Happy Monday to you! Today’s Magical Moment was sent in by Mr. Taylor, who has been teaching a Theater Enrichment class for our Track A4/B4 students. The first trimester they focused on classical drama, and last trimester was modern/contemporary drama. Here is Mr. Taylor’s account of the success of this recent class, as well as a few students’ thoughts on the experience:
I set out with the very best of intentions. We were going to study and stage scenes from Thorton Wilder, Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, Lorraine Hansberry and Eugene O'Neill… But after our early forays into Our Town and A Streetcar Named Desire, it became clear that the students' main passion in drama lay elsewhere. What they really wanted to perform were scenes from Monty Python, The Marx Brothers, The Pink Panther and Harry Potter! But film scripts require adapting before they can be made ready for the stage, which led to Maya and Leah doing the first re-writes.
Not to be outdone, Scott and Sam had ideas for wholly original scripts. And then Scott got on a roll – he began writing scenes not just for himself, but for other people. Then Julian and Landon joined in, coming up with their own comic masterpieces. As for Reid, he developed the most amazing chameleon-like versatility, able to switch from farce, to comedy, to high drama and then action in the blink of an eye. It all built to a tremendous performance for the parents, siblings and anyone else who managed to squeeze in.
On the day, everyone gave it their all. The acting was superb. The only sad thing was that Landon was ill and missed it. But Reid and Julian rose to the occasion, learning new lines during the day and performing so well that no one noticed.
Thanks to everyone for making it such a memorable class. And to Julian who managed to take the stills from the video which we recorded with the school iPad. I just hope we can do it again next year.
~Mr Taylor
“It was a very fun experience. Life-changing! Enjoyable. I wish I could do
it again. The best part was being creative with my friends.”
~ Scott
“A very fun class that let us share our creativity.”
– Sam
“I laughed a lot. I like how the teacher was able to branch out from Classical American Theater and let us do Harry Potter instead. I had fun putting together costumes and making the scenes as dramatic as possible.”
~Maya
“I had a really great time. I really liked acting and being with the other people in the class.”
~Leah
“I have had quite the adventure throughout my time in the SLO Classical Academy Drama Class. From Monty Python to Harry Potter, I have traversed throughout the seaways of actings and have seen the best of talent come from everyone. It has truly been a remarkable experience to have been a part of this, and experience I am not likely to forget in this lifetime. Under the guidance of the acclaimed Mr. Tony Taylor, I and several of my classmates have unlocked our full potential on the stage, and many a rehearsal I have felt my spirit soar as we let loose our imagination and let flow our creative energy into the characters we have impersonated. It has truly, truly been a fantastic time with Mr. Taylor in the Drama Class, and though I am sad to not be able to become a part of it next year, I shall always have my happy memories to plunge into.”
~Reid
A big thank you to Mr. Taylor and students – it’s great to hear how rewarding this class turned out to be, and fun to see a few photos of the action!
