by Mathew R. Warren
There will be Shakespeare in the park the evening of June 6th, though not in Central Park, but in Carl Schurz park. Fifth grade students from P.S. 6 will present Macbeth at 6:15 PM on East End Avenue and 86th Street. Council Member Dan Garodnick and Paul King, NYC Department of Education Director of Theater, are expected to attend.
The students have been working with teachers from Stages of Learning, an organization dedicated to bringing theater education to New York City Public Elementary Schools. “We are trying to make a case for theater as literacy,” said Floyd Rumohr, Stages of Learning President. “A ten year old is not literate until he can act out a character to some extent.”
After years of cutbacks depleted the City’s schools of arts education, there has been in recent years an effort to restore it within the regular curriculum. No longer reserved for after school programs the arts are returning to the classroom, and programs like Stages of Learning are facilitating this process. When asked about their role in filling the void, Mr. Rumohr responded, “We are filling a black hole, not just a void. The Public Schools are trying to restore drama and we are trying to help. Most Private Schools have drama required, why should Private School kids get this and not Public School kids?”
But programs like Stages of Learning can’t exist without the help of a strong Parent Teacher Association (PTA) that is able to raise outside funds. At P.S. 6 the school provides for only a quarter of the operating budget for Stages of Learning, while the rest comes from the PTA.
Fifth grade teacher at P.S. 6, Kelly Boland, has seen her students benefit from the program. “It makes them more aware of their personal space and gives them more confidence,” said Ms. Boland. “Students who struggle in other class activities shine here. My kids love Macbeth. They argue about the characters actions and they all have their own theories.”
Working in the Greek tradition of choral groups, the students perform with at least five students playing each part. With the help of Stages of Learning teachers, who call themselves “teaching artists”, each group of students works together to interpret their character and develop their movements, expressions and emotions. “It’s really fun I’m always looking forward to it,” said one fifth grade student after a rehearsal. “We get to make new friends, combine ideas and learn to work together.”
The relationship between the students and their teaching artists is not one sided. The teaching artists from Stages of Learning form their own ensemble, the Chekhov Theatre Ensemble, which performs an annual season. Students are invited to observe and direct the teaching artists as they rehearse their scenes. Teaching artist, Jennifer Wintzer, explained what it meant to her to be instructed by her own students, “At that point you see it coming from them, back to you.”
The goal of Stages of Learning is to engage students with theater. “Children need to think in multidimensional terms, beyond just books” said Mr. Rumohr. “They need to be prepared for future innovations and to compete on the stages of tomorrow.”
If you are interested in attending the free performance of Macbeth in Carl Schurz Park on June 6th please R.S.V.P. for general seating to Carrie Wyckoff at carriewykoff@yahoo.com.
To learn more about Stages of Learning check out their website at stagesoflearning.org.
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