative dramatic exercises are given in the first part of this Teacher’s Guide. The Mirror and Trust Exercises may seem old hat to some but I think still think they are the best tried-and-trues for a group of young performers.
We completed filming our first film on July 27, 2017. This is a story about:
When a couple (played by Lou Ferrigno Jr. and Flavia Costa) try to have a family after getting married and have a hard time getting pregnant, they decide to go see a doctor. Their world comes crashing down when they get the news that Cristina is terminally ill with stage 4 ovarian cancer. She prepares her loved ones, including her new husband for what is to come. Her mission is to show them it's is not about death but how to choose to live life.
