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Surprising Bumbling Bea Reviews and a FREE Chapter

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Wishing Shelf

 

Surprising Bumbling Bea Reviews–

I never thought I’d be writing that!

When Bumbling Bea was first published, I was very surprised by the reviews. I hoped middle school students would enjoy the story, but I never considered readers of all ages (some as young as seven and one a sixty-five year old grandma) would appreciate it, too.  I’m  flattered.

So, if you are seeking reviews of Bumbling Bea check out Amazon at http://tinyurl.com/lk5db54

There are nearly 50.

If you are wanting to read a few snippets, here are some:

  • “Quirky, fun and intensely close capturing of middle school angst.”

******Emily Bassinger

  •  “In Bumbling Bea, author Deborah Baldwin creates an enjoyable look into growing up. Hilarity, missteps, and bungling follow as Bea and Michiko come to terms. The plot line is written skillfully.”

****Verabookreviews

  • “Deborah ensures that her story constantly generates mental images and tugs at heartstrings. The choice of words used reflect the effort that she must have put in to make this story both child-friendly and adult-friendly.”

*****Rajalakshmi Prithviraj\

  • “This book is utterly charming, with many fun and surprising twists that equally offer loads of entertainment as well as a variety of opportunities to feel validated!! Thank you, ‘Bumbling Bea’ for teaching me that these awkward moments we experience during our most awkward years are forgivable and not defining, and more importantly, that they are ALWAYS opportunities to LEARN ******Becca Ayers
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  • “Baldwin reached out to an audience that is often overlooked in writing (the middle school theater crowd) but does it in a fun and humorous way.”****Amy Dawn Kostecki
  • “Bumbling Bea is a wonderful example of what is like to be a middle school student trying to figure just who you really are and how the world really works. Baldwin does an excellent job sharing Bears inner turmoil, thoughts, emotions……. As a theater lover and teacher myself I loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who works with children, has children, is a child at heart, or who enjoys the stage!
           *****Blair McCotter 
Wishing Shelf
Bumbling Bea was a finalist in the 2016 Wishing Shelf Book Award Contest
Are you looking for a different way to teach about drama in your classroom?
Consider Bumbling Bea.
AND…..you can download the first chapter and its study guide for FREE here:  Dramamommaspeaks Store–Bumbling Bea
Bumbling Bea Reviews
If you haven’t heard of Bumbling Bea, here is a short synopsis:
Beatrice thinks she has no acting talent but that doesn’t stop her from auditioning for the annual middle school play. Easy! Except Michiko, a new girl from Japan, shows up and ruins everything! So begins Beatrice’s diabolical and hilarious plan to scare away Michiko. But Michiko has goals of her own with no plans to leave soon. Then there’s that other girl who is such a blabbermouth. What’s a girl to do? Plenty. A great book for those who love theater and every part of it–the good, the bad and the crazy.
Why did I write this book?
When I was a young student, I didn’t know I loved theater….yet.  It wasn’t until I was in high school when I first was cast that I realized theatre was my thing.
Also, I didn’t get to study drama until high school either.  Just imagine how much happier I would have been if I had studied it sooner like so many students do at present.
I wrote Bumbling Bea for those kids, just like me.  There aren’t many books focused on drama and there are certainly no books about Kabuki theater AND drama….until I came along.
You can find Bumbling Bea on Amazon at:  Bumbling Bea  and at Barnes and Noble at:  Barnes and Noble

I’d be really flattered if you’d take a look at it.  It’s not what you think when you begin the book.  That’s my favorite kind of book–it surprises you.

What’s your favorite book?  I’d love to hear from you.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Deborah Baldwin

 

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

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The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

I thought the reasons teaching multiculturalism in the classroom is vitally important was a good subject to blog about today.

My Teaching Journey with Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is here to stay. I am thrilled by that statement! I am very fortunate in having traveled to many countries around the globe.  This wanderlust came from my mother who was born in Japan (my grandparents were missionaries there) and continued her whole life. That’s one of the reasons I enjoy multiculturalism in the classroom!

