just wanted to say i've read some amazing pieces.
insightful, thought-provoking, and amusing.
i know afew people i have talked to feel unconfident with what they have, but everything i'v had the pleasure of reading has been great!
well done everyone!
sarah c
x
Tuesday 5 January 2010
Monday 4 January 2010
donna wilknison!please read this!
hey donna,
i have continually tried to comment since the first time i commented you writing piece, however, the computer will not let me!
so heres to hoping you see this blog and comment back if you wish.
(about your writing style three draft one)
well done on this piece. you've chosen to look at a very interesting angle of peter pan. i love how you've combined facts from the author, and your own views on the story line/characters.
i think just to push your piece to being excellent, you should look at other peoples views on these issues too, use quotes etc and don't forget to reference them.
this piece screams that you have alot more to say, and i can sense that you did not want to write too much. but i think what you have is so interesting and clever that if you do you should put alittle bit more in.
i loved it! really well done. you've vastly improved the text that was already an enjoyable read, made it more acessable to a reader and absolutely made me want to watch the film!
i don't feel you need any further improvements to this piece.
i hope you get to read this and it helps!
sarah c
i have continually tried to comment since the first time i commented you writing piece, however, the computer will not let me!
so heres to hoping you see this blog and comment back if you wish.
(about your writing style three draft one)
well done on this piece. you've chosen to look at a very interesting angle of peter pan. i love how you've combined facts from the author, and your own views on the story line/characters.
i think just to push your piece to being excellent, you should look at other peoples views on these issues too, use quotes etc and don't forget to reference them.
this piece screams that you have alot more to say, and i can sense that you did not want to write too much. but i think what you have is so interesting and clever that if you do you should put alittle bit more in.
(about your writing style one draft two)
i loved it! really well done. you've vastly improved the text that was already an enjoyable read, made it more acessable to a reader and absolutely made me want to watch the film!
i don't feel you need any further improvements to this piece.
i hope you get to read this and it helps!
sarah c
draft two of writing piece one: Gepetto's workhop.
“Does he really think that we’re just made of wood?”
Its coming up to Christmas, under your tree there may be lots of presents but there’s something that won’t quite fit under there this year!
“Gepetto’s workshop” takes place at chickenshed theatre this winter. So take shelter from the cold and windy hash-whether outside, and transport you and your child into a magically place where one good little puppet comes to life and wants to save the day.
“Gepetto’s workshop” is adapted from the original story of “Pinocchio” and transformed into a contemporary version, where songs and dances lift you out-of-your-seat and onto the stage.
The story begins, like most, with a bang. SLAM! The door closes after a hurrying Gepetto runs out after a very mischievous and naughty newly-made puppet. A puppet that has come to life! “Pinocchio! Come back here!” But what Gepetto does not realise is that Pinocchio’s 4 sisters also are all very much alive. All have their own stories, except one. Named after the vowels, the last made Pinocchiyoo embarks out on an adventure looking for her own story, meeting friends along the way.
If you’re a teacher in primary school…
From Monday 16th November to Wednesday 23rd December for a sum of £275, treat the lower years of your school no better way then with our show and workshop.
Designed by a small team, “Gepetto’s workshop” is an interactive story which encourages the audience to get up and involved in what’s going on.
Aimed at children up to the age of seven, the dances songs and overall moral is perfect for performing at schools and to be applied into the classroom. Meeting characters, puppets and friends big and small, we promise never a dull moment!
It’s an experience your school will love if you use the mixture of learning, performing and art. We offer an hour session and a half an hour workshop period in which we teach the children songs they will have heard, and take them through activities to do with the shows content. What a reward after a long year!
If you’re a parent…
For six performances only, you are welcomed into the main auditorium at Chickenshed to take part in helping the puppets along on the adventure.
Joining in with songs and dances, meeting some new friends and seeing some old ones, we promise to make your child’s Christmas one they won’t forget!
