Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. is an after-school creative dramatics program that introduces students to basic theatre making skills including acting, movement, voice, improvisation, storytelling and design. Students adapt a book from the Open Court Literacy Program into a play and design, construct and perform their creation.
The program incorporates California Public School Standards and uses theatre processes and games to reach the following goals:
- Improve collaborative skills
- Increase literacy and understanding of story structure: beginning, middle, and end
- Inspire ideas in design and story-telling by attending a professional performance
- Encourage self-expression and creative thinking through story-boarding, design, and rehearsal
- Deepen understanding and appreciation of theatre arts by creating and performing a play
Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. is organized into nine units, taught in 22 sessions. Two teaching artists and one L.A.'s Best staff person work with two clusters of no more than 25 students. The clusters are divided according to grade level: K – 2 and 3 – 5.
Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. operates in partnership with the L.A.'s Best After School Enrichment Program.
Schools are chosen based on need. Please if you are interested in having Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. at your school.
Major support for Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. is provided by the Weingart Foundation.
Photo by Steve Cohn.
