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The Blackshear Shakespeareans made their world debut last Saturday at Blackshear Elementary Fine Arts Academy and received a standing ovation after each performance.
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Blackshear's Shakespeare Debut!
A dozen 4th graders from Blackshear Elementary Fine Arts Academy gave their debut performance when their school participated in last Saturday’s “Little E.A.S.T.” art and studio tour. The students impressed four different audiences with their focus, courage, and willingness to play any role, and earned standing ovations from audiences made up of community visitors, teachers, administrators, parents, and school staff. They performed everything they know so far: Puck’s “I’ll follow you!”, the first witches scene, the opening swordfight in “Romeo and Juliet,” and a two-page cutting of the balcony scene. One student who had never spoken out loud in class before — but whose shining and alert eyes have always made it clear she is listening, learning — brought her teachers to tears when she performed all of Juliet’s lines in a soft but steady voice.
The experience was a confidence-builder for the students and points out the value of some kind of small-scale performance in the fall, before winter break. Give it a try if you can! Each audience was about 20 people in the Music room, which made the setting intimate and friendly, and the program was only about 10 minutes long. Even a performance for office staff and administrators, done right there in the office, can be a huge boost. (Ask Linda Checkley or Steve Coyle for tips on doing these roving performances!)
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