If you haven’t been to chickenshed before, expect no stage as we encourage children to get as involved in what the performers are doing as much as they want. As well as, puppet interaction, monsters big and small, and a few surprise on the way!
Dates: Saturday 12th December
Saturday 19th December
Wednesday 23rd December.
Times : 10am & 11.30am
Tickets: £5
Book today: Box Office: 020 8292 9222.
Email: bookings@chickenshed.org.uk
Or for textphone users call 18001 020 8292 9222 (Typetalk).
So if you’re looking for magic this year look no further then at gepettos workshop!
Its coming up to Christmas, under your tree there may be lots of presents but there’s something that won’t quite fit under there this year!
“Gepetto’s workshop” takes place at chickenshed theatre this winter. So take shelter from the cold and windy hash-whether outside, and transport you and your child into a magically place where one good little puppet comes to life and wants to save the day.
“Gepetto’s workshop” is adapted from the original story of “Pinocchio” and transformed into a contemporary version, where songs and dances lift you out-of-your-seat and onto the stage.
The story begins, like most, with a bang. SLAM! The door closes after a hurrying Gepetto runs out after a very mischievous and naughty newly-made puppet. A puppet that has come to life! “Pinocchio! Come back here!” But what Gepetto does not realise is that Pinocchio’s 4 sisters also are all very much alive. All have their own stories, except one. Named after the vowels, the last made Pinocchiyoo embarks out on an adventure looking for her own story, meeting friends along the way.
If you’re a teacher in primary school…
From Monday 16th November to Wednesday 23rd December for a sum of £275, treat the lower years of your school no better way then with our show and workshop.
Designed by a small team, “Gepetto’s workshop” is an interactive story which encourages the audience to get up and involved in what’s going on.
Aimed at children up to the age of seven, the dances songs and overall moral is perfect for performing at schools and to be applied into the classroom. Meeting characters, puppets and friends big and small, we promise never a dull moment!
It’s an experience your school will love if you use the mixture of learning, performing and art. We offer an hour session and a half an hour workshop period in which we teach the children songs they will have heard, and take them through activities to do with the shows content. What a reward after a long year!
If you’re a parent…
For six performances only, you are welcomed into the main auditorium at Chickenshed to take part in helping the puppets along on the adventure.
Joining in with songs and dances, meeting some new friends and seeing some old ones, we promise to make your child’s Christmas one they won’t forget!
If you haven’t been to chickenshed before, expect no stage as we encourage children to get as involved in what the performers are doing as much as they want. As well as, puppet interaction, monsters big and small, and a few surprise on the way!
Dates: Saturday 12th December
Saturday 19th December
Wednesday 23rd December.
Times : 10am & 11.30am
Tickets: £5
Book today: Box Office: 020 8292 9222.
Email: bookings@chickenshed.org.uk
Or for textphone users call 18001 020 8292 9222 (Typetalk).
So if you’re looking for magic this year look no further then at gepettos workshop!
draft two of writing style two.
As I realised my mind had wondered, I was thrown back into my whereabouts: a hall. The smell of custard puddings mixed with the air of freshly-polished wooden-floors woke-me-up to a room full of children; 200 eyes exploring my brightly coloured polka-dot dress. Before I could take-in anymore of my surroundings, I jumped into my first position: a lifeless puppet on a shelf in amongst others frozen in toy-like poses. A happy tune started dancing out of the piano and speakers, and as we came to life I felt the glowing-grins of the children’s face light-up our stage.
“The masters gone, now we’re alone. And we can tell you something that is very little known, his powers fade when he’s away. Sometimes he seems to think that we’re just made of wood!”
