A word from Fran
I always tailor my residencies to the specific needs of the teachers or the sponsors that have contracted me to work with them. Prior to the residencies or workshops, I like to ask teachers/sponsors their specific goals and I tailor my work to the needs of my participants.
Below are examples of how I approach working with different core groups.
Elementary-I build my elementary residencies around a story, often a fairy tale or other popular story books. I believe students at this level need to begin developing their "actor tools" their body, voice, and imagination. In an elementary residency students will, take turns, give and take, and share theater space or stage time with each other.
- will learn how to communicate with others using the body, voice, and imagination
- will be able to understand the importance of a moral and be able to use that moral to act kindly toward each other.
Middle School-At this age, I like to continue to help students to use the "actor tools" motioned above. I like use pantomime and improvisation to help students understand the basic structure of a story.
Youth at Risk- There are three questions that I ask before I work with this group, "What do you want your students to get out of this experience?" I also ask. "What are your student’s strengths?" and "what skills do you think your students need to work on the most?” Often, I find drama to be a good way for kids to focus.
People with disabilities-The key to teaching kids with physical or developmental disabilities is to, know what you want to get accomplished and be flexible about the way that they accomplish it. With these workshops, I use a combination of things mentioned. In short, I use theatre as a tool of empowerment. I use theatre to show these students that they can do anything that they put their mind to.
