my project out at school 44 - teaching fifth graders about native canadians through theatre (a geva theatre center thing) - is going along swimmingly. i've got the kids broken up into the four regions they're studying: the inuit, the people of the plains, the people of the forest, and the people of the northwest coast. it's like a little max fisher players production.


the best part about it is the fact that the scripts were done by the kids themselves. 75 - 80% were written by the groups, then tidied by myself and mrs laird, the teacher i've been working with through this process. and props? a giant igloo, a totem pole, a canoe, and of course mr. macone's leading several ladies through a rendition of a native canadian musical classic, "the old bark canoe." i've had a little help from the legendary arthur brown and the inimitable andrea stoner, who has some great tricks to get normally shy kids to speak up.
i'm very lucky to be a part of this; it's gonna be awesome.