The words leapt out from my mouth acrobatically into a union of singing toys, signing with our hands the phrase with a wooden motion. Darting round the space, our faces big and full of expression, we mimick Gepetto, our ignorant creator, and how he seems not to notice us four puppets. But wait! We all freeze on stage as someone enters that shouldn’t see us move. Its Gepetto, he’s forgotten his coat. Our eyes so are wide and watering slightly as they can feel the air being pushed into them as the children bounce up-and-down “the puppets are alive! They have your coat! Turn around and look!” A slap-stick sequence ensues with Gepetto conversing with the children and walking around our built-up puppet shape centrally facing the children. We mime him exaggeratedly only when his back is turned. The children’s voices rising with laughter and shouts every time we freeze upon Gepetto turning to inspected us. Just when we can no longer hold our positions, bodies trembling, Gepetto runs off stage and for a few seconds, which felt like hours, everything stops.
The children’s mouths gape open, they stare at us. Leaping up and out across every part of our stage we hear them once again laugh and call at us. We sing and sign, our fingers nearly numb from speaking with them, until finally the first song meets its curtain. I flop over becoming a statue of a doll. The children fall silent once again as a small man step’s forward supporting a purple curly-haired wig. After a few lines of introduction he tells the children of how the four puppets surrounding them are all puppets which at the click of a remote control, Gepetto rewinds back on in hast to name them. “I know! I’ll name them after the vowels!” each puppet is assigned a name, and individually takes the stage to poetically tell their own tale. Next it’s me. Palms hot, back aching, and my mind a million miles per minute. I start and only stop to draw breathe.
“Pinocchiee was jolly, a rosy-cheeked silly dolly. My voice it belts and hits the notes, always off-key so I’m pleased not to gloat. I think myself an undiscovered star, which will be spotted from afar. But instead everyday I’ll spread joy to every puppet and every toy.”
This doll draws a big smile and gleams to the children. They mirror and copy with ear-to-ear, some missing milk teeth. This is the point my stomach stops churning, and I cool down. And as I prepare for the next fifty minutes I realise we’re only minutes in and it’s already the best performance of the piece so far.
“The masters gone, now we’re alone. And we can tell you something that is very little known, his powers fade when he’s away. Sometimes he seems to think that we’re just made of wood!”
The words leapt out from my mouth acrobatically into a union of singing toys, signing with our hands the phrase with a wooden motion. Darting round the space, our faces big and full of expression, we mimick Gepetto, our ignorant creator, and how he seems not to notice us four puppets. But wait! We all freeze on stage as someone enters that shouldn’t see us move. Its Gepetto, he’s forgotten his coat. Our eyes so are wide and watering slightly as they can feel the air being pushed into them as the children bounce up-and-down “the puppets are alive! They have your coat! Turn around and look!” A slap-stick sequence ensues with Gepetto conversing with the children and walking around our built-up puppet shape centrally facing the children. We mime him exaggeratedly only when his back is turned. The children’s voices rising with laughter and shouts every time we freeze upon Gepetto turning to inspected us. Just when we can no longer hold our positions, bodies trembling, Gepetto runs off stage and for a few seconds, which felt like hours, everything stops.
The children’s mouths gape open, they stare at us. Leaping up and out across every part of our stage we hear them once again laugh and call at us. We sing and sign, our fingers nearly numb from speaking with them, until finally the first song meets its curtain. I flop over becoming a statue of a doll. The children fall silent once again as a small man step’s forward supporting a purple curly-haired wig. After a few lines of introduction he tells the children of how the four puppets surrounding them are all puppets which at the click of a remote control, Gepetto rewinds back on in hast to name them. “I know! I’ll name them after the vowels!” each puppet is assigned a name, and individually takes the stage to poetically tell their own tale. Next it’s me. Palms hot, back aching, and my mind a million miles per minute. I start and only stop to draw breathe.
“Pinocchiee was jolly, a rosy-cheeked silly dolly. My voice it belts and hits the notes, always off-key so I’m pleased not to gloat. I think myself an undiscovered star, which will be spotted from afar. But instead everyday I’ll spread joy to every puppet and every toy.”
