An Interview: Carina

carina: Um, my name is Carina and I'm in third grade and I played Tom Snout and in the play within the play I played the Wall.

mel: Why did you audition for Shakespeare Club, Carina?

I auditioned because I like to act and perform in front of audiences.

What surprised you about Shakespeare Club?

Um...yoga.

You didn't think we would do that?

Yeah...'cause I knew that yoga would help sometimes when you perform onstage but I never thought that you would do it.

Do you think it's important....Do you think we should do it at all?

Um...yeah, I think we should do it because it helps you be calm before we act onstage...it helps me learn my lines...it helps me think of them in my head when I do yoga.

What do you think about the meditation part we start with?

I like it because, um, it warms up my mouth and it helps me enunciate.

What do you think about our rules and mottos?

I like them...I think they're right because a lot of actors whine and they don't have the courage to be silly.

What did you learn about you this year?


I learned that I'm one of the kids who actually can do Shakespeare because some people think that kids can't do Shakespeare.

Did that surprise you about yourself?

Yes, very much.

What did you think about Performance Day?

Cool...and I thought it came out pretty well.

What was your favorite performance?

Um...probably the last one because that one you gave us all the notes and we remembered them and then we didn't need any other notes because it was the last one.

Were you nervous performing in front of the other kids in the school?

Um...no. Because I act a lot and I usually don't really get nervous.

What do you like about acting?

I like that I can be other characters...not just me...like I can be Tom Snout.

What were you proud of with this play?

I'm proud that I actually learned about Shakespeare because I didn't know who Shakespeare was before I came here.

Do you have any tips to make Shakespeare Club better?

Well, sometimes some actors were saying other actors' lines and they shouldn't really do that.

You mean while they were onstage?

Yeah.

Do you know what that's a sign of? Because sometimes adult actors do that too.

What?

It means they're not really listening to the other actor.

Oh.

What do you think Tom Snout's goal was in the play? What did he want?

He wanted to, um...make the King and Queen happy when they saw the play.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

An actor...no an actress...an actor...no an actress, yeah.

I think they're the same thing. If you wanted to be a doctor no one would say, "Oh, Carina wants to be a doctress."

[Carina laughs]

What kind of acting would you like to do?

I'd like doing things that show up on TV.

What do you think an actor's job is?

To stay focused and perform for the audience.

A Word from the Wise

I was in emotional turmoil leaving The Shakespeare Club. The jumble of rage and sadness made for sleepless nights and bewilderment...until I heard from a sage.

My friend and writing teacher, Eunice Scarfe, called me for a chit-chat and I poured out the details of my hurly-burly. How unjust the world could be...how crummy...and sniff, sniff...just a sec...blow...and also this and that and...for God's sake!...and did you ever?...and can you imagine? And—

"Mel?" Eunice cut me off in a gentle voice.

"Yeah?"

"It was inevitable."

"What? What the...what?!"

"Look, you're neither a parent at the school nor a district-endorsed teacher. You never had to adhere to state testing. You didn't have to go in every single day to an overcrowded classroom. You were able to teach whatever you wanted, in whatever creative fashion you wished and, for whatever reason, you were able to afford to do it for free. And then it was a success. We are people. Just people with human feelings. The reaction you received from a small minority was inevitable."

Eunice's words were sound. They rained over me like balm on my burns. Most especially that word of wisdom: inevitable.


I wished I'd had the common sense to have figured that out earlier and held my stormy experience at bay, but I didn't. I was too caught up. I was self-righteous in my indignation and caused myself more angst than was necessary. But there you have it.

The truth is after six years it was time for me to change things up. I have travel and writing I want to do. I have been invited to teach a day of Shakespeare workshops at another school in February. And this week The Shakespeare Club will start a new season under the leadership of Rachel, and it will be a sensation.

I created and was given a peerless opportunity. I was able to encourage, inspire and love so many. It was my privilege and I am grateful. That is my takeaway.

CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

My goal for Shakespear Club. My goal was to have the best time of my life. I accomplished my goal. I love being on stage. My fun jorny through education and acting has come to a stop (with Ms. Ryan). I will stay on the Shakespear but Ms. Ryan won't wich makes me sad but we still have Ms. Rachel. Farewell friends of 5th grade. Future 5th graders keep your memerys strong.

Bailey, 4th grade

The Volunteering Thing

It's well documented many prison inmates came from tragic, skewed and messed-up homes.

A wrecked childhood can certainly lead to a wrecked adulthood, where anger supersedes all else.

On the other hand, it's worth noting how many adults, every single day in every single city, make children's lives better despite their own shattered experiences.

I don't know how this happens. How can two people with similar circumstances arrive at opposing lifestyles?


A teacher, a coach, a parent...a citizen with little reason to see the upside ventures forth anyway to make some kid's life a better one.

It can take so little to offer hope. A smile, a word, an acknowledgment...things will get better because you have worth.

It is both bewildering and uplifting to read of these children passing it forward one sandwich at a time. Where did they get this goodness?

As we launch into a new year with so much to fear and enrage us...maybe there's time to deliver the gold.

Two fourth-graders find a way to share school's food (LA Times)

An Interview: Bailey

bailey: Hi, I'm Bailey, I'm ten years old and I played the part of Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

mel: Why did you audition for Shakespeare Club?

Because I wanted to learn a lot about William Shakespeare and also I love acting so I thought it would be pretty cool to be in the school play.

So did anything surprise you about the work we did together?

Yes, it surprised me what part I got because I didn't really...it was my first time in Shakespeare Club and I got a really big part and I thought I would get something like Robin Starveling or maybe Snout or Snug....I really didn't think I'd get that big of a part.

Now, what did you learn about yourself doing Shakespeare Club?

That if you really relate to the character you can maybe add a piece of the character to yourself and now I kind of feel like Hermia and I can think about what Hermia can think because I played that role.

What do you like about Hermia that you'd want to hold on to?

I liked how she was demanding, like if she wanted something and it affected her life...she wouldn't give up and she would keep on trying until she got what she wanted.

What was your favorite performance on Performance Day?

Yes, I think that the last one could have been my favorite because I tried my very best because that would be the last "Midsummer Night's Dream" I would do that year and um...and so I tried all my hardest and I think everyone did and so it really made me happy that we did such a good job.

Was there anything boring for you in Shakespeare Club?

I didn't think it was boring but I thought doing those warm-ups was harder than I thought it would be but it still helped me loosen up and it helped me with my acting.

Any tips to make Shakespeare Club better?

Um....well...not really. I think it's a really great club and I think it's good enough as it is today.

What advice would you give another kid about auditioning for Shakespeare Club.

Well, if you're scared about Shakespeare Club performance and you have stage fright just picture the audience in their underwear.

Is that your trick?

Yes, and it works.


What do you want to be when you grow up, Bailey?

I want to be an actress on Broadway.

Why Broadway specifically? Have you seen shows on Broadway?

Yes, "Chicago" and "Wicked" and those are my two favorite plays and now I think "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is my third favorite play.

Auld Lang Syne and Stuff

2011 was a good year. The Shakespeare Club exceeded all expectations.

More little kids now know about William Shakespeare than a year ago.

More children have unearthed their own possibilities through acting out the plots of Shakespeare's plays.


I will sleep well, likely dropping off before midnight as usual, and will be ready for 2012.


I wish you the same: Great sleeps, better dreams and open hearts to all that 2012 has to offer.

Happy New Year!

Hard News: Luck

...the readiness is all.

Hamlet Act V, Scene II

Some say luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

Demian Bichir, it appears, was ready in body, mind and voice to take on an acting career in the U.S.

Raised in a prominent theatre family in Mexico, Mr. Bichir learned the discipline required to tackle Chekov and Shakespeare. When he came to this country, he worked as a dishwasher in New York City while pursuing his dream.

Last week, he was nominated in the leading actor category by the Screen Actors Guild for his performance in "A Better Life."

