Drama club at two school districts

School is out and Drama Club at Parkview Middle School and Pioneer Elementary has ended for this school year. No worries. We will resume when school comes back, and we will do another year from this two-year grant from the California Arts Council.

Students at the middle school signed up for the class. It was obvious from the start that they enjoyed creating. Improvisation exercises are fun, and I began with that. The kids excelled in such typical improv games such as Freeze, What Are You Doing, Gibberish Theater, Harold Monologue (which I adapted for class), Distraction Game, and more. We also worked on puppetry skills and scenes.

At Pioneer Elementary School the kids learned the same. They came to me from the PASE afterschool program. I noted that their favorite improv game was The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, and the Distraction Game. I wondered if working on short plays meant anything to them since they always asked to play the improv games. Then, last week one student surprised me with a script he wrote. He wanted to direct it. He had the script, the cast was already assigned, and the cast members knew their lines, their character, and the story. They acted it out and it was awesome.

It is true that kids get a lot of performing arts experience. It is also healthy for them and promotes many skills useful for school. In fact, it is very good for emotional health, socialization, and learning how to work in a team. Aren’t we a team in a community?

If you would like to support what we do, or get involved, go to our website at www.HanfordMTC.com or call us at 559-997-3838. A reminder that acting classes are free and going on now until the end of June at our new place 119 ½ N. Douty Street in old downtown Hanford.