Childsplay

Approval Type

Community Based

Artistic Discipline

Theatre

Program Type

Performances, Workshops, Residencies, Lecture/Demonstation

Populations/Areas of Interest

Grades K-6, Grades 7-12, In School, Young Adults, Adults, Intergenerational

Artistic Approach

Mission - Childsplay's mission is "to create theatre so strikingly original in form, content or both, that it instills in young people an enduring awe, love and respect for the medium, thus preserving imagination and wonder, those hallmarks of childhood which are the keys to the future."

Teaching Artist Approach

Childsplay offers challenging and innovative programming for residencies, after-school and community classes that meet the different needs and learning styles of students. Drama activities embedded in core academic curriculum provide new strategies for teaching and learning that improve reading and writing skills. Our participatory, inquiry-based instruction by professional theatre teaching artists insures that students will develop critical and creative thinking skills, learn to work cooperatively, build social skills and self-confidence, gain appreciation for theatre as an art form and develop compassion and curiosity about the world around them.

Program Management Strategies

Program Management Strategies

We believe that a successful residency requires the careful attention and cooperation of both school and artist. Once the initial contact is made, we set up meetings with the residency coordinator to discuss the structure and content of the residency and to create a schedule. We encourage the core teachers to be involved in these planning sessions, as it fosters an atmosphere of collaboration and creativity. We communicate our needs: the size and configuration of the space, number of students per class, and expectations for the classroom teachers' involvement in the project. We take careful notes from all communication with the school to insure that the school and we are in agreement on scheduling, goals, expectations and payments. Throughout the residency, we make a point of keeping lines of communication open with teachers and staff to keep things running smoothly. We request information on the school rules, discipline procedures, daily schedules and any background information on individual students regarding behavioral, emotional and/or social problems. At the conclusion of the residency, we ask the participating teachers for feedback. In addition to teachers, we often seek evaluations from participating students as well.

Program Description

Childsplay can offer a variety of residencies: a traditional 20 day residency with 1 teaching artist, 2 artists working in tandem providing different components to a project (playwrighting and directing), a company residency with the actors from a tour show, or a multi-artist residency with various artists (playwright, director, choreographer, musical director) to create a new work with students.) Childsplay likes to investigate curriculum-based opportunities for improvisational play development, exploration of themes presented in Childsplay productions, and using creative drama strategies to make connections to reading and writing strands. We have developed a new program called "Page to Stage" that includes working with a particular book with students in the classroom, taking the students see a Childsplay production of that book, the opportunity to visit with an actor from that production in their own classroom, sessions following the field trip to discover the differences in the book's "page" to the "stage" version, and finally, work with the actual script and/or creating new situations for the characters involved. All of Childsplay's work supports the theatre arts standards as well as reading and writing standards. Learners at all levels can participate in creative drama with a focus on different skills at different levels: Story drama for K-1, beginning acting skills in the primary grades, and more character/ dramatic structure work for older students. When the students are engaged initially through a Childsplay performance experience, they are invested in the classroom sessions more readily. Also, when students have the chance to create a play of their own devising, there is an immediate "buy in" and ownership over the work that propels them forward and excites them to do the work.

Technical Requirements

Parking: We will need to park our van within 16 feet of the performance space to unload the set. This may mean driving on campus, unlocking gates or re-routing buses / morning arrival traffic. Childsplay personnel are always happy to walk alongside the van when children are present. If necessary, we can re-park our van in a parking lot as long as we are able to easily re-park in the loading area at the end of the performance.

The Space: Childsplay tours are designed to perform in a variety of spaces: multipurpose rooms, gyms, cafeterias, auditoriums and meeting halls. Your space must meet the following requirements:
-Be indoors
-Be 25 feet wide by 25 feet deep by 11 feet tall
-This area must be clear -- nothing should be stored within it.
-It must be level
-If this area is raised it must be able to be accessed by a ramp.
-The parking area must be on the same level as the performance space. Exceptions can be made if there is a freight elevator or a ramp.
-There must be additional and adequate space for the audience (max. 350 people)
-Access to two electrical outlets.
-Access to adult bathrooms for our performers to change into costume.
-A dedicated door that is not in use by students for us to load in and load out the set.
-The route from the van to the performance area must be free of student traffic: this is for the student's safety as our set/prop pieces are often heavy and large. This may mean re-routing morning or lunch traffic.
-We may need to control the light in the room.
-We may need to borrow a table and chairs to keep props and costumes organized.
We will need to maintain use of this space for the entire time we are in your school. If we are in your space over lunch we cannot dismantle our set or put it back into the van.

Timing: The company will arrive one hour prior to the first performance. The school and the performance space must be available upon arrival. If a gate needs to be unlocked for us to get on campus please notify appropriate staff of our arrival time so they are ready for us. Childsplay shows typically last one hour including a question and answer session. Please instruct classes to be seated in the performance space 10 minutes prior to the show so we may begin on time. We require 45 minutes to load back into our van. If necessary, the question and answer session can be skipped to accommodate lunch and/or bus schedules.