Congratulations, Demian Bichir. You have set a great example for so many.

SAG Awards: Demian Bichir on his surprise nomination (24 Frames/LA Times)

Celebration

When Christmas bells are swinging above the fields of snow,
We hear sweet voices ringing from lands of long ago,
And etched on vacant places
Are half-forgotten faces
Of friends we used to cherish,
And loves we used to know.

~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

On Hanukkah, the first dark night,
Light yourself a candle bright.
I'll you, if you will me invite
To dance within that gentle light.

~Nicholas Gordon

For somehow, not only at Christmas, but all the long year through, The joy that you give to others is the joy that comes back to you.

~John Greenleaf Whittier

The moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.

~James Baldwin

I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.

~Charles Dickens

Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable.

~Kenyan proverb

Wishing you happy holidays and a creative 2012!

~Mel Ryane

Exit Stage Left

I hold the world but as the world, Gratiano,
A stage where every man must play a part,
And mine a sad one.

The Merchant of Venice Act I, Scene I

I'm hardly a professional partier. I can't remember the last fete I attended, but I do know this: As important as the arrival time may be, the exit time is even more relevant.

You want to get the heck out before the chips are crumbled, the dip is gone and the ice a mere puddle. It's simply too damn sad when we stay too long at the faire.

The evening that began with a bubble bath, a spritz of perfume, and that hot shoulder-baring number shouldn't end with wilted lemon twists in empty martini glasses.

And yet it's a tricky business in the midst of hilarity — and "no...no....just one more...this'll kill ya'...so funny..." — to tuck into the winter coat, swaddle the scarf...and bolt.

It was not without sleepless nights and restless meditations that I arrived at the decision to end my time with The Shakespeare Club.

Every year, as the successes grew, I had tiny kids running to clutch my legs with the news that they too would be auditioning for Shakespeare Club the next year.

Seriously, how could I walk away from them?

Every year, club members clamored to know, "What's the play next year, Ms. Ryane? Is it a comedy or tragedy?" These words were often sprayed through missing front teeth.

How could I leave this party?

It may come as a surprise to some that my presence on the campus was not welcome by everyone. It was a hell of a shock for me, I can tell you.

I just assumed that a volunteer with goodwill, energy and positive results would accrue full support.

Assumptions and expectations are dangerous.

I attempted to ignore the signs year after year. I did my best to calm fears and unruffle feathers, but I was not entirely successful and the undermining by a minority wore me down.

It struck me as preposterous that I was going to bed at night in tears and struggling in a hostile workplace when I was doing this for free. It struck my husband too, since he was picking up my broken pieces.

After some long talks, I decided the party, for me, was over.

And then I cried the hardest, deepest and longest.


CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

What I loved about Shakespeare Club was almost everything. I loved the role of Demetrius! The ocean of applause coming over me. I will miss all of you and your annoyance. I will also miss Ms. Ryane

P.S. I will really miss Ms. Ryane

Oliver, 5th grade

An Interview: Sabrina

sabrina: My name is Sabrina and I'm in fourth grade and I played Puck.

mel: Sabrina, why did you audition for The Shakespeare Club?

Because I like acting...I love acting, actually...and I thought it would be very fun, and also to learn about Shakespeare and...well, it was my second Shakespeare play.

Tell me about the first experience you had with Shakespeare.

Well, the first experience was when there was an audition for "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at the Globe Theatre and I got in and I was a fairy and that was actually pretty fun 'cause there was a lot of Shakespeare people....People were actually talking in Shakespeare voices backstage.

What did you learn being around professional actors in that play?

That they are quiet backstage and they actually do warm-ups and they were very professional.

Was there anything about being in Shakespeare Club that surprised you?

What surprised me a lot actually was that we did yoga. I didn't know that Shakespeare Club did yoga 'cause I do yoga outside of school so that was kind of fun.


Anything else?

Um, and that we could have our scripts onstage...that was fun.

Did you learn anything about your self over these five months of doing Shakespeare Club?

That I can actually act for Shakespeare...in Shakespeare...that I actually act in it.