I enjoy people from other cultures very much.  I find immigrants and visitors very interesting.  They are far more fascinating than someone who lives near me and has never stepped past the U.S. border.

About ten years ago, I taught drama in a middle school in Missouri. During that time I was charged with teaching the students about drama and its many components.  Since there was no set curriculum (Hallelujah!) I loved that I could create lessons and units as I deemed fit.

 

A Perfect Arts Integration Project

At the end of each six week session, I would produce a small class play with my students. I mean, that’s what theater is all about, right?

This was the late 1990’s I think, multiculturalism was a big trend in education.  Desperate to find scenes or plays about the topic, I began to research and adapt multicultural folk tales into short class plays.  I needed them to be about fifteen minutes in length and suitable for other classes and my students’ parents to attend. If you are interested, here is a readers theater unit about an Incan legend, the Magic Lake

There are many reasons we need to continue to teach multiculturalism.  First and foremost, the United States is a melting pot and that makes us unique in many respects. But that isn’t enough of a reason, is it?

Students study culture through plays

I ran on to an article on Ascd.org, a professional organization for school administrators and educators. I think it says it best.

“People coming from Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa differ greatly from earlier generations of immigrants who came     primarily from western and northern Europe. These unfamiliar groups, cultures, traditions, and languages can produce anxieties, hostilities, prejudices, and racist behaviors among those who do not understand the newcomers or who perceive them as threats to their safety and security.

These issues have profound implications for developing instructional programs and practices at all levels of education that respond positively and constructively to diversity.

Incorporating Multicultural Education

First, Irvine and Armento (2001) provide specific examples for incorporating multicultural education in the classroom by  planning language arts, math, science, and social studies lessons for elementary and middle school students and connecting these lessons to general curriculum standards.

One set of lessons demonstrates how to use Navajo rugs to explain the geometric concepts of perimeter and area. In addition,  students learn how to calculate the areas of squares, rectangles, triangles, and parallelograms. Isn’t this terrific? 

These suggestions indicate that teachers need to use systematic decision making approaches to accomplish multicultural curriculum integration. In practice, this means developing intentional and orderly processes for including multicultural content.

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism is Vitally Important

Other Benefits of Teaching with Multiculturalism

Creating learning goals and objectives that incorporate multicultural aspects, such as ―Developing students’ ability to write persuasively about social justice concerns. Using a frequency matrix to ensure that the teacher includes a wide variety of ethnic groups in a wide variety of ways in curriculum materials and instructional activities.

Introducing different ethnic groups and their contributions on a rotating basis. Talk about beneficial aspects of multiculturism in education! It is suggested to include several examples from different ethnic experiences to explain subject matter concepts, facts, and skills.  Additionally, showing how multicultural content, goals, and activities intersect with subject’s specific curricular standards. Here is another exciting unit. This time about an Inuit creation myth, adapted into a one act play, Sedna.

More Benefits

Virtually all aspects of multicultural education are interdisciplinary. As such, they cannot be adequately understood through a single discipline. For example, teaching students about the causes, expressions, and consequences of racism and how to combat racism requires the application of information and techniques from such disciplines as history, economics, sociology, psychology, mathematics, literature, science, art, politics, music, and health care.

Theoretical scholarship already affirms this multiculturism in education; now, teachers need to model good curricular and instructional practice in elementary and secondary classrooms. Furthermore, putting this principle into practice will elevate multicultural education from impulse, disciplinary isolation, and simplistic and haphazard guesswork to a level of significance, complexity, and connectedness across disciplines.”

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism is Vitally Important

Aren’t these excellent ideas for multiculturalism?

Here is another….Theater is a fabulous vehicle to use in one’s teaching.  It’s even better with multiculturalism.  It is quite easy to teach about other cultures using plays and in fact, fun.  There isn’t a  jarring or obstructive shift in one’s teaching. I kid you not!

Here’s a Plan for You

For instance, let’s think multiculturism in education through teaching about the country of Japan.  One way to approach it from the basis of studying the country’s geography and culture.  Those are obvious methods.  Additionally, one could also study the Japanese art of origami but again, it’s a fairly traditional pedagogy.

