Act Your Part Well -VCF Word Play

This year, like every year at this time, we are deep in the midst of play practice. An area homeschool group hosts a Festival of One Act Plays at a local College Theater each end-of-January. It is a great way to fill long, dark winter days, and a fantastic way to engage in Word Play.

Tantara grew up out of a homeschool group that put on a play one spring. This became a yearly Drama Camp, which takes place at a local church and often involves 60-80 kids, scores of parents and older, graduated siblings. This, in turn, has become a bi-annual Musical, where dance coaches and musicians are employed, and costumes, staging etc is phenomenal. And, of course, Tantara, Festival of One Act Plays, is the mid-year production that has sprung from the humble back-yard beginnings of performing simple myths and fairy tales, dressed up in sheets.

This year, our kids are performing a smash-up of Dancing with the Stars and the Greek Parthenon. It's good writing, we have some seasoned performers and props and costumes are detailed and perfect.

So, back to words. With drama, kids learn the 5 Cannons of Rhetoric: Invention, Arrangement, Style, Memory, Delivery. I mean, they really learn them, because if they don't, they fail on-stage. Theater gives pretty immediate feed-back. And while they are not necessarily writing the scripts themselves, they are taking in and memorizing good words and interesting interactions and learning what makes them engaging. They are developing a critical ear and eye for good (and bad) writing.

In addition, kids must learn, in order to be effective in a performance Projection, Enunciation, Tonality, Speech Skills of Expression (in other words, how to NOT speak in a monotone). They also learn Body Language, Gesture, Control, Team-work, how to take direction, choreography and movement- all while interacting with the audience and other stage members.

Good performance is not limited to simple entertainment. Good performance is a professional skill that will benefit our kids, not matter what they do in life.

Last year, for our end of year CC parents night, Cub, after years of Drama performance, recited Patrick Henry's, "Give Me Liberty" Speech. It was profound, beautiful, heart-warming, inspiring. Cub got to the heart of these stirring words and conveyed them to an audience that included pre-schoolers through Grand-parents and spell-bound them all.

The pen is truly mightier than the sword, because it has the power to change the heart of a soul. Through the ages, good words stand. Cub took the words of Patrick Henry, words meant to spark a revolution and call men to conviction, breathed life into them and inspired an audience, young and old alike, brought tears to eyes and fire to heart. When we act our part well, we too, can change hearts.

Find more articles VCF posts on Word Play: 
2013 VCF Word Play
2014 VCF Word Nerd Love
2015 VCF Words are Loaded Pistols
2016 VCF Classical Word Study 

Please visit my fellow homeschool bloggers who are writing about Playing with Words this week:

All posts will be live by Monday, January 9th at noon EST.
Delight Directed High School English by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Act Your Part Well- 2017 VCF by Lisa @ Golden Grasses
The Search For Language by Michele@Family, Faith and Fridays
Our Top Picks for Language Arts by Amanda H @ Hopkins Homeschool
Multiple Approaches to Language Arts in 2017 by Laura @ Day by Day in Our World
How We Cover the Language Arts in Our Homeschool by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory

Use Your Words by Laura @ Four Little Penguins
The Art of Perfecting Macarons by Jennifer @ A Glimpse of Our Life
Loving Languages Every Day by Jen K @ A Peace of Mind
Speech Therapy & Elementary Latin by Yvie @ Gypsy Road
The Readin' and Writin' Part of Homeschool by Shecki @ Greatly Blessed
Children Who Love Books by Lizzy @ Peaches At Home
Customizing High School Language Credits by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
A Poetry Feast by Sarah @ Delivering Grace
Teaching Language Arts without Curriculum by Brittney @ Mom's Heart
I know your pain and it is worth it! by Kim @ Good Sweet Love
Language Arts: Our Style by Annette @ A Net in Time
Words! Words! Words! by Lisa M @McClanahan 7
10 Wonderful Word Games (+1) by Lori @ At Home: where life happens
Finding the Right Words by Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
What About Reading Comprehension? by Kristen @ Sunrise to Sunset
Teaching Grammar and Writing Through Discussion by Chelli @ The Planted Trees

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