kids' voice

kids' voice tag:www.takoma.com,2010-02-18:/kids//29 2010-02-18T21:40:02Z What's happening with local kids Movable Type Pro 5.01 Fifth graders try on Shakespeare tag:www.takoma.com,2010:/kids//29.1218 2010-02-01T21:16:57Z 2010-02-18T21:40:02Z

blogpop http://www.takoma.com Acting in Lumina's Merchant of Venice

by Sandra Moore

From left to right: Sandy Moore (Lumina Board), Isaura Ovalle, Marcia Rex (Assistant Principal, Oakview Elementary School), Taylor Young, Madison Waechter, and Levis Mendoza.

Like most Montgomery County schools, Oakview Elementary has struggled with budget cuts. When County funding for "activity buses" was on the chopping block two years ago, many after-school classes and clubs were discontinued. As a result, Assistant Principal Marcia Rex is always on the look out for enrichment programs in the community. When Lumina Studio Theatre, which trains young actors in Takoma Park and Silver Spring, had a few openings for young kids in the fall, Ms. Rex jumped on it.

She had kids like Taylor Young and Isaura Ovalle in mind. Ms. Rex had seen Taylor act with the school drama club. An extrovert with a huge smile, Taylor clearly liked performing, and wouldn't be put off by Shakespeare. Said Taylor, "I was thinking it sounded kind of hard, but also challenging. I have a good memory for things from my childhood, I knew I could memorize my lines, most definitely."

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"Lumina provided her with a great opportunity to see what real acting is like, but also to be exposed to Shakespeare - at such a young age. I didn't learn a bout Shakespeare until high school," said Felicia.

What about the language in Shakespeare's plays? "No offense, "Taylor laughs, "but when you first look at it, some of it doesn't make any sense! But then David (Lumina' Director, David Minton) explained what Shakespeare's really saying." Once Taylor began to understand the play and had her lines memorized, she moved on to her favorite part: character acting. "I had to BE Lottie (one of the play's young characters)," she explained, "and it inspired me to watch the older kids BE Shylock, or the Prince of Arragon. I loved that."

Another Oakview student who's new to Shakespeare--or acting of any kind--is Levis Mendoza. Levis' family immigrated to this country from El Salvador. "I had never been to the theatre before," explained Levis' mom, Ligia. They first went to a Lumina show as the guests of Robin Allen, who tutored Levis at Oakview. Although Levis is a little shy, he thought acting looked like fun. "I told myself, if I could learn the lyrics to my favorite song, I could learn the lines." In "Merchant" Levis also learned to tap dance under the direction of nationally known tape dancer Baakari Wilder. "Sometimes I'd hear him practicing his dance steps in the bathroom!" said Ligia.

For new actor Isaura Ovalle, participating in Lumina also seemed a big leap. Her single mom, Maria, is from the Dominican Republic, and doesn't own a car or a computer. Things like after-school drama classes are not in the family budget. But with help from Lumina, Isaura was able to join the weekly classes and prepare for a role on stage.

Maria said, "I'd never heard of Shakespeare before, except a long time ago, I saw the movie of Romeo and Juliet." Isaura had some difficulty with her script at first. "Some words I didn't know, and I had to learn to read faster. But I practiced and practiced until I got it in my mind."
Ms. Rex had seen Isaura and Taylor perform with the drama club and saw talent that needed to be nurtured. "I knew a student like Isaura would benefit from being in an environment that encourages love of language. It's a wonderful challenge for a fifth grader--to read a Shakespearean script," said Ms. Rex. "Exposure to the arts is critical, but it's harder for schools to provide it in this era of high-stakes testing and budget cuts."

Madison Waechter was also new to Shakespeare. But the challenges she faced were perhaps more typical of Lumina's core group: how to take on such a demanding after school activity in addition to Irish dance, sports teams, music lessons, and School Patrol. Madison had to give up fall swimming in order to participate in Lumina. Said her mother, Peg Tumey: "Madison has always loved the idea of being a performer and really wanted to try a formal theater class. Lumina seemed like it would be the perfect fit and it was. She received great training and had a terrific experience."

For Ms. Rex, the rewards for the time invested are clear: "The performance was really professional. When I saw the Oakview kids perform, I was really impressed."
Lumina's Minton agrees. "We were so glad to have these new actors from Oakview, many of who might not have participated without scholarship support. Having a chance to act, and especially being exposed to Shakespeare, can really be life changing for young people. They're all returning for a second play--The Comedy of Errors--for rehearsals that begin in February. We hope they'll be with us for a very long time.

]]> Shogun Caesar tag:www.takoma.com,2009:/kids//29.657 2009-01-01T18:58:27Z 2009-01-24T17:55:00Z

Lumina Studio Theatre's adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, set in feudal JapanReviewed by Stewart HickmanWhat happens to a head of state who has grown to love his power, who is insatiably ambitious, who subverts the law to achieve his aims,...

blogpop http://www.takoma.com Lumina Studio Theatre's adaptation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, set in feudal Japan

Reviewed by Stewart Hickman

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What happens to a head of state who has grown to love his power, who is insatiably ambitious, who subverts the law to achieve his aims, and whose arrogance makes him impervious to critique? To answer this question, you might need to know the context. For instance, are we talking about a 21st century democracy, feudal Japan or ancient Rome?
If the context is Lumina Studio Theatre's recent rendition of Shogun Caesar, the head of state is a female Samurai, and the timeless themes of Shakespeare's play allow the audience to explore power and politics, rhetoric and revolution through all the ages.

