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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=cboyko@mountaincable.net href="mailto:cboyko@mountaincable.net">Christine
and Phil Head</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=dkeith@SILK.NET
href="mailto:dkeith@SILK.NET">dkeith</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, February 06, 2002 6:37 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: TIME FOR REVOLUTION? WILL THE PLAY GO ON?</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Keith</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Good for you and your students. Too many young
people are being denied access to theatre and the arts due to government
cutbacks. (Note, I'm from Ontario so I know what draconian governments are doing
to the education of our young and the morale of our teachers.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Why not devise something with them. Have them go on
a quest for. . . (your issue in parable form) or visit a alien world with
similar problems or no problems (a Swiftian journey).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I did a show in an elementary school with 270
students creating their own scenes based on a loose narrative structure to begin
and end the play. The rest was up to them and it was wonderful. Parents thought
it was the most creative thing they had seen. Plus the kids took ownership of
the material. It was THEIR show, their thoughts, their images. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>A good book to help with devising strategies
is Devising by Gill Lamden. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Good luck</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Christine Boyko-Head</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Parnassus Creative Communications</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>442 Dunnville, ON</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>N1A 1E5</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="mailto:cboyko@mountaincable.net">cboyko@mountaincable.net</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>905-774-5756</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=dkeith@SILK.NET href="mailto:dkeith@SILK.NET">dkeith</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=CANDRAMA@LISTSERV.UNB.CA
href="mailto:CANDRAMA@LISTSERV.UNB.CA">CANDRAMA@LISTSERV.UNB.CA</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, February 05, 2002 8:41
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> TIME FOR REVOLUTION? WILL THE
PLAY GO ON?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am a high school drama teacher with 31 years of
experience. I need your help and support.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have never cancelled a show, and I have worked
under many political dicatorships , yet this year because of the recent events
in B.C. Politics I am facing the withdrawal of all my voluntary
extra-curricular work, aka directing a play. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Our school is well known and respected for the
high quality of our work, and over the last 20 years we have produced some of
the greatest plays of dramatic literature, from Sophocles to Shakespeare,
Brecht to Miller. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Our recent repertory included <EM>The
Crucible,The Good Woman of Setzuan</EM>, Aristophanes' <EM>The Birds</EM>, an
original production of <EM>Frankenstein</EM> (written and directed by my
colleague), and my personal favorite<EM>, Our Country's Good</EM>,
</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>We always try to pick plays which have a strong
social or political context because we enjoy teaching our students that
theatre has an important social function, and should challenge the audience to
think. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>This year we decided to dedicate the entire year
to Shakespeare, and we have already mounted a production of <EM>Twelfth
Night.</EM></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The second play, <EM>Much Ado About
Nothing</EM> has been cast, the sets and costumes designed, ready to go
into rehearsal, and we are faced with the possibility of canceling the show as
a protest to the B.C Government and their draconian legislation. Drama
teachers are withdrawing their voluntary services in many school
districts.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have a wonderful group of talented
students, and they have already indicated that if we cancel the play
they are behind us 100%. They want us to stand up for what we believe in. They
put it in writing, and are following up with some individual political
protests of their own.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>After many sleepless nights I have decided that
we should continue with a play, maybe not <EM>Much Ado,</EM> but something a
bit edgier, a play about civil rights, or oppressive governments, or standing
up for yourself. These are the lessons I want to teach my students through
theatre. I want to wake them from their feeling of helplessness. Me too. This
is the only way I know to teach. I don't want to miss an opportunity to give
the students a special voice in this difficult time.I have a plan, but I am
struggling to find a script.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I welcome suggestions of scripts - ensemble works
are preferred. (25-35 actors)I will direct it class time only (this is a
Performance class, and we meet outside the timetable) so I am limited to a few
hours a week. Our protest only covers extra-curricular, voluntary time.The
production dates are late April, so we have time to produce "one hell of a
barn storming 50-75 minute, shake your bones, noisy protest." Suggestion and
comments please. Should I cancel, carry on with <EM>Much Ado About
Nothing</EM>, or...</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Please forward your ideas.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I thank you in advance.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Don Keith</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kelowna Secondary School</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>KELOWNA
B.C.</FONT></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>