However, a teacher could teach about Japan in a more unique way– present a play based on a Japanese folk tale.

“What?” you say, “That sounds really challenging and I have limited time to put together the unit.”

This is where I can help you. 🙂

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

Picture This in Your Classroom

You have your materials you need to teach the basics to the students (maps, articles, coloring pages, worksheets, etc.) Once you have spent the time you plan  for learning, segue to the play unit.

As I mentioned, I created several fifteen minute class plays.  Plus, there are reader’s theater versions as well.  You can incorporate them into your study of a culture or country today!

To date, there is one for Bulgaria, German, Japan, China, Alaska, India, Peru, Canada and one of the Jewish culture.  Keep checking back, because more multicultural plays are added every month.  These plays are written for fifth through eighth grade classes, however, I twice adapted Ojisan and the Grateful Statues–once for younger students (grades  2 to 4)  and another version for students (6-9). My newest offerings are from the Inca and Zuni indigenous people–The Magic Lake and Maidens of the Corn.  You can find them here: DramaMommaSpeaks

Check out here the one for lower elementary grades here: Ojisan and the Grateful Statues (Creative Dramatics Level) 

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

Or a large cast script with unit at:  The Little Girl and the Winter Whirlwinds 

Here are some others….

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

Abdullah’s Gold is a funny story about being grateful for what you have and spreading your wealth with others.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday is a very funny tale with plenty of roles for the whole gang.  My daughter remembers when she was a student of mine in middle school and we performed this play.  It’s such fun.

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

Sedna, an Inuit Tale is engaging, full of spectacle and dramatic. It is one of my favorites!

 

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

Li Chi the Serpent Slayer tells the story of a girl as the hero.

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

The Brave Little Tailor is a funny take on the Grimm Brother’s tale, complete with a song for the Giant.

 

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

It Could Always Be Worse is a Jewish folk tale full of funny moments and opportunities for your students to study improvisation as well. Or find it at:  It Could Always Be Worse Play and Unit

Here is a terrific multicultural musical lesson, too:  Once on this Island

The Reasons Teaching Multiculturalism in the Classroom is Vitally Important

I challenge you to be different. Only you know what your students need and how they’ll embrace multiculturalism in your classroom.  Plus, your students will benefit from it and so will you.

What multicultural materials do you use in your classroom?  I’d love to hear about them.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

Deborah Baldwin

 

Here’s a Lesson You’d Never Expect: Costume Design

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Here’s a Lesson You’d Neve Expect:  Costume Design

Image result for people in costumes in a play

It’s one of my favorite subjects in theater.  How can you beat it?

It’s fun, creative, allows for your imagination to flow freely and just plain fun.

Oh, did I say fun twice?

You know who else loves costume design?  Kids.

I think sometimes as drama teachers we think of costume design from the standpoint of a play or musical solely.

But there are so many other ways we use costumes.  Maybe like me, you haven’t thought of them either.

For instance:

  • Halloween costumes
  • Parade costumes
  • Ballet costumes
  • Super Hero
  • Circus Performers

and probably more I haven’t even thought of yet!

Image result for people in costumes in a play

Why Should I Teach Costume Design?

Here are some reasons for you:

  • Costumes are one of the most popular components of theatre.
  • An actor need not speak. A costume can share something about the character. The time period, tone of the production, personality or job of the character can all be conveyed through a costume.
  • Costume design involves multi -step procedures. The student learns to site specific examples while attending to the precise details of a description.
  • Students determine the meaning of symbols, key terms and phrases as they are used in a specific context relevant to grade appropriate texts and topics.

You may not know there are several important steps a costume designer must go through before the costume hits the stage.

1.) Analysis: The first step is an analysis of the script, musical composition, choreography, etc. Costume parameters for the show are established and a rough costume plot is created. A costume plot outlines which character is in which scene, when the actors change, and what costumes are mentioned in the script.

2.) Design Collaboration: This is a time when all of the designers meet with the director. There must be a clear understanding of where the show is headed. The designers get on the same page with the director in terms of themes for the show and what message they want the audience to get from the show.