What was it like doing those four performances?

Well, it was very exciting and I felt very proud of being in Shakespeare Club because I thought our play was really good and people actually did really great.

So you were proud of the audience seeing everyone, not just you?

[nods] Everyone, yeah.

What about Puck did you like?

Well, I like Puck because he gets to do tricks on people and I don't really have magical powers outside. I can't, like, squeeze flowers on other people, so that was actually really fun for five months of practicing.

What did you think about doing the journal writing and learning history like Henry the Eighth and Queen Elizabeth?

Well, at first I started writing a little bit because it was my first time in Shakespeare Club and I didn't really know what to write but through the months I actually started writing more and then it was fun because I actually wrote what I thought.

How do you think journal writing helps your acting?

Um...it helps your imagination....It helps you express yourself in the journal.

What was your favorite performance on Thursday?

I actually liked the one o'clock.

Did you? Why was that?

Because my class was there...'cause they were asking lots of questions the day before and I wanted them to see the answers, like how Puck puts a trick on them and how they are fighting over Helena. And I also liked the three o'clock because my parents were there.

Were you nervous doing the play in front of your classmates?

Um...well...yeah....Well actually no, not really, because they're kind of like family.

Were you nervous at all during the day?

Yeah, during the first one 'cause it was like the opening....first audience.

What would you tell another child who was interested in Shakespeare Club but not sure?

If you don't like acting professionally then I wouldn't go because Shakespeare Club is really professional.

What's the difference between Shakespeare Club and regular kid plays?

Well, regular kids plays, they're just acting, but they don't really understand the concept of acting....They act but they don't know what it means.

What do you think acting is?

Performing for the audience.

Telling a story?

Yup.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

An actor...a dancer and a singer.

Picking Up the Party Pieces

Oh, what's a good party without a few sniffles and heart-wrenching boo-hoos?

When theatre folk gather, they laugh loud and weep louder....Fun times.

After I made the announcement of my exit, we all made our way through a box of tissues, then made our way to journal writing and sharing.

I'm really proud that we did our play.

I'm really sad that Ms. Ryane is leaving Shakespeare Club.

I really liked that we made the audience laugh.

Is it time for snacks?

Out came the pizza, the chips, the grapes, the pineapple, the cupcakes, the fruit-like drinks, and the sugared-up hilarity of elementary-school humor.

Henry had brought his Shakespeare Club T-shirt and asked us all to sign it. He planned to hang it up on his bedroom wall.

We shared great laughs as we gave a final viewing to "The Simpsons" and their versions of "Hamlet," "Macbeth" and the story of Henry VIII.

I had printed wallet-sized pictures of our group and handed those out. The kids wanted a signature and I scribbled Love, Ms. Ryane on the back of each.

I pushed open the heavy auditorium doors to a gathering of parents waiting for their Shakespearean offspring.

Bye...bye...see ya...you're welcome...my pleasure...another hug?...okay!...so long....

Rachel and I plopped in a couple of auditorium seats after cleaning up.

"We did good," I said.

"Yeah, great year," she answered.

"You can do this."

"I don't know...."

"Yeah, you can. You're ready."

"I'm not sure. Scary."

"Yeah, well...scary is the reason to do it. You'll have the best time of your life. I promise."


CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

I loved working with Mrs. Ryane and the cast. I'm really sad that Mrs. Ryane is leaving next year. I learned about different people and about my friends that I never thought could do the stuff they did.

Bridget, 3rd grade

An Interview: Peter

peter: My name is Peter, I'm in grade three, and I played Thisbe and Francis Flute.

mel: Why did you audition for Shakespeare Club, Peter?

Because I thought it would be interesting and I thought about auditioning last year but I was too young and then I auditioned because I had nothing else to do on Wednesday afternoons and it looked fun.

Did anything about being Shakespeare Club surprise you?

Only when I got the part of a girl.

What surprised you about that?

I had to play a girl.

And how did you feel about that?

It was fine. The only reason I stuck with it and I didn't whine was because I knew I would get laughs and that's one of my number-one things in life...to make people laugh.

