Following your dream has been a bit of a theme for the latter half of Finding the Will’s busy June. Apart from running two workshops on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, we also experienced “the stuff as dreams are made on” in a Tempest Project Week.
Terra Nova School, Cheshire
Mid-June, Nick went to Terra Nova Independent School in Jodrell Bank to lead Y3 and Y4 in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This was a first visit for Finding the Will and we hope it won’t be the last. Nick reported back that he’d had a great day with some very bright, sparky children! When asked the age old question “If you were Hermia, would you marry Lysander whom you do love, but risk having to live in a nunnery or losing your life?” this was the Y3 answer:
“I would get Lysander to dress as a nun too, so we can be together”
If only Shakespeare had written that……..
The imaginations didn’t stop there. “What disgusting thing might Titania fall in love with?”
“Granny’s toenails” Of course, was there ever any doubt?
Enormous thanks to Mrs Mannion for liaising with me and organising this Dream day.
Moulsecoomb Primary, Brighton
The following day I found myself returning to Moulsecoomb Primary, Brighton for the second time. How flattering to be invited back at the children’s request! Having done Macbeth last year with Y4 & Y5, this year’s Y5 & Y6 wanted me back to do A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was delighted to see them all again. In both year groups there were some cracking performances. It’s always magical to hear children speaking the original Shakespeare lines and Puck in both Dream workshops didn’t disappoint. Peter Quince, often forgotten, also turned in a great performance! And in case you’re wondering if Sussex children have similar ideas to Cheshire ones with regard to Hermia and Lysander……
“In Hermia’s shoes, I would marry Demetrius, have an affair with Lysander; divorce Demetrius, kill my dad.”
That really is a whole other play……
Thank you Mrs Fisher for another dream day with you.
Barkston & Syston CofE Primary School, Lincs
You might remember that in my last blog I mentioned the upcoming visit to Barkston & Syston CofE Primary This small village primary school really is a dream to work in. The staff, led by Miss Lyon, are dedicated, nurturing, warm and full of love for the children in their care. And also for Finding the Will! This was our third visit and we really feel part of the family.
This year Richard and I led a Project Week on The Tempest. The thing about this school is that because of it’s size (4 classes in all), absolutely everyone is involved from children in Reception to Y6. As always we began with Interactive Workshops taking the children through the story. Some memorable moments from that first day included an astonishing performance from Caliban. Quite honestly we have never encountered grunting with such emotion before. In answer to the question “Who should rule the island, Prospero or Caliban?”
“It’s not fair for Prospero to rule just because he is a rich old man.”
And so say all of us!
Trinculo, the jester, needs never to go short of material again as there were plenty of jokes flying around, such as:
“Why didn’t the chicken cross the road? Because KFC was there!” (Subtle)
“Why did the reindeer go to school? To learn the alphabet!” (No? Maybe you have to be 6 to fully appreciate the humour here……..)
“We are such stuff as dreams are made on”
And so to the performance day itself. Some of the loudest and most confident voices came from the 15 children in Reception. We had a feeling they might steal the show, and we weren’t wrong! From wiggling bottomed Sprites to a 5 year old standing alone on the stage and speaking original Shakespeare, their effect was magical. Have a listen – I dare you not smile!
Teamwork
Shakespeare aside, there was some remarkable teamwork on display across the whole school. Covering for illness in rehearsal is one thing, but when it all gets a bit overwhelming in the opening scene of the actual performance, it takes guts to step in and take over with no warning.
And talking of teamwork, we all learnt something at the end of the performance from Mario, one of the freelance sports coaches. It turned out to be Mario’s last day as he is going to take up a full-time post as a professional football coach for Nottingham Forest. His affection for his work and the children at Barkston & Syston was obvious. His parting words “I am about to start my dream job. Never be afraid to chase your dream!” We couldn’t agree more.
Class 1 – sculpture models of Tempest characters (Part 1).
Shakespeare Ambassadors
Y6 have had the opportunity to do Macbeth, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Tempest with us over the last 4 years. As they move on to Y7 as Shakespeare Ambassadors, I asked them “What will you say when people say that Shakespeare is boring?”
“I’ll tell them to be quiet. They haven’t done it!”
Our work here is done!
Massive thanks to Miss Lyon and all the wonderful staff. We look forward to seeing you again this time next year for a bit of tragedy……
In the meantime everyone, be like Mario and keep chasing your dream….
Class 1 – Sculpture models of Tempest characters (Part 2).