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

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

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.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY
Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
The leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

—Robert Frost

Aloft

It may happen as you bend your tall self to tie a shoe
A Danish castle; a ghost appears

When you idle your BMW, glance to the left
Verona arush with wild boys and flashing swords

Address the Board, catch the eye of a partner
And you're on a Scottish heath abrim with ambition

A breeze brushes your cheek, lifts the lace veil
At a wedding in an Athenian forest

Press your elegant feet into sand and
Let your heart zip you to an island called Ilyria...

That shipwreck

That time, that place when we crashed on shore
Our vessel broken
Our fears afire
And courage rose with outstretched hands
Voices whooped aloud and full of stanzas

One day, when you need it most, it will happen upon you
The time you leapt
Took a breath; took a chance
And skimmed on wings of poetry

When you are old, when you are afraid, when you are alone
Remember this
A castle in Denmark, a heath in Scotland, a dusty Italian street,
a mossy glen...
a beach in Ilyria
Where power, love and revenge reigned
And you were triumphant....


Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Brio: Carina

The number-one characteristic I look for when auditioning kids is enthusiasm.

It's not something we can manufacture or purchase....It just is.


Carina bopped into the audition room on a cloud of ebullient spirit that never wavered for a single meeting. Keeping her seated was a challenge some days...but that's a fair trade for unbridled zest.

Carina's daddy hails from Italy, and I'm guessing this is where she gets her dark-eyed flash.

Carina's mommy is a force of laughing energy, and I'm thinking this is where she gets her zing.


Carina loved being front and center as our wall in "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Equally, she rooted for her fellow players when they received big audience reactions.

Carina used her enthusiasm to gather the group into cohesive optimism even as they were scared out of their wits when facing a crowd.

Carina is a walking pep rally, and we all benefited from her.

CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

Happy Valintines day!

I hope you like my card and to make you LOVE me I got you a Starbucks gift card.

Lots of Love,
Helena

—Carina, 3rd grade

Komedy

Directors often talk too much. The joke among seasoned actors is:

Faster. Slower. Louder. Softer.
In other words, I don't need to know everything you (the director) know, or think, or researched. Just give it to me straight and simple.

I think a director's job is to create a world, a framework, where characters live fully and pursue fully.

Then I think the director's job is to encourage.

I'm proud to say this is all I did with these kids in "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

I did not tell them what to do. We discussed what the characters wanted, what surprised them, and about going one-hundred percent to serve the audience.

Watch the scene above and see what you think.


CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

Adventure

I want to have a adventure because I want to travel to many places counting the universe. I never traveled somewhere far with a boat. When I read I like to go into the book and imagine what's happening. I want to also go in a submarine because its cool and also to go underwater travaling and I was to see sharks and whales alsort of living animals under water. I also want to see how I would breathe under water without an oxigen tank.

—Natalie, 5th grade

A River in Egypt

Yeah, I know. Denial...a bad thing, right?

Well, not so fast. I agree being blind isn't so helpful, but every now and then, a dose of denial can get us through.

When you're coughing and sneezing but have to go to work...denial can get you through the day.

When the whole world thinks you're a useless loser...denial (and cheesy TV) can cheer you up.

And, say, when you've broken your leg three weeks before you have to go onstage to dance and act....

Check out Audrey (above) in the front row as the Shakespeare Club starts "A Midsummer Night's Dream" with a Bollywood dance.

This is denial — cast and all — at its best.

CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

OBEY

One day after school my coach was in side and I was out side and coach saw me out side and coach had snack and she said Laci come in side and I said can I have snack and she said no but you can wash the brushes and the cubs and the sinke and she said when your done clen the floor but I must obey. And my mom finely came.

—Laci, 4th grade

An Interview: Rebecca and Audrey

rebecca: I'm Rebecca, I'm in third grade and I played Cobweb and Hippolyta.

audrey: I'm Audrey, I'm in third grade and I played Robin Starveling.

mel: Now, what is it about acting that appeals to you, Rebecca?

R: Well, it's...I can sort of just express myself, it's a thing that I really like doing and I really like to express myself and show people how I feel.

What do you think acting is, Audrey?