3.) Costume Research: Now, the costume designer gathers research. Costume designers usually begin with world of the play research where they find research to establish the world where the play takes place. This helps the designers establish the rules of the world and then in turn understand the characters better. The designer will then go into broad research about each character to try to establish their personalities though their costume.

4.) Preliminary Sketching and Color Layout: Costume designers begin by creating preliminary sketches. beginning with very quick rough sketches the designer can get a basic idea for how the show will look put together and if the rules of the world are being maintained. The Costume designer will then go into more detailed sketches and will figure out the specific costumes and colors for the character. Sketches help see the show as a whole without them having to spend too much time on them.

5.) Final Sketches: Once the Costume Designer and the Director agree on the costumes and the ideas are fully flushed out, the designer will create final sketches. These are called renderings and are usually painted with watercolors or acrylic paints. These final sketches show what the designer wants the character to look like and the colors of the costume.

Image result for people in costumes in a play

Here’s a little history for you:

Costume design has a very long history. The ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, who lived in the 5th century B.C., created specific costumes for actors to wear when performing his tragedies. In the Middle Ages & Renaissance, scenery and costumes became increasingly important elements of stage plays. Want a free costume design lesson? Click here.

They helped capture a mood, create an exciting colorful event, and entertained audiences. But there wasn’t one cohesive idea of what costume had to be. In Shakespeare’s time, people performed in contemporary dress. In his own company, Shakespeare’s performers provided their own costumes.

In the 16th century, some traveling theatrical troops performed a style of theater called commedia dell’arte. It had costumes that represented stock characters, such as the serving girl, the doctor, and the harlequin. Everyone in the audience understood what these characters stood for by looking at their costumes.

From the 1770s through the 1870s, a desire for greater accuracy in costume design began to take hold due to an increase in stage performances and traveling theatrical troupes, and because more people had become familiar with the costumes of cultures around the world.

Into the 19th century, costume design became an increasingly specialized art,           and two main ideas filtered into it. One was historical accuracy, or capturing the sense of a time period.

The other was concept-driven, in which costumes captured a vision that might not have connections to a known historical time and place. Think about movies and television today, and you can probably name several productions that fall into either category.

Did you know the use of metaphor through costume design is super cool?  I love this part! 

The Metaphor is used to assist the designer in developing a specific tone, mood, style, or feel for the play.

Metaphor is “A figure of speech in which a word … that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison…“

For example: “All the world’s a stage,…” (William Shakespeare’s, As You Like It, Act II, scene 7). In less poetic terms — the world is a stage. (Note: A simile would add the word “like:” The world is like a stage.)

For example, after an analysis of Moliere’s The Giver, the designer may decide that Harpagon’s home, the primary set, is a gold coin. The metaphor — home is a gold coin — can suggest to the designer a color (gold), a shape (round), a texture (metallic)… How these elements are used depends on the designer’s creativity.

Think of the elements in Wizard of Oz—tornado, bicycle, ruby slippers, hour glass

How could you use these elements in the design of Dorothy’s house?

Here’s a Lesson You’d Never Expect

I have several costume design lessons you might be interested in.

Costume Design studies through:

Costume Design with Fairy Tales

Fairy Tale Characters

Costume Design with Super Heroes

Circus Performers

Super Heroes

Halloween Characters

Costume Design with Nutcracker Characters

 

Nutcracker Ballet Characters  

Here's a Lesson You'd Never Expect

Holiday Parade Characters

Costume Design with Newspaper

Each is a two day student-centered study of the history of costume design, including giving students an opportunity to create their own designs and much more.  If you are looking for a unit, this five day costume design unit works well with high school students.

Costume Design Unit for High School

 

I hope you’ll give them a look see.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with costumes.  I have a few crazy ones, like the time I decided to dress as a stalk of celery…..but I’ll keep that story for another time.

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

MTI Senior Musicals: A Baby Boomer's Dream Come True

 

 

 

 

Should Students Read Biographies?

