I have been learning more recently about Theatre for the Very Young, and by Very Young I mean infants and toddlers... check out this theatre production being developed that is performing at the egg: 16 singers.
One of the many fantastic benefits of being in a program that works so closely with a theatre like the egg is that we get to see a TON of theatre for young audiences. This past week we were able to see Tree/Boom/Umthi from Magnet Theatre company based in Cape Cod, South Africa. I loved seeing how this company used minimal set and props to tell their story. They relied on their language, music, and sounds, as well as images created with their bodies individually and as an ensemble. It was great to see how engaged all of the children in the audience were. There were no hesitations to get up and participate in the little workshop on stage afterwards to act out parts of the show they just saw. It was a great example to see in the beginning stage of creating my own piece of theatre for young audiences. You can check out more about this show and the Magnet Theatre on this video. Today I took the train into Bath for the first time to get to the egg for the first day of the incubator. the incubator is a program created by the egg to allow aspiring TYA creators to preview their work in front of industry professionals for feedback and connections.
It started at 10:30am with a meet and greet breakfast hour in one of the rehearsal spaces while the first performance prepared for their show. the egg arranged for local students to come see each of the shows, that ranged from 20-45 minutes in length. It was my first time watching a show with the sole intention of recognizing how the children interacted and responded to what they were seeing. I thought it was incredible. I saw four different performances on Thursday, two from local performance groups and two from last year's MATYA program I'm doing. Since this was theatre strictly created for young audiences (roughly 2 years old to 8 years old) I paid attention to different aspects of theatre that I wouldn't normally consider when directing a typical musical number for Broadway Bootcamp or a show at summer camp. My favorite performance of the day would have had to have been the first one we saw called "Flying the Nest," a story about a father and son bird, living in their nest and preparing the young bird to learn how to fly. Although they didn't use words, their bird language (which was actually slowed down bird song) was easy for the children to follow and encouraged them to participate in the interactive portions of the show, which I thought was really exciting. The day really had me thinking about what kind of show I might create for next year's incubator! Do you have any ideas? |
"Hello" from Miss Jacq!Hello to all of my lovely Broadway Bootcampers! This blog is for you! Over the next few months I am going to be learning a lot of fantastic ways to add more creativity & fun to the classes & camps I teach back in Michigan. I'll post updates about the theatre I see, workshops I attend, & some of what you can expect when I come home in the spring & summer. Please comment & say hello! XOXO - Miss Jacq
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