A: I think it's just giving your character and showing the audience what you can do and how you do it...and how you play the character and act as though the character was actually you. And that's what I think acting is.

So, we had a mishap on spring break, when Audrey broke her leg. I noticed that Rebecca super-helped Audrey, which is one of our mottos: to help each other. So Audrey, how did you keep going, like doing the dance, even though you had a sore foot...and were tired. What did you tell yourself to keep going?

A: Well, I told myself that I really wanted to impress my family...especially for the last show. That's the one where I was the most tired but that was the one where I think I did the best. Because I really wanted to impress my family. I didn't want to sit out of things while my family was watching..,.I just didn't want people to think I couldn't do it because I was too tired.

And Rebecca, all through rehearsals you helped Audrey. What made you want to carry her lunch bag and cheerlead her?

R: Well, she's my friend so it made me feel good to actually help her. And because I wanted her to be in the show and when she's carrying things it's hard for her to walk...and I wanted her to be able to keep going on.

Audrey, what do you want to be when you grow up?

A: I don't know. Either an artist or an illustrator for books and things.


Any ideas for you, Rebecca?

R: I want to be an actor.

Some people think little kids can't do Shakespeare. What do you think?

R: Well, in the beginning, it's hard to understand what they're trying to say but when you hear it a lot, you start to understand that like 'thy' means me...like stuff like that...you just start to understand what they're saying.

A: I agree with Rebecca that, like, it's hard at the beginning because you don't really understand Elizabethan speech, and then you get to know and then it gets easier to say things. And sooner or later you start to understand most Elizabethan speech.

Do either of you have any tips to make Shakespeare Club better?

[both give this a think]

R: Well, I just have a comment really fast.

Sure...take your time.

R: It's hard for me to stay still while I'm meditating. I have itches everywhere and I try to think about "be quiet," but I can't stay still....I start getting itchy and stuff.

A: It's hard for me too. I want to move my legs and things.

Okay, let me give you the upshot: meditating is hard for everybody...for adults...for everybody....It just takes practice.

What did you like best about performance day?

A: Well, I liked that we had forty-five minutes or an hour between performances because it gave us time to rest and get our energy back...because it kind of fuels us up and makes us a little bit better.

R: I liked...that we got food was one thing....That I really liked...'cause I was really hungry but...after the food it was hard for me to do the show because we all ate too much...just at the beginning. I like that we have journals because it's a way to express ourselves and that not everybody shares but some do.

A: I like that we don't have to share if we don't want to.

Did you have the best sleep the night after performance day?

A: For some reason I woke up really early.

R: Me too...but, oh, me, Peter and Audrey were all so achy from the dance.

A: I wore my Shakespeare shirt the next day and people knew I was in Shakespeare Club.

What a Difference a Year Makes

Last year, after our final performance of "Macbeth," I turned into a big whiner because I was alone with no one to celebrate with after months of hard work. I went home to a bath and was in bed before sunset.

Last year, my husband was working far across the country...Rachel was busy with visiting family...I had misplaced any friends I used to have. You can hear the whining as you read this.

This year, our performances happened to fall on my birthday — so I whined even more, in advance, to anyone within range. I made threats like "no Christmas gifts at all" and guess what? It worked.

My husband put his work on hold and flew home days before the performances to help out and, more importantly, to bear witness.

Mel and her brother.
My brother, a firefighter in Vancouver, flew down on Performance Day in time to see both the 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. shows.

My good friend arranged a flight home from New York City and arrived at our school for the 6 p.m. performance.

Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles stayed after the final show to help clean up.

My little support group feted me at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican joint with margaritas and fish tacos.

The four shows were a huge success, the kids were empowered, and here's the take-away:

Even though rule number four of Shakespeare Club is never whine....

In judicious teaspoonfuls, whining works.

And I had a happy birthday indeed.


CHILDREN'S WRITES: A Journal Entry

I love the play it seemed so net. I learned that Henry dated six women. The first one was divorced. The resen why he dated the women because of a baby boy. I learnd the poems of shackspear. Thank you Ms. ryane and Ms. Rachel.

P.S. Buy Ms. Ryen hoep you have a grate life.

—Laci, 4th grade