Next Friday’s 5th grade drama performance, Westward Bound!, grew out of Ms. Erdos’ collaboration last year with Lincoln Center Institute Teaching Artist LaTonya Borsay. Ms. Erdos and Ms. Borsay used Theatre Unspeakable’s production of Superman 2050 as inspiration to create a theatre piece with PS 8’s fifth graders.
In Superman 2050, Theatre Unspeakable’s cast members use only their bodies and voices to create every prop, scene, sound effect, and character in a battle between Superman and Lex Luthor for the future of the Midwest’s beloved high-speed rail network. Ms. Erdos and Ms. Borsay created a bare-bones script depicting the Lewis and Clark expedition for the fifth graders. Using the performance concept of Superman 2050, the students devised and directed their own compositions.
This year, expanding on the work done with Ms. Borsay, Ms. Erdos was able to extend the unit from four lessons to twenty, enhancing the lessons on directing, composition and character development and adding two more aspects of westward expansion to the script, giving each of the three 5th grade classes their own topic. The three classes then put their work together to form one production that follows westward expansion in chronological order from Lewis and Clark, moving to the Trail of Tears, and ending with the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.
A Performance From Last Year’s LCI Residency
The Lincoln Center Institute approach has 4 basic steps. First, students explore key ideas in a specific work of art — students are asked to make choices similar to those the artist may have made in producing a work of art. Next, students see the work itself. Then students describe, analyze and interpret what they have seen. Last, with this deeper understanding of the art-making process, students create their own works of art, using their experiences as inspiration.
Ms. Erdos’ hope is to work with Lincoln Center Education in the future, creating similar units for more PS 8 grades.
Want to learn even more? All PS 8 families are invited to see the 5th grade performance next Friday morning (March 20) in the lower school auditorium!
By Adriane Erdos
Photo credit to Nathalie Schueller and Adriane Erdos