And how did you feel through the performances during the day?

It was funny and fun and I think my funniest was the last performance.

Did you learn anything about yourself in Shakespeare Club?

I learned that if I stick to something and just don't stop practicing for however long...I can do it. And I found my inner comedian...right here [taps heart with fist]

You have a comedian inside you?


Yes. My little conscience, he's up here [taps head] and then he walks down here [taps heart]. It takes him twenty minutes because he has midget legs. He's small.

And who's in control of this guy?

I have no idea.

Just comes out when he wants?

Yeah.

Does he have a name?

Fub.

Bob?

No. FUB. Funny, unique, boy.

Funny unique boy who lives inside of you at all times, ready to come out the drop of a hat?

Yeah. At the peak of boringness.

So, how do feel about doing tragedy then?

Well, I'll do tragedy....I would turn it funny. I like falling down.

But what if you were in a play like Hamlet?

[shrugs] I don't know....It'd be different.

Didn't you think sometimes in Shakespeare Club things were boring and there was hard work?

Nothing was boring and nothing was hard work.

The history and stage directions?

Nope. That was actually interesting...not like doing math and social studies [drops torso all the way to the bench]....It makes me die like I had to do onstage.

What do you want to be when you grow up, Peter?

A chef.

What would be your specialty?

Food.

Well, I know that!

First I would go to college and get my degree and then I would travel all over the world learning about all the different foods...how to do stuff and then come home...and get settled and then maybe open up a restaurant or two. And the restaurants all over the world would have American food and maybe another kind, like Asian food...so you could have partly what you normally like to eat in America and try something different.

Circle Up

We close out every year of The Shakespeare Club with a wrap party, which the kids hear as "rap party."

"No, my little friends, we will not be celebrating the works of Jay-Z, Kanye, and Snoop Dogg....This is a wrap party, as in wrapping the year up with a nice big bow and partying down with William Shakespeare."

They hear PARTY.

The chairs waited in a large circle, where I would sit across the room from Rachel. A junk-food laden table waited for big eyes and little fingers. Journals with sharp pencils placed under chairs waited for farewell thoughts.

I paced the room to make sure all was in order. I took a big breath and planned what would be a wrap party different than those in the previous five years. There was much to be proud of, there was much to honor, and there was much to confess.

Twenty-eight pairs of feet stampeded into the auditorium, twenty-eight bottoms found their seats and twenty-eight voices giggled and screamed. They were still high on the performance success of a week earlier.

"Okay...all right...let's begin...."

My hands were on my lap, my feet flat on the floor, and within a minute they followed suit like a small army.

"Deep breath...hold it...hold it...hold it...exhale. This is our final meditation together; let's make it the best....Inhale...."

The shuffling stopped, eyes closed and peace reigned. I shot a wink at Rachel. We were a far cry from where we'd started five months ago.

Our school uses a communication practice known as "Council," developed twenty-five years ago by the Ojai Foundation as a tool to develop community exchange and empathy.

Council meets in a circle. Each participant holds a "talking piece" and comments on a stated intention. Our talking piece was our Shakespeare Duck.

"We're going to start our party with a gratefulness-and-goodbye Council."

The kids spoke of their pride in the production and their gratefulness to me and Rachel. The younger kids expressed how they would miss the ten fifth-graders moving on to middle school. I was the final commenter.

"I am grateful to all of you for your hard work, focus and commitment. Over the six years that I have been running Shakespeare Club, I have known many, many children and I remember every single one. And I will never forget any of you."

Shuffle shuffle, beam and blush. No one wants to be forgotten, ever.


"Now, I have to tell you something that is hard to say, but I wanted to tell you this myself. I am leaving Shakespeare Club. I have some writing projects I have to do and some traveling I want to do. It is sad for me to leave Shakespeare Club but it looks like Ms. Rachel will be taking over and that is a terrific and good thing."

The gasp was loud. Directly across the circle, Peter dropped his hat over his eight-year-old eyes and started weeping.