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The Reasons You Should Read Biographies

Should students read biographies? I say they should, especially theatre artists if that’s their interest.  

Here are the reasons students should read biographies.

I’m excited to share with you the new series of products I am creating.

Places Please is a series of short biographies about professional theatre artists.  There will be biographies about actors, directors, set designers, playwrights, costume designers and more.

Here is some terrific news on Lin Manuel Miranda!

https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Lin-Manuel-Miranda-Family-Fund-Has-Committed-1M-To-Theater-Scholarships-For-Students-Of-Color-20200304

Places Please products include a short biography about the artist, plus a sheet with questions about the biography.  Links to particular works and sources are included as well and a link to a Pinterest board with additional photos of the artist.

Should Students Read Biographies?

Researching this idea, I stumbled upon an interesting article in Time Magazine by Jason Steinhauer, “America’s Students Need History–But Not for the Reasons You’re Hearing”

“The process of historical inquiry—and what it teaches students along the way—is history’s greatest reward. Studying history teaches that society is not stagnant. Studying history teaches us to question how and why things change, who drives those changes, whose interests are served by them and who gets left out of the equation. History teaches that human actions have consequences. Analysis of past events teaches students to ask probing questions, challenge preconceived assumptions and to recognize that humans have the capacity to be both very, very good and very, very cruel.

Analyzing historic documents teaches us to be careful readers. To be skeptical of one side of the story. To be aware of our own biases. Most critically, history teaches us who we are. I am a Jew, a New Yorker, a citizen of the United States, a grandchild of Holocaust survivors. These identities mean nothing without a historical backdrop to set them against. “We swim in the past as fish do in water,” wrote historian Eric Hobsbawm. “We cannot escape from it.”

Should Students Read Biographies?

Should Students Read Biographies?

Steinhauser continues, “Our students may not go on to all be historians, or even remember the hundreds of facts they learn in a given year. But through history they can become more disciplined and rigorous thinkers. They can be challenged to be more independent-minded analysts, and, I would argue, more compassionate human beings—skills that historical study inculcates and that lead directly to life and career success.”

What better way is there to demonstrate to our students that we all have struggles, failures and successes?

When I was a student, we never learned about anyone but historical figures. I knew a lot about George Washington (much of which was incorrect), Christopher Columbus (oh my gosh, don’t get me started) and Johnny Appleseed (really?).  Had I learned about people in my field of interest and their lives, I believe it would have helped me understand the initial challenges of the profession.

Check out: Video of Famous Theater Artists

Perhaps I might have gone further professionally? I don’t know.

That’s one of the reasons I became a teacher.  I thought there were some aspects of theater which had been ignored and I wanted to share my knowledge and expertise with students.

I found these really cool reasons to read more biographies by Kevin Eikenberry. There isn’t much reason to give you my thoughts when I agree wholeheartedly with his.

Should Students Read Biographies

Five Reasons to Read More Biographies“They allow you to stand on the shoulders of giants. In the 1670’s Sir Isaac Newton wrote in a letter to his friend Robert Hooke, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” That is exactly what reading biographies can do for you – allow you to see further because of what these people have achieved. Admittedly not every biography is about a “giant” but most are (and you can certainly pick from that list). However, even if the person you’re reading about is despicable and not worthy of praise or admiration, there likely are still many lessons to be gleaned from their life experiences and behaviors – even if most are “things you don’t want to do.”

They remind you that history repeats itself. George Santayana wrote in 1905, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It was true long before then, it was true then and it hasn’t changed today. Reading about the real experiences of others gives context for the decisions and consequences that we all will face. History (recent or distant) will repeat itself because those who are making history were, and are, human beings. One of the best ways to take advantage of the experience of others is by reading biographies of historical figures, not academic tomes about history.

They promote self discovery. A good self help or professional development book will outline specific steps, tools, techniques and approaches to try. These can be valuable and successful shortcuts to help you make improvements and get results in most any area of your life. A biography, on the other hand, won’t be as direct. You will discover ideas and approaches on your own through the stories and experiences of others. This discovery learning process is often far more satisfying, and most always more lasting, than reading a list of steps.

