Small moments that matter to a theatre teacher

Some time it’s just those little moments or one liners from my students that make all of problems and exhaustion worth it.

This summer I have had the opportunity to teach theatre classes in the day summer camp that I work at. One of the activities that I do is called “Name and Movement.” I usually do this activity at the beginning of the week when I have new students to help me learn their name. Everyone stands in a circle. One person says their name and a short movement, gesture, or action to go along with that movement. The entire class then repeats that name and movement. You go around the circle until everyone has had a chance to do the name and movement. I tell my shy students that if they can’t think of a movement, to just do a thumbs up or wave.

I had this one kindergarten girl who was not shy with group activities but anything she had to do individually, she would hide behind her hat. Name and Movement was a hard activity for her. The first week she wouldn’t do anything, say her name or do the movement. The next week I got her to just do a thumbs up and the class repeated the movement. The third week, I got her to barely whisper her name from underneath her hat. The fourth week, without hesitation she smiled, said her name with her head up, and gave a thumbs up gesture on her own. It may seem like a small accomplishment, but to me it was a big deal. I want theatre to be a place where kids feel free to express themselves even if it’s only their name and little action. It was so cool to see this student progress as finally felt safe enough to proudly say her name and not feel ashamed to have the class’s attention on her. I was so proud of her.