Fall SAVY 2016 (Day 1) – From the Page to the Stage: Novel to Script to Production

Posted by hallep on Monday, September 26, 2016 in Grade 5, Grade 6, SAVY.

Thank you for an exciting first day of “From the Page to the Stage: Novels, Scripts, and Production.” Our class simply flew by, and I found myself wishing that — like Peter — I could somehow put time on hold.  We covered so much during our time together: 

We had a lively symposium-style discussion about the concepts of adaptation and change. We explored aspects and properties of the process of adaptation, and we wrestled with the finer philosophical points of concepts of change: You recognize now that change is constant, change is essential, and that the processes of change can and must be evaluated from multiple perspectives.

 We delved into the language of the novel Peter and the Starcatchers, and established a strong foothold for next week, when we will begin our exploration of the play Peter and the Starcatcher. You’ve begun to envision the world of the novel, and you have functioned as adaptors of the text, having translated the imagery of the work into sketches and notations. And you’ve taken the process of adaptation even further, imagining how your sketches could be realized with reconstituted household items.

 While we’re on the subject of language, let us not forget the vocabulary words that we defined and utilized throughout the day: you now have under your belt such words as enigma, osmosis, evolution, revolution, and theatremaker. Oh, and we also spoke at some length about the word adaptation.

 We played some games, but don’t be fooled: those games aren’t merely fun distractions. You have begun the process of thinking differently and of thinking abstractly. In seeing boxes and bags as diamond rings and starstuff-dusted birds, you are closer to functioning as the kind of theatremakers that came to Williamstown some years ago to adapt Peter and the Starcatchers into Peter and the Starcatcher.

 I’m so excited for our time together. Next Saturday we will continue our exploration of these two texts, and discover new and unexpected connections between them. I’m looking forward to seeing you again!