Lin Manuel MIranda cover square

Expand Your Students’ World View

They allow you to see the world in new ways. Rather than being completely focused on your professional discipline, looking at the way you and your colleagues always look at things, reading about someone from a different era, a different background or a totally different set of life experiences will give you new perspective. In truth, most great innovations come from taking an idea from one situation, discipline or industry and adapting it to another. Reading biographies is one great way to do this.

They give you mentors at a distance.If you have read about the life of Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Winston Churchhill or anyone else you select, you have had a glimpse into their mind and now have the advantage or “knowing” them. These people can become your mentors at a distance, if you allow yourself the chance to think about what advice they might give you, or what they might do in a the situation or choice you are facing.”

So if you are a teacher looking for something different for your students, give these a look. They are a bargain, too!

I plan to release one each month until I have exhausted the subject. Because there are hundreds of theater artists, I think this series won’t end any time soon, because our students will enjoy learning whoever is up and coming as well as a veteran.

Granted, not every theater artist may appear important at first glance.  However, once a student reads about the artist’s struggles to become the person we know, everything becomes very transparent.

 

There are bundles of all of the artists available, too:

Theater Artists: Places Please

Distance Learning Famous Artists Bundle

Here’s a collection of 24 posters with quotes from famous theater artists.  I hope you like them.  Growth Mindset in Theater Artists This one below is FREE!

As you can tell, I really enjoy creating these biographies! I’d love to hear how these biographies go for you and your students.  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

author's signature

 

My Number One Best Selling Product

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Here it is!  My number one best selling product is here– radio theater. Ta-da.

Radio Theater Unit

 

This is my number one most popular product in my store, Dramamommaspeaks on Teacherspayteachers.com. Check it out here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/RADIO-THEATRE-UNIT-I-3319922

Why?

Because everyone has heard of radio theatre, but few drama educators know much about teaching it!

Until now.

Enter me….

For twelve years, I taught in a middle school  each year instructing nearly 400 sixth graders each year.  All. about. theatre.

Now, if you are a creative person like I am, then you know this is going to drain you pretty quickly.  I taught everything to them:  tableau, sound effects, movement, storytelling, set and costume design, stage properties and acting.

Radio Theater Unit

At the end of every twenty-five days of the school year, we put present a short play for their parents.  (You have to perform something otherwise it’s not really theatre, right?)

After about five years and multitudes of different ways to teach theatre, I was exhausted creatively.

Then I discovered radio theatre.

I had some experience with it prior to the class.  In fact, when I was a high school girl while everyone else was studying or talking on the phones to their friends, I would stay up late at night and listen to old radio shows from a Chicago station.   It was terrific!

So, I got to thinking…..what if I taught the kids about radio theatre?

It had everything I needed–a script, no memorization of lines, plenty of parts and also non-threatening jobs like sound effects and running the music.  

Back then, the internet was pretty new.  It’s hard to believe, but we didn’t even have computers in our classrooms yet.  I ran upon the Museum of Television and Radio (now called the Paley Center for Media)  in California and discovered they had radio theatre workshops for families. Bingo!

Museum of Television and Radio

Desperate, I wrote them asking for help and as luck would have it, a very nice man Tony Palermo sent me six scripts to use with my students.

I had some experience with voice over work myself and I was familiar with many aspects of radio theater production. Over the next several years, I perfected the unit.

 

This THREE WEEK unit suitable for middle and high school drama classes or gifted classes includes:

• a lesson on the history of radio theatre,
• information about Foley engineers
• three links to video clips of Foleys
• student created sound effect project
• five links to radio play performances (some vintage and some recent)
• a lesson in writing and producing radio commercials
• links to four commercials and two acting exercises focused on sound effects
• a FREE script of my adaptation of H.G. Welles’ The Invisible Man suitable for classroom use
• procedure plan to follow throughout the unit
• teacher’s questions
• a sound effects quiz
• a student group example of a radio commercial
• trivia about radio theater stars

What I like about the unit is the creativity of it as well as the production possibilities.  It gives students an opportunity to learn, write, produce and perform. What’s not to like about that?