Please remember that every Childsplay show is unique and different. Just because we were able to fit last time does not mean the current production can make the same adjustments. If you have any questions or concerns or would like a Childsplay production person to visit your space please contact Robyn Silverberg, 480.921.5704, rsilberberg@childsplayaz.org

Space Requirements

The Space: Childsplay tours are designed to perform in a variety of spaces: multipurpose rooms, gyms, cafeterias, auditoriums and meeting halls. Your space must meet the following requirements:
-Be indoors
-Be 25 feet wide by 25 feet deep by 11 feet tall
-This area must be clear -- nothing should be stored within it.
-It must be level
-If this area is raised it must be able to be accessed by a ramp.
-The parking area must be on the same level as the performance space. Exceptions can be made if there is a freight elevator or a ramp.
-There must be additional and adequate space for the audience (max. 350 people)
-Access to two electrical outlets.
-Access to adult bathrooms for our performers to change into costume.
-A dedicated door that is not in use by students for us to load in and load out the set.
-The route from the van to the performance area must be free of student traffic: this is for the student's safety as our set/prop pieces are often heavy and large. This may mean re-routing morning or lunch traffic.
-We may need to control the light in the room.
-We may need to borrow a table and chairs to keep props and costumes organized.
We will need to maintain use of this space for the entire time we are in your school. If we are in your space over lunch we cannot dismantle our set or put it back into the van.

Timing: The company will arrive one hour prior to the first performance. The school and the performance space must be available upon arrival. If a gate needs to be unlocked for us to get on campus please notify appropriate staff of our arrival time so they are ready for us. Childsplay shows typically last one hour including a question and answer session. Please instruct classes to be seated in the performance space 10 minutes prior to the show so we may begin on time. We require 45 minutes to load back into our van. If necessary, the question and answer session can be skipped to accommodate lunch and/or bus schedules.

Please remember that every Childsplay show is unique and different. Just because we were able to fit last time does not mean the current production can make the same adjustments. If you have any questions or concerns or would like a Childsplay production person to visit your space please contact Robyn Silverberg, 480.921.5704, rsilberberg@childsplayaz.org

Supply Requirements

Electrical Outlets.

Special Considerations

see Technical Requirements


Childsplay prefers to work with a normal classroom sized group (15-22 is ideal) for each session of the residency. It is desirable to have an empty classroom space available for the teachers to use, although we can work in other spaces. A self-contained, indoor space is required for optimum student success.

Also, a maximum of 400 students per tour performance are allowed.

References

References: Wanda Plocke, Reading Edge Facilitator
Andalucia Middle School
4730 Campbell Ave.
Phx, AZ 85031
(623) 848-8646 x 6527
wplocke@alhambra.k12.az.us

Susan O'Brien, Director of Curriculum and Instruction
Balsz District
4825 E. Roosevelt St.
Phx, AZ
(602) 629-6430
sobrien@balsz.k12.az.us

Kris Green, classroom teacher
Manzanita Elementary
Manzanita Ave
Tucson, AZ
(520) 209-7801
kgreen@cfsd.k12.az.us

Fees

Tour shows 1 show $550

2 shows $1,000 or $950 for a back to back

3 shows $1,250



Field Trips $8 per person



Lect/dems $300 each



Classroom sessions $50 per actor hour (45-60min)

Educator/Staff Training

Childsplay's teaching artists participate in a variety of professional development and enrichment opportunities on the local, state and national levels. Teaching Artists attend national theatre conferences such as the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, One Theatre World, New Visions/New Voices, and non-profit theatre educators' meetings to stay abreast of current trends, research and methodologies in theatre and education. On state and regional levels they attend arts education conferences and receive training in the use of drama strategies as tools for teaching core curriculum such as the six traits of writing. This training prepares the teaching artists to work with classroom teachers in drama institutes and in-services in which the classroom teacher is taught the use of drama as an additional teaching tool, applicable across all curriculum topics. Childsplay school residencies include professional development components for the classroom teachers that compliment the work the teaching artists are doing simultaneously in the classroom

How Arizona State Academic Standards are Addressed

The Childsplay ensemble of professional actors and teaching artists brings extensive skill and experience into the classroom and community workshops. Field trip and tour show performances embedded in school residencies help extend and enrich the artistic experience allowing students to explore theatre as both a product and a process. In a school setting we use creative drama strategies as additional and alternative ways of exploring core curriculum while simultaneously teaching students a respect for and appreciation of drama as an art form. This work incorporates theatre arts and other Arizona state academic standards, articulated in lesson plans that are taught in a unit that meets the overall residency objective and goals set in collaboration with the school. Childsplay has extensive experience working with schools that request lessons with a particular focus on the use of drama for literacy, language arts and ELD objectives. The insights, skill development, creativity, imagination and confidence explored through drama experiences serve as a strong foundation for students' continued growth and exploration throughout their lives.