End-of-Year Plays

I've been playing piano for performances of "Jack and the Beanstalk" at my local school every spring since 1992. The play has become a tradition, and every first grade class does it in their own room. And I've been dragging around a portable keyboard and playing for them since the beginning.

Yesterday I rehearsed with the first two classes and today both of them performed for their families.

After the second performance I spoke with one of the parents as we looked at the various props and costume pieces. "I painted those magic beans three years ago," she mentioned. And she did a backdrop a couple of years ago with a big group of kids. I realized that Jack's house was originally built for a performance of "The Three Piggy Opera" around 1991.

Next week I'll work with several more first grade classes. Over the years I've seen this play a really large number of times, and I'm always surprised how moving a good performance is. Unlike most of our shows, this play is genuinely sweet. As one mother told me today, "The reason I always like this play is it has funny parts, but then there are always moments that pull at my heart."

Want to know what I've learned about directing this play? Almost without exception, the teachers that wind up with the best performances stand in the very back of the room (often on a desk) and mouth every song. They don't just mouth the words---the teachers act out the songs---actually they overact the songs. As the musician I look more at the director than I do at the kids, and truthfully many teachers are great fun to watch. But the secret is they have to be in the very back behind (and above) the parents so no one in the audience can see them.

This is big. The teachers who sit with the script in their laps and nod and point at the students during the shows get little performances with little energy. When the teacher mouths every word, it keeps the kids together, it keeps them energized, it keeps them alert.

How come every teacher doesn't do this? I think a lot of them haven't really learned the songs. You can't mouth the words if you don't know them. And other teachers just don't know the power of overacting from the rear of the room.