This doll draws a big smile and gleams to the children. They mirror and copy with ear-to-ear, some missing milk teeth. This is the point my stomach stops churning, and I cool down. And as I prepare for the next fifty minutes I realise we’re only minutes in and it’s already the best performance of the piece so far.
task D writing piece 3 first draft
"Tales from the shed” is a continuous interactive show performed at chickenshed Theatre Company in North London. “Tales” uses puppets, songs, dances, stories and sign language (BSL) to bring fun and learning to an audience aged 6 months to seven.
Chickenshed follow the “early year’s foundation stage” of which marks out standards to teach younger children, as well as progressing their development. Being an inclusive theatre, chickenshed already has a very strong ethos and its own unique style of teaching and including all its members, and so combining “the early years foundation stage” along with their own methods, chickenshed has created a fun, colourful and one-of-a-kind idea in which young children’s minds can start to learn.
“Babies and children develop their competence in communicating through having frequent, enjoyable interaction with other people, in context that they understand”(1) chickenshed applies this to “tales” as each week they perform Fridays and Saturdays and every week is different. They have a memory bank of songs, dances and stories of which they re-use to enable the slightly older children in each audience a chance to join in with anything they know if they want.
“early years foundation stage” under 1.1 child development also states “children learn to communicate in many ways, not just by talking, but also in non-verbal ways such as gestures, facial expressions and gaze directions, in drawings, writing and singing, and through dance, music and drama.”(2) This statement is one that chickenshed apply to all its children theatres as well as its “tales from the shed” sessions. “Tales” uses warm-ups in which they explore facial expressions, to not only warm-up the children but also to bring humour to the piece. The audience numbers can be up to eighty (parents and children) meaning the space is smaller and more personal. Members of the team spread out across the space into the audience too, giving the children a different set-up than that of a more conventional show, there is no edge of the stage so anyone can walk up and join in or give ideas, much like the idea Boal had with “forum theatre”. Using Augusto Boals idea of “forum theatre” “tales” tells stories “a participant has to intervene decisively in the dramatic action and change it”(3) chickenshed use Boals “forum theatre” to teach the audience morals through stories, and sometimes songs.
Child development (1.1) also states under “a competent learner” that: “plays and other imaginative and creative activities help children to make sense of their experiences and transforming their knowledge, fostering cognitive development” (4)
“Children learn better by doing, and doing things with other people who are more competent, rather than just being told.” (5)
Babies and children have the freedom to take-part or just watch the piece, there is no force from the performers/team for the audience to have to sing or dance along, but they do make it well-known that any participation is more than welcome, this means that chickenshed combine the ideas “the early years foundation stage” uses and apply them to an inclusive back-drop. They allow an environment for children in which they wish to further each individual child’s development, but in doing so also allow them to feel comfortable enough to watch or interact.
Should all children be taught using politics?
“Early year’s foundation stage” continually states that children grow and develop with the help of interaction through the media of drama, singing, drawing and acting. If being creative develops a child’s mind and how they learn then does it not stand-to-reason that every child should have the chance to learn in a performing arts environment? And doesn’t Boal argue all theatre is political? If so, surely through using politics to teach children it is an ideal way for a child’s educational and emotional development.
Many dyslexic children and adults learn well using number, letter and colours. Every individual person with dyslexia links themselves and how they learn to a colour. “Miss X” is twenty-two and doing a performing arts course. She has had a form of dyslexia since the age of nine when she became epileptic. The colour she can read easiest on a page is powdery blue.”
People with dyslexia learn best by doing something rather than viewing something, young babies and children learn very similarly to that of people who have dyslexia.(6) “Tales” has a colourful set onstage and interacts with the audience through out each piece each week stimulating each child to learn something from every individual session.
“The educational system still largely determines people’s life chances” (7) so if we can start the learning process from an early age, in a relaxed environment, do we set our children up to lead better lives?
refrences:
(1) "early years foundation stage" 1.1 child developement
(2) "early years foundation stage" 1.1 child development
(3) "Theatre of the oppressed"- Augusto Boal
(4) "early years foundation stage" 1.1 child development
(5) "early years foundation stage" 1.1 child development
(6) www.excellencegateway.org.uk search theories on dyslexia
(7) "transforming society? social work and sociology"- Vicky price and Graeme Simpson, page 83 (children in the educational system.)