What happens to those youth who mount this extraordinary interpretation of the great Bard, with magical Japanese Noh theatre choreography, flashing katana fight sequences, and haunting Bunraku puppets? They love it. And so does the audience.

Once again Lumina has given the community the rare gift of theatre, highlighting the talents of local youth, ages 8 - 16, and the masterminds David Minton and Jillian Raye Minton. Alas, Jillian passed away before the show opened, but her spirit was present for having conceived with David the interpretation, the casting, stage design, set and costumes -- and the seamless, genius integration of W.B. Yeats' "At the Hawk's Well" as a play-within-the-play, thereby accommodating 40 actors in each of two casts. Jillian's unbridled enthusiasm and love of great drama, literature and language was imparted to each and every student who had the privilege of working with her. Together over the years, Jillian and David have raised the bar for their young actors' achievement, always striving to reach the highest professional standards for their work. Shogun Caesar was the culmination of a vision that David Minton had carried with him for decades, ever since spending time in Japan at age 20, studying the ancient Noh and Kyogen traditions of theatre.

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"The audience has never seen anything like this," David told the actors assembled in the Round House Theatre black box stage in Silver Spring, just before the opening performance, "and they won't see anything like this again soon. This is a most unusual collaboration between our brilliant Japanese performance artist Shizumi (Manale -- choreography and consulting in all things Japanese), and Pyramid Atlantic (masks and puppets): a one-of-a-kind interpretation. You have a great show."

And it was. An incredible meeting of Japanese performance aesthetics with Shakespearian plot, characters and verse understood and executed with flair by young actors.

"I was really amazed that these were young actors! I couldn't believe how well they handled the amount of and complexity of the lines and of the content. I kept expecting them at some point to show some form of theatrical or personal immaturity, and it just never happened... What a celebration of talent, of motivation, and seriousness of purpose. We hear quite a bit these days about kids who are glued to TVs and video games, struggling with ADHD and anti-depressants, or who are not goal-oriented, but here is a stellar example of 40 young actors (with lead roles played by 14-year-olds), who have risen to extraordinary heights and who should be mentoring all those other kids. What an inspiration!"

 --Joanne Rasi, Library of Congress

"Shogun Caesar was a knockout triumph in every respect. After two hours of being utterly transfixed by the tale of conspiracy, murder, betrayal, demagoguery and popular passion, it suddenly dawned on me that I had been watching actors who were too young to drink, vote and, in most cases, drive. What Lumina Studio Theatre is doing is transformative and magnificent and, at other times and in other places, would be considered absolutely subversive. If you want to see what real education looks like, go watch a Lumina production and let the cast, the set, the costumes and choreography, stage combat, the music, and the whole experience blow your mind. This theatre company is a community treasure and is deserving of national attention and recognition. If anyone had any doubt whether David Minton and Lumina could survive the loss of the great Jillian Raye Minton, this production was the answer. What an extraordinary tribute to Lumina's founder Jillian and to the courage and vision of David Minton."

--State Senator and "Shakespeare fanatic" Jamie Raskin

Maybe that is the key to what defines Lumina's approach: by the end of the day (at the opening of the show) the actors own it. It is, indeed, their show. It's not just about lines, blocking, costumes, movement and cue pick-ups. It's about integrating all these elements, listening to each other, attending to action on the stage, and drawing the audience in.

"... Incredible... One of the most stirring performances I have seen in a long time... Fabulous

-- Suzan Jenkins, Executive Director
Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County

"[Lumina's "Shogun Caesar"] was inspired by all of Japan's theater-- not just Noh, but Kabuki and Bunraku as well. I marveled at how this serious play was performed by 8-16 year olds, and how much work went into it... How lucky these young people are to be exposed to Shakespeare and Japanese theater at the same time. The musicians were perfect, too. They provided the mood and caught the Noh type of fluting and drumming."

-- Dr. Miyuki Yoshikami
Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland

As teachers and educators, we are always looking for "learning moments," those situations that generate flashes of positive insight. For the sheer density of learning moments, nothing beats theatre. Everything, from the way Lumina nurtures budding actors, to the challenges it provides for the more experienced, the theatre experience is rich with lessons relevant to higher learning. And all of it applies to the "bigger" stage that is Life: teamwork, memorization, exposure to great literature, time management, mental discipline, finding your voice, building confidence, physical strength and coordination, learning that there are no small roles, committing to excellence - and, finally, finding your limits and stepping past them, downstage center, right into the spot light.

NOTE: The photos featured in this article were taken by documentary filmmaker, Elliot Berlin, best known for his powerful and award-winning movie, Paper Clips. The red cast photos were taken by Ann Riley and can be viewed at http://s466.photobucket.com/albums/rr27/pagnottinal/?albumview=grid.

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