"The organizations of the future will increasingly depend on the creativity of their members to survive... In a truly creative collaboration, work is pleasure."

                                                             - Warren Bennis (pioneer in leadership studies)

The abilities to create and collaborate are frequently mentioned as desirable attributes for employees, and at Swain we provide opportunities for all students to learn them in a safe and supportive environment.

Beginning with creative expression and movement with our youngest students, all Swain students in Kindergarten and above enjoy drama classes with specialist Lindsay Quinn (right).

Rather than focus on learning lines or blocking (where to move on a stage), Ms. Quinn empowers all of her students with the skills in the "Actor's Toolkit". These include body language, movement, voice projection, and reacting to the other actors.

Perhaps most important, however, is the process the actors go through to tell the story in their own way. Beginning at the Kindergarten level, the students are encouraged to share their ideas with each other and work collaboratively.

Ms. Quinn says,     

 "I desire to create an environment that is safe for students to be free to take big risks in their learning, and share that experience with their peers. Theatre is well known for its community building activities, which definitely have relevance... But, what really builds community is when students work together to create. Creation requires transformation, and the theatre classroom is the perfect place to work on that."

This process will be evident on Wednesday when our Kindergarten students present their Thanksgiving "tableaux" (ta-BLOWS; a French word for 'living pictures'). The students worked together to design six different scenes that depict the original Thanksgiving story. Everyone is invited to our Thanksgiving Assembly, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in The McCann Center.

As the students mature and become more comfortable with their tools, their collaborations reflect more depth. Many would argue that Shakespeare is the ultimate challenge for actors, and even the Bard's words are a source for our Swain middle schoolers to 'collaboratively create' their own production.

The seventh- and eighth graders' recent presentation of Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors was a wonderful reflection of the collaborative spirit that the students brought to the process. Rather than have one person playing each role, the different parts - in a story heavily dependent on mistaken identity for its humor - were played by a rotating cast of 23. Music, dance, and movement were incorporated to make it a truly unique telling of this classic. (See photos from their rehearsals and production)

For many Swain alumni, drama was one of many experiences they remember fondly. Wrote Ivano Ventresca '00:

"One of the best parts of Swain was being able to participate in a wide variety of activities. (Among others) I acted in the middle school plays; Swain encouraged each student to participate in all these activities... That encouragement was great for me growing up because it instilled confidence in me to try new things, and not to be afraid or insecure about my abilities."  

For other students, drama emerges as a passion, something they choose to study in more depth; Andie Burns '10 shares:

"I always loved to perform, but when I got into Swain's drama classes I began to understand and enjoy the entire process. It was always fun to see what everyone brought to the scene, and everyone's contributions made it better. Theatre is a powerful voice and it can changes lives, whether you are onstage, behind the scenes, or in the audience."

 Andie (right, performing in Swain's "Beauty and the Beast") is now majoring in theatre at Millikin University. 

 
Whether one of many "big opportunities", or a path to a young person's life's work, drama classes are intentional in their focus on creating and collaborating, resulting in something that could not come from any one individual.

"With artistic creation comes transformation, which gives a child a sense of opportunity and confidence. This is why drama is such a valuable subject for elementary students to experience and investigate. Working cooperatively to create art is inspirational, and if experienced at a young age, can become a way of life."

- Lindsay Quinn, reflecting on Ron Berger's An Ethic of Excellence

Thank you for reading this edition of Swain Stories! 
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