Chickenshed follow the “early year’s foundation stage” of which marks out standards to teach younger children, as well as progressing their development. Being an inclusive theatre, chickenshed already has a very strong ethos and its own unique style of teaching and including all its members, and so combining “the early years foundation stage” along with their own methods, chickenshed has created a fun, colourful and one-of-a-kind idea in which young children’s minds can start to learn.
“Babies and children develop their competence in communicating through having frequent, enjoyable interaction with other people, in context that they understand”(1) chickenshed applies this to “tales” as each week they perform Fridays and Saturdays and every week is different. They have a memory bank of songs, dances and stories of which they re-use to enable the slightly older children in each audience a chance to join in with anything they know if they want.
“early years foundation stage” under 1.1 child development also states “children learn to communicate in many ways, not just by talking, but also in non-verbal ways such as gestures, facial expressions and gaze directions, in drawings, writing and singing, and through dance, music and drama.”(2) This statement is one that chickenshed apply to all its children theatres as well as its “tales from the shed” sessions. “Tales” uses warm-ups in which they explore facial expressions, to not only warm-up the children but also to bring humour to the piece. The audience numbers can be up to eighty (parents and children) meaning the space is smaller and more personal. Members of the team spread out across the space into the audience too, giving the children a different set-up than that of a more conventional show, there is no edge of the stage so anyone can walk up and join in or give ideas, much like the idea Boal had with “forum theatre”. Using Augusto Boals idea of “forum theatre” “tales” tells stories “a participant has to intervene decisively in the dramatic action and change it”(3) chickenshed use Boals “forum theatre” to teach the audience morals through stories, and sometimes songs.
Child development (1.1) also states under “a competent learner” that: “plays and other imaginative and creative activities help children to make sense of their experiences and transforming their knowledge, fostering cognitive development” (4)
“Children learn better by doing, and doing things with other people who are more competent, rather than just being told.” (5)
Babies and children have the freedom to take-part or just watch the piece, there is no force from the performers/team for the audience to have to sing or dance along, but they do make it well-known that any participation is more than welcome, this means that chickenshed combine the ideas “the early years foundation stage” uses and apply them to an inclusive back-drop. They allow an environment for children in which they wish to further each individual child’s development, but in doing so also allow them to feel comfortable enough to watch or interact.
Should all children be taught using politics?
“Early year’s foundation stage” continually states that children grow and develop with the help of interaction through the media of drama, singing, drawing and acting. If being creative develops a child’s mind and how they learn then does it not stand-to-reason that every child should have the chance to learn in a performing arts environment? And doesn’t Boal argue all theatre is political? If so, surely through using politics to teach children it is an ideal way for a child’s educational and emotional development.
Many dyslexic children and adults learn well using number, letter and colours. Every individual person with dyslexia links themselves and how they learn to a colour. “Miss X” is twenty-two and doing a performing arts course. She has had a form of dyslexia since the age of nine when she became epileptic. The colour she can read easiest on a page is powdery blue.”
People with dyslexia learn best by doing something rather than viewing something, young babies and children learn very similarly to that of people who have dyslexia.(6) “Tales” has a colourful set onstage and interacts with the audience through out each piece each week stimulating each child to learn something from every individual session.
“The educational system still largely determines people’s life chances” (7) so if we can start the learning process from an early age, in a relaxed environment, do we set our children up to lead better lives?
refrences:
(1) "early years foundation stage" 1.1 child developement
(2) "early years foundation stage" 1.1 child development
(3) "Theatre of the oppressed"- Augusto Boal
(4) "early years foundation stage" 1.1 child development
(5) "early years foundation stage" 1.1 child development
(6) www.excellencegateway.org.uk search theories on dyslexia
(7) "transforming society? social work and sociology"- Vicky price and Graeme Simpson, page 83 (children in the educational system.)
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