Tres Pinos students present an annotated timeline
The scene was typical of any green room in any theater
– costumes and hair were checked, smoothed and fluffed, lines
were recited, flubbed and said again, and the actors indulged in
snacks and water as they waited for their cues.
Tres Pinos students present an annotated timeline
The scene was typical of any green room in any theater – costumes and hair were checked, smoothed and fluffed, lines were recited, flubbed and said again, and the actors indulged in snacks and water as they waited for their cues.
This, however, was not a green room, but Renee Hodges’ fourth- and fifth-grade classroom at Tres Pinos Union School. And the actors were not professionals, but students, many of whom were about to participate in their first real theater experience.
“I think this is really fun,” fifth-grader Taylor Shaffer said. “It’s a good experience. Now, if we go to college, we can do plays and skits and stuff and know what it will be like.”
The students took part in a play called “California or Bust,” written and presented by the Theatre of All Possibilities, a professional acting troupe based in Santa Cruz. DaraJ Maxfield, TOAP’s artistic director, founded the troupe in 1985. TOAP has an Arts-in-Education program that provides several types of assembly programs to schools, including the participatory program that was performed at Tres Pinos. That particular program is one of the group’s most popular, said Mary Maxfield, TOAP’s company manager.
“The idea of incorporating students into our plays came many years ago,” Maxfield said. “My husband and I both came from artistic backgrounds, myself from music and Darag from theater. We were doing a play called ‘Peace, Child.’ It was during the Cold War and it was really a workshop on peace. When we went to different communities, people would get involved – sometimes we’d have as many as 230 people. After doing that for a couple of years, we started our own company. And once we added the (Arts-in-Education) program, the company really took off.”
Shows offered by TOAP are designed to enhance student curriculum while providing them a chance to see or participate in an actual theater experience. All of its programs fall within state guidelines in performing standards, as well as history, social studies, literature and cultural awareness.
When scheduling the assembly with TOAP, Hodges picked the participatory program because she thought her students would benefit more by taking part in the play rather than just watching one. “California or Bust,” an approximate 30-minute show on the founding of the Golden State, was perfect for her students as California history is part of the fourth grade history curriculum.
Two TOAP actors – Soila Munoz and Pilar Alvarez – arrived at Tres Pinos at 9 a.m. and began rehearsing with the students, who had received their scripts about two weeks before. The students were divided into groups, and Munoz and Alvarez worked with each group, going over their lines and teaching them the art of acting through pantomime and expression. The students were given costumes based on their roles, which ranged from Native Americans, cowboys and vaqueros and pioneers to a Silicon Valley computer “geek,” a surfer dude and “miner” 49er cheerleaders.
“It’s probably going to be a lot easier than other shows I’ve been in because I don’t have as many lines, but it’s going to be fun,” said Shae Tagami, 10. “It’s cool because it’s kind of like telling us about history. We are also working on pantomime and our facial expressions, too.”
After about 90 minutes of rehearsal, the students took a quick break as parents and other Tres Pinos students settled into the multi-use room. The play began by simulating an earthquake as Alvarez came out to describe what the audience was about to see. It moved through California’s history quickly but thoroughly, starting with the arrival of Spain and the building of the missions and how Mexico’s independence from Spain led to the creation of large rancheros throughout California. The show touched on explorers arriving from the United States, the Gold Rush, World War II and the interment of Japanese Americans into labor camps. It also introduced the creation of the aqueduct water system in Southern California, preservation of areas such as Yosemite and even Cesar Chavez. Munoz and Alvarez spoke of California’s many natural wonders and the different cultures that make the state the place it is today.
“I think this is fun,” fifth-grader Wyatt Naccarato said. “It will help us with our history, and (the acting tips) will really help us with stuff like oral presentations and reading essays in class.”
The students aren’t the only ones who enjoyed themselves during the performance. For Munoz, being a part of TOAP allows her to spread her love of theater to future actors.
“It’s very rewarding,” Munoz said. “I like the teaching aspect of it. I get to perform and teach every day. It’s the best of both worlds.”
The Tres Pinos E3 Foundation funded the presentation.
“We are very fortunate to be able to have them come to our school,” Hodges said. “Sometimes, since we are a very small school, we don’t always get the quality presentations. But these are people who know what they are doing, and the kids are so excited. They don’t seem nervous at all.”
At the end of the play, all the actors took a curtain call to a large round of applause, and smiles were evident as they posed for pictures. But as they broke into their small groups to go over the show and turn in their costumes, not all of the students were happy with their performance.
“I thought I sucked. I forgot my lines,” said one of the cowboys, after Muñoz asked how they felt about the show. Munoz took the time to reassure her proteges that everything had gone just fine.
“I thought you were all amazing,” she said. “You did great.”