Slide1

Now I have a second radio theater unit product!  I wanted to give teachers a script which was based on a classic book (Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost) and more scary thinking it might be good for Halloween but still be fun.  Check it out here:  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/RADIO-THEATRE-UNIT-II-4018450

In the near future, I plan to have one for the elementary grade level, too.  That’s a promise!

Comprehensive? You bet! If you are looking for my number one most popular product in my store, this is it!

You will have a successful teaching and learning experience created by a veteran drama teacher of thirty-eight years. Can everyone say that?

Do you have any experiences with radio theater?  I’d love to hear about them.  Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net

 

Arts Quote We Love #4–Civilizations Remembered for Their Arts

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Civilizations

Civilizations are remembered for their arts.

I am teaching a theatre appreciation class at a junior college this semester.

This is a first for me.

You’d think by now I would have taught this class before, but I haven’t which makes it fun and challenging.

As we study each time period of theatre, it is interesting how much isn’t focused on the politicians, but the arts of the time period instead.

Oh, I know that’s what this class is to focus upon, but really, who remembers who was King when Shakespeare wrote his plays?

It’s Shakespeare who counts.  I”m certain there are many important things which occurred during his lifetime, but he was an integral part of the history of the world and that’s what we recall. HIs plays have transcended the generations since then.

Meet Eli Broadway Philanthopic Billionaire

Eli Broad is a philanthropic billionaire.  He made his wealth through construction and insurance.  It’s what he did after making his fortune which matters.

He built an art museum in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, can you imagine?

Eli Broad

From the New York Times:

“Mr. Broad also spearheaded the effort to build the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Frank Gehry-designed building that has become an anchor of downtown. His decision to locate the Broad museum just up the street from the concert hall — bypassing Santa Monica and Beverly Hills — has also been seen as crucial to downtown’s emergence.

The decision to build a museum to house the Broads’ sweeping personal collection of contemporary and postwar art — 2,000 pieces, including works by Jasper Johns, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Damien Hirst and others — came in a city where, until recently, many fine works of art had been hidden away in private mansions.”

This man gets it.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to find a city with too much arts?  Is that even possible?

I don’t think so.

We’ve lived in an arts community for thirty years (Columbia, Missouri) and let me tell you–there is a difference. People there were creating new arts all the time and the community supported everything. And it continues!

Here we were in a town of 125,000 and we had a professional modern ballet company.  I believe that’s extraordinary.

Now if every community could just have an Eli Broad….

If you are interested in other arts posts, check out This is What the Arts do for You which is an interesting premise I must say.

Speaking of creativity and the importance of the arts, I have a radio theater play sprung from the short story of The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe.

Cask of Amontillado Radio Play

Here’s a fifteen minute dramatic radio play adapted from Edgar Allen Poe’s classic, gothic story, The Cask of Amontillado. This script has 15 + roles (plus crew) and was written especially for the classroom! Strengthen your students’ listening, speaking, and reading skills all at once. It’s a one stop shop!

In addition, a teacher could use this script with students who are distance learning. #DistanceLearningTPT

The product includes:

  • A note to the director
  • Edgar Allen Poe–a short bio. –
  • Catacombs Information
  • Information about the story of which the radio play was adapted
  • Sound effects suggestions and how to use them
  • Music suggestions with links
  • How to stage a radio play with a floor plan for your use
  • Radio theater terms (such as “up and under”)
  • 14 page radio play script complete with sound and music cues written by an award winning author, me!
  • Original song composed by an award winning music educator
  • Two corny commercials which can be used in the play or switched out with one of your students’ own!

This is a crowd pleasing radio play created by an award-winning drama teacher and author with 38 years of experience.

 

HOW DO I USE THIS SCRIPT IN MY CLASSROOM? If I were you, I’d use it with a short story unit studying mystery and macabre, drama, gifted or reading. It’s terrific for the end of a semester and will impressed parents and others attending.

Looking for a freebie or two?  Check out: Free Stuff!

Contact me at dhcbaldwin@gmail.com or DeborahBaldwin.net