Ladies and Gentlemen ---
Thank you for being with us at this evening of experimental theatre. Once a year we step out of our theatrical comfort zone for the opportunity to explore new and exciting ways of delivering messages. Anything can happen this evening!
Readers Theatre, via the pieces selected for performance, aid in advanced literacy and cultural understanding. From a drama perspective it is a performance of bare essentials -- no sets, no major props, a script in hand, and your colleagues by your side. Only your vocalization, facial expression, and body language is left to tell a story with honesty and effectiveness. What is so amazing about this "bareness" is that through it's simplicity the actor can transport the listener to a differrent place / time and move their emotions to feel something they have never experienced before.
Thank you so much to my students who gave of their time and efforts to put this project together. They spent their personal time to reach this mark; i.e., Christmas break, after school, weekends, etc. Each of their skits was rehearsed with only student desire, leadership and fortitude. Their first and last group rehearsal under adult mentor leadership was Thursday of this week.
A big thank you to Ms. Kulp, the principal of St. Mary's Middle School, for sharing this wonderful facility with us. Also, a big "thank you" to to Mr. Gary Morris, technical engineer, for managing the lights and sound for this project. You both are so very kind!
Last, but far from least, thank you to Mr. Aaron Shepard for allowing us to use his work in this production.
Kindest regards,
Dr. Woodiel
