Center Theatre Group conducts Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. in partnership with the L.A.'s Best After School Enrichment Program. Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. is an after-school creative dramatics program hosted annually by selected L.A.’s Best sites 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.
In the fall of 2008, 130 students from Cahuenga, Esperanza and Leo Politi Elementary Schools presented original plays for their friends, families and school communities. Grades Kindergarten – 2 adapted and performed
Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester; grades 3 – 5 adapted and performed
The Dancing Man by Ruth Bornstein.
We asked students to tell us their favorite lines from the shows they wrote. Here are a few that stood out:
From Tacky the Penguin
“Goodly, Angel, Perfect, Neatly and Nicer all hugged Tacky”
“How many toes those fish have?”
“Cows have wings
A sandwich has eyes
Rats have big feet”
From The Dancing Man
“Hey there stranger what’s your name?”
“Oh my gosh these shoes are for me? Thank you whoever you are!”
“They are not drowning! They are dancing!!”
Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. incorporates the California Content Standards for Public Schools and uses theatre processes and games to help students achieve 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
2008 - 2009 Partners
Cahuenga Elementary
Principal: Lloyd Houske
Asst Principal: Susan Kim
Esperanza Elementary
Principal: Felicia Michell
Asst Principal: Paula Kurilich
Leo Politi Elementary
Principal: Brad Rumble
Asst Principal: Lynn Vineyard
Teaching Artists
Levi Brewster (set designer)
Francisco Garcia
Julieta Garza
Megan Hanna (costume assistant)
Risha Hill
Jairlyn Mason (costume designer)
Misty Monroe
Marcos Najera
Steve Neumann
LA’s BEST Site Coordinators
Diane Juarez
Lourdes Manriquez
Elizabeth Parra
Major support for Ready, Set, P.L.A.Y. is provided by the Weingart Foundation.
Photo Credit
Photo by Craig Schwartz.
Inset Photo Credits
Photos © Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
