A bit about work, because wizardelfgirl asked
I thought I had mentioned this bit about my work before, but apparently I haven't so I shall correct the oversight at once.
In the Elementary English Department at my school we do not have public classes like they do in other schools to let parents see what their child has achieved throughout the year. Instead, we put on a play. This play is spoken entirely in English and every child in the grade gets to participate, looking to promote self-esteem, confidence, stage presence and lots of other things on top of language mastery. This "project" takes about half the school year between choosing a play, writing the script, assigning the characters, designing the backdrops, making the props, selecting the music, coreographing the dances and ... oh, yeah, that tiny little insignificant task that is getting the students to LEARN their lines and ACT them out. It can be a very stressful thing, especially because you get to deal with both parents (who often are convinced their child is so, so much more talented than everyone else and could very well do the entire play by him/herself) and children (who at times have as much stage presence as a peeled peanut). Did I mention none of us has showbiz experience of any kind?
Anyway, since this is such a big thing for children and teachers, a very common resource for plays is the wealth of Disney movies. Especially in the younger grades, it's easier to sell the students on the idea of something they're familiar with and it's also easier to get them to understand what sort of "acting" you need to get out of them. Because we're working with children, funny things also happen during the actual performance and it's not unusual to have to go on stage and adjust someone's costume, or prompt someone else with the first few words of their line. It's a lot of work, yes, but it's also very satisfactory.
Here's a few scenes from plays I've been in charge of, hopefully you can get an idea of what the whole thing is like. It goes without saying that neither my school nor myself own the rights to any of these, and far from making a profit of it we actually SPEND our own money on these productions so ... don't sue us? LOL.
The same bit, pro version, at around 00:45
By now I bet I've made wizardelfgirl regret even asking! XD
In the Elementary English Department at my school we do not have public classes like they do in other schools to let parents see what their child has achieved throughout the year. Instead, we put on a play. This play is spoken entirely in English and every child in the grade gets to participate, looking to promote self-esteem, confidence, stage presence and lots of other things on top of language mastery. This "project" takes about half the school year between choosing a play, writing the script, assigning the characters, designing the backdrops, making the props, selecting the music, coreographing the dances and ... oh, yeah, that tiny little insignificant task that is getting the students to LEARN their lines and ACT them out. It can be a very stressful thing, especially because you get to deal with both parents (who often are convinced their child is so, so much more talented than everyone else and could very well do the entire play by him/herself) and children (who at times have as much stage presence as a peeled peanut). Did I mention none of us has showbiz experience of any kind?
Anyway, since this is such a big thing for children and teachers, a very common resource for plays is the wealth of Disney movies. Especially in the younger grades, it's easier to sell the students on the idea of something they're familiar with and it's also easier to get them to understand what sort of "acting" you need to get out of them. Because we're working with children, funny things also happen during the actual performance and it's not unusual to have to go on stage and adjust someone's costume, or prompt someone else with the first few words of their line. It's a lot of work, yes, but it's also very satisfactory.
Here's a few scenes from plays I've been in charge of, hopefully you can get an idea of what the whole thing is like. It goes without saying that neither my school nor myself own the rights to any of these, and far from making a profit of it we actually SPEND our own money on these productions so ... don't sue us? LOL.
The same bit, pro version, at around 00:45
By now I bet I've made wizardelfgirl regret even asking! XD