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From Issue #13, Summer
2006
The
Toronto Chronicles
Notes
from
Readers Theatre Institute Internatinal Workshop
in Toronto July 9-22, 2006
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July 17
We are here in beautiful,
and it is beautiful, Toronto. Things have been going well as we have
been blessed by a small but bright and enthusiastic group. We have two
students from Japan and also one of the founding members of the American
Readers Theater Association among others.
The group has been
attending the many interesting theatre offerings in Toronto including
a new Fringe festival featuring plays from all over the world. Some
have seen the world premier production of THE LORD OF THE RINGS with
mixed reviews and others have taken in the popular SPAMALOT, a spoof
on the Monty Python movie. We will be seeing GROSS INDECENCY later in
the week. Wilde’s IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST is also playing along
with about thirteen other major productions including one from Chicago’s
Second City. Toronto also boasts the Stratford Shakespeare Festival
as well as the Shaw Festival which, while not in Toronto proper, are
within easy commuting distance.
Toronto is a very multi-cultural
city so those who like a varied cuisine are in gastronomic heaven. Many
have taken the time from their studies to see Niagra Falls and other
wonderful sites in the area. Our location is ideal and many have taken
advantage of the many shopping opportunities in the area.
We have been making
many new discoveries in the wonderful world of Readers
Theatre, many of which will be shared in later articles. I have been
particularly pleased with our Advanced Class which is in the process
of building a presentation for next Thursday composed entirely of world
literature.
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July 22
The workshop ends today
with the final performances. I have to say it was
one of the most successful workshops in terms of student creativity
we have
ever had. The students were mainly teachers K-12. But we had about four
college instructors and at least two professional actors. Each student
taking the workshop for academic credit must write a journal describing
how readers theatre methodology can be utilized in critical thinking
and how elements or RT can be found in representational theatre. This
year the journals were superb, often filled with insights of a highly
intellectual level.
Each student who is
taking graduate credit must turn in and perform an original report.
This year the RT report scripts were of the highest caliber. One report
on Gracie O’Mally, the Irish Pirate Queen, was as good as we have had.
The audience was moved by the acting, staging and the quality of the
material. We had informative reports on everything from Canadian Money
to Microbe research. The quality of this work is even more incredible
when one considers the research for these reports and the scripting
must be done at the workshop.
Every year we do a
bi-lingual puppet show to demonstrate the potential for
the use of readers theatre in the teaching of language. This year our
French/Spanish show was augmented by Yoshiko Tanaka, former professor
of
English at Tamagawa University, and Norifumi Hida, a readers theatre
student from Japan who performed the show in Japanese. The audience
was
brought to a standing ovation by the performance.
This year a new program
for advanced students was initiated. The students
were required to bring to the workshop three pieces of their favorite
literature. They were then asked to compose an RT script utilizing and
organizing the material under a mutually agreed upon theme. The final
script performed on Thursday was a beautiful piece entitled SAY IT WITH
THE
WIND. The faculty at the institute were amazed at the level of creativity
displayed in this project.
During the final performances
we had Dr. Marc McCulloch, president of
ASCL Education Service as our guest. Dr. McCulloch was impressed with
the
quality of our final productions as were we. The final productions ranged
from the superbly crafted H.H. Munro (Saki) piece called LAURA directed
by
student Steve Schroeder to the extremely poignant original piece WHAT
I
WANT MY WORDS TO DO TO YOU by faculty member Kris Hayes. There was an
additional comic piece called CANADIAN MONEY done to give Dr. McCulloch
an
example of an informational RT.
The awards ceremony
was an informal ceremony allowing the students to
comment on the workshop. The comments were both constructive and
flattering. Most students voiced their approval and a promise to return
next year. Our venue for next year will be either Toronto or London
town.
This selection will be make by the end of August. Our new web site will
soon be in operation check it for the new venue and other exciting news
about the INTERNATIONAL READERS THEATRE INSTITUTE.
Walter R. Stump
Director
The Institute for
Readers Theatre web site may be viewed at:
http://www.readerstheatreinstitute.com
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