"Ms Lucy, your clowns are here."

           Tomorrow is the last day of Summer Theatre School 2011.  While we are all exhausted from the intense (yes, just like camping) nine full weeks of managing and teaching upwards of seven classes each week, and I’m personally pumped for the annual Shakespeare Presents Series sharing, the closing of the summer is certainly bittersweet. I’ve enjoyed working with 11 Teaching Artists from all of the country and students who arrive so excited for the day they barely remember to say goodbye to their parents and jump at the opportunity to clean the lunch room. (True story.)  Also, I have a unique position as Lead Teaching Artist/Theatre School Administrator which means some weeks I spend teaching and others I’m in the office. 

            Carrie asked me to write a blog giving an overview of the summer.  I could write for days and never be able to capture the essence of Summer Theatre School.  I’m not sure how to describe the journey of exploring your favorite book as a character living in that world.  So, I’m just going to choose a few moments that really stand out to me from this summer. 

            I taught Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters the first week of classes.  Most of the students in our class did not know each other at the beginning of the week and my co-teachers and I noticed a divide that formed any time the students chose how to group themselves.  We made a conscious effort in our planning during the week to focus on community building activities and on Friday at lunch I looked over and saw a very large group of students eating sitting on the floor.  They had chosen to sit on the floor so the entire class could sit together.  It may seem like a small thing, but rarely in a week long class does a teacher (at least in my experience) see the long term effects of their work.

            During Princess Academy, the teachers asked if we were interested in being involved in teaching their class the Maypole Dance.  And just for fun we decided we should teach in role – meaning Amie and I found delightful…outfits (I’m not sure what to call those costumes…I remember them being very colorful) and barged into a Maypole Dancing Lesson demanding in made up accents they perform for us because we were Maypole Dancing Experts.  After getting very upset that they did not have a Maypole we charged the class with decorating the ribbons and pole and left.  Soon we returned, and with a lot of hot glue, created a Maypole and began teaching.  There’s really no fancy or exciting ending to this story – it was just a super fun afternoon running around gathering supplies and playing/working with a fun class.  Oh, and the dance was lovely in their sharing.    

            A few days ago, I was sitting at my desk and my phone rings.  This in itself is not unusual.  I answer. This is the response from Carrie, “Ms. Lucy, your clowns are here”.  Having gotten most of my giggles out as a ran down the stairs, I greeted the two clowns from Barnum & Bailey who came and taught a workshop for four of our classes.  They did a demonstration of different types of clowning makeup and after, for a little fun, taught a spitting lesson.  The Learning Stage was full of laughter as we watched the stage (and some people sitting on the front row) fill with water sprayed out of our friends’ mouths.  Instead of a cherry on top of this sundae, each person got their very own Barnum & Bailey clown nose.       

            In short, this summer has been full of surprises, meeting and becoming friends with some of the best people and young people I know, coffee, giggles, strange noises coming from the hall, pizza, long hard hours, crafts, mosaic-ing, oh yeah, and fun. 

--Lucy Lynn