"But will you come and see us...and see our show?" Bailey cried.

"Of course. You couldn't keep me away."

Rachel handed tissues to Peter. He took them in his small hand, blew and kept his face covered as more tears dripped.

How to hug a circle of twenty-eight little bodies? How?

CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

What I learned from Shakespear club is about being funny and never tell another actor what to do. I learned about William Shakespear and how they used to speak in the olden times. What I loved about Shakespear is that always have fun with each other, and you have the courage to be silly.

I will rember that I was in Shakespear in 3rd and forth grade I will rember it for genurashen and genurashens. I'll miss you Ms. Ryane.

Krystal, 4th grade

The Twister: Mark

For a long time after Shakespeare Club ends, I write about it.

For a long time, I study photographs of the kids and our time together.

For a long, long time, I am awash in nostalgia and miss them.

Mark had two years as an actor in The Shakespeare Club. He came in as an undisciplined, raggle-taggle bundle of speedy energy, but my God, the boy wanted to succeed.

This is one of the many challenges I discovered in the role of teacher. Spotting the underneath, the desire, the ability — and bringing that to the forefront.

This is no mean feat, because one has to negotiate past the steely truth of horsing around and the emotional chaos of cool and hormones.

But....

Look at this photograph. Mark is enrapt in character:


I said, "Mark, your Duke Theseus simply cannot believe how crummy these actors are....You try to be polite, you try to give them a break...but they're horrible!"

At the end of each meeting, Mark helped clean up as he waited for his mom. Mark and Oliver gathered chairs and swept up crumbs. Then they rolled across the floor and wrestled like a pair of pups.

Corralling that vigor into Shakespearean text was a leap for those boys, and for me, but it was so, so worth it.

Like real actors, they ultimately wanted to please, to make someone smile, to add an element of surprise, and to be great.

Mark, in his skinny, spinning, raucous manner, will find his place as a man one day...one day, when he can get up off the floor.

CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

If I had a life of adventure I would go to a trip to candyland were all we ate was junk food and everything was made out of candy. For example, are cloths would be made out of gummy bears and worms. Then me and my friends would go on a great big adventure, we go on a chocolate river boat with an ice cream river.

Kamili, 5th grade

An Interview: Sam

sam: I'm Sam, I'm in fourth grade and I played Nick Bottom.

mel: Sam, was anything about Shakespeare Club surprising to you?

[Sam takes a long think]

It was surprising how everyone focused. Like when you come into Shakespeare practice everything calms down.

When you got into the club, what did you expect the meetings would be like?

I thought we'd just walk in and do a play.

Did you find things boring or hard work?

Yeah...hard work, but not really boring.

How did you feel going through four performances in one day playing Nick Bottom?

It was pretty tiring but I was excited. The worst part...the scariest part is right before you get onstage, and then you get onstage and it's not that bad.

Why do you think that is?

Because, like, when you're going to walk up onstage, you're nervous 'cause you can see the audience, but when you get onstage it's just like doing a run-through.


Did you have a favorite performance?

The last one, because everyone was tired but they wanted to end with a bang.

And did people give you compliments in the days following?

Yeah...mostly they said, "Were you the donkey? Hey, donkey...donkey!"

Are you glad you played Nick Bottom or was there another part you wanted to play?

I'm glad I played Nick Bottom. At the beginning I thought I wanted to play Puck...but I was kind of excited about Puck and Nick Bottom.

What do you think you want to be when you grow up, Sam?

A physicist, or maybe an actor.

If you were a scientist, how do you think your experience as an actor would help you?

It would help me focus.


Do you have any ideas how to make Shakespeare Club better?

[long think]

I think it would be better if you could add a line.

What do you mean? Help me understand.

Like when they say, "Apricots and dewberries," you could say...like, "Oh my favorite!"

Oh, you mean change Shakespeare's text? Yeah, that's the one thing we can't do.

What advice would you give to a child who wanted to audition for Shakespeare Club but might be too scared?

It's okay to be scared, but you got to believe you can do it.