By Janine Twining | Development Associate
Thank you for your generous support of Oregon Children’s Theatre!
Run, run as fast as you can – you can’t catch me I’m…. The Stinky Cheese Man (and Other Fairly Stupid Tales). No cherished children’s story or famous fairy tale is precious enough to be spared from the witty sarcasm of author Jon Scieszka and his narrator, Jack. Lampooning childhood fables and poking fun at the theater business are all part of the script—which no one seems to be following! Chicken Licken is running around like a…well…you know, the ugly duckling grows up to be an ugly duck, the Giant eats the Little Red Hen, and the rest of the cast are wreaking havoc with anything that resembles structure. This weird and wacky play was rated awesome for everyone.
Just over 6,000 students from 76 schools in Oregon and Southwest Washington have attended or will attend a school performance of The Stinky Cheese Man, and Other Fairly Stupid Tales.. OCT provided full scholarships to 400 students. Teachers were offered a free professional development workshop in which they were able to preview the performance in advance of bringing their students and learn theater integration and skills from a classroom teacher and theater artist.
Seeing live theater is always a powerful experience for young people, and for many school audience members, it’s the only live arts experience they’ll have all year. Fan mail from students emphasizes the impact: “it was super fantastical—my favorite part was the whole thing.” “I did not want to leave, it was a blast.” Feedback from teachers illustrates that live theater is not only fun and engaging—it strengthens students’ appreciation of reading and language arts: “my students could not stop talking about [the play]. They were comparing their favorite parts, talking about what was funniest, and comparing it to the book.”
One of OCT’s goals as an organization is to provide school audiences with curriculum connections and opportunities for learning beyond students’ trip to the theater. Providing teachers with free resources is one of the ways that OCT deepens student experiences. Teachers receive complimentary tickets to preview performances and also attend backstage tours with OCT’s technical director. Each production also has a free teacher resource guide filled with discussion starters, activities tied to educational standards and learning goals, and reading resources provided by the Multnomah County Library.
The Stinky Cheese Man, and Other Fairly Stupid Tales curriculum connections included:
Please feel free to contact us if we can provide any additional information about The Stinky Cheese Man, and Other Fairly Stupid Tales or Oregon Children's Theatre’s educational services for disadvantaged schools. Thank you again for your support!
Read the The Stinky Cheese Man, and Other Fairly Stupid Tales teacher resource guide http://www.octc.org/pdf/guides/stinkycheeseman_rg.pdf
Links:
By Janine Twining | Development Associate
By Janine Twining | Development Associate
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