I wrote this in May of 2010, before my disillusionment with teaching at El Verano School. I remember this guy. What a shame.


As we all know, one of the casualties of a standards-based curriculum, where THE TEST is the driving force, is the loss of teaching the arts. Performing arts are particularly hard hit. At El Verano School, we are doing what we can to lessen the hit that drama classes have taken. 

For the past ten years or so, I have been putting on a stage show with the assistance and collaboration of my colleague, Craig Madison. We have not always had the same grade level, in fact, this year he teaches third grade to my fourth grade. But we still get our kids together and put on a show. 

The fact that we put on a play is nice, perhaps even astonishing considering how many students are involved, but I am writing about it because of a very special aspect of our production. The play is always totally improvised. There is no script, no preconceived plot, no particular direction. The entire production is fleshed out with the kids during the course of about one month before it is finally presented to the student body. 

Craig and I have the luxury of having students who have seen these productions already, and they know that they tend to be somewhat, shall we say, rollicking. I could have used the word “confusing,” but "rollicking" implies a sense and joy and craziness. Putting 60 kids on stage will almost always lead to craziness. 

Truth be told, by the time we actually present the show to the audience, it is pretty tight. They all know their parts, they all have a eye patch or wig or tutu to wear. The improvisational aspect of this endeavor lasts only a couple of weeks, but the fact that the kids write their own lines, or are fed lines by me or Craig, means that there is no script to memorize. That means that they are much more willing to become their characters. All it takes is acting, not memorizing. 

Several years ago, after the three shows were concluded, a girl came up to me to offer her feelings of being in the show. This student was really, really bright. She was well traveled and very confident. What she said surprised me. She said, “That was the most important thing I have ever done.” At times when chaos is surrounding me in the first few days of play practice, I remember that student and her comment. 

In the past, the themes of the play have included time travel, live rock and roll music, dancing waiters, and sharks. And the Superintendent. So far this year, we have time travel, live rock and roll music, belly dancers, and sharks. And the new Superintendent. The show this year, called “The Witness,” will take place June 1. I'll let you know how it is coming along.