It’s Almost Showtime!
Freshman students have been working passionately to create a fantastic final production of Abe Koogler’s play, Kill Floor. The performance is on Tuesday, April 5th at 3:15 in Clemente’s auditorium and is open to all community members, families, friends, and students. We encourage you to attend!
For the past four weeks, all freshmen at Roberto Clemente High School have been engaged in the Mosaic Program through the American Theater Company (ATC). This is a program in which ATC partners with Clemente and ATC provides teaching artists and apprentices for each classroom to teach students about the art of theater. Students are given a play to read and then each class is assigned a different scene to perform in a final live “mosaic” production of the play. Along with performing the scene, students are responsible for all aspects of production including advertising, lighting, sound, props, stage design and costume design. This unique program gives students the opportunity to engage in a high level depth of knowledge (DOK) project, while also enjoying themselves and having the opportunity to ‘play’ with the play.
One of the key elements of the Mosaic Program is the use of ensemble games. Each class becomes a unique ensemble as part of the learning process, which facilitates teamwork and cooperation. The games are played at the beginning of each class and help students to trust one another and to take positive risks in the classroom, which help to build each students’ International Baccalaureate learner profile characteristics by focusing on being Risk Takers and Communicators. While students were initially a little skeptical about what the theater unit would be like, they have quickly become huge fans of theater. The freshmen are not only having a blast, but they are also practicing essential “Approaches to Learning” (ATL) skills, which are an integral part of the IB Middle Years Program’s philosophy of learning and teaching.
Currently, the production team is finalizing props, sound cues, costumes, and lighting. When the production team finishes all of their responsibilities, they will then share their work with the acting team for feedback. The acting team has been working fervently to memorize lines and be “off book” so they can dazzle the audience on April 5th.
Some students already memorized their lines and are off book already. “It’s easy to memorize lines. I just keep reading them over and over until I remember them,” explained Jahmauri Lee, one of the freshman actors. Another actor, Chaz Barnes said, “I am really nervous because I have a lot of lines to remember.” His classmates encouraged him that he would be able to do it, and he then felt much more comfortable about memorizing and performing his lines. This is a common feeling among students as they embark on an experience unlike any they’ve had before. As an International Baccalaureate school, Clemente places a high value on providing students with unique and international learning opportunities. Bringing in the Mosaic Program through the American Theater Company is just one way Clemente embodies what it means to be an IB school. This program is funded partially through the Creative Schools Art Fund, which is a grant the freshman English teachers were awarded earlier in the school year. Everyone is eager to perform the play at Clemente High School on April 5 at 3:15pm in Clemente’s auditorium. We can’t wait to show everyone how amazing our freshmen are!!!