‘We stop being creative the moment we stop playing’
The world of young adults can be messy, unruly and playful. However, within these lie an unlimited range of creativity. As rightly noted by Pablo Picasso, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” It is against this understanding that the current unit for Grade 7 Drama, ‘Theatre for Young Audiences’ seeks to explore the world of playing to come up with a children’s theatre performance. For this reason, the class is collaborating with Snuggles Day-care and Preschool to have a better understanding of the world of kids. The collaboration requires the class to work with kids from Snuggles and come up with a children’s theatre performance at the end of the unit.
The process towards this has begun with a first visit to Marilyn Field International and here are some reflections.
When I went to Snuggles, I learnt that most children are interesting, and to please them, you must do things in a certain way. This reminded me of my recent childhood. In connection to our unit, Theatre for Young Audience, I think we need to reflect on our childhood fantasies to be able to create the right performance. (Dzidzor Mac-Deh_Grade 7)
What an experience it was! Full of laughter, smiles and so much fun. Kids are fun to be with. At Snuggles, I met lovely kids and they reminded me of my amazing childhood experience. The kids I interacted with at Snuggles had different characters and have different likes. Linking this to our unit, we will have to take into account the likes of the kids to be able to create a performance that they can relate to and make them happy. (Nana Yaa Owusu _ Grade 7)
One thing I learnt from our visit to Snuggles is that we must respect one another, irrespective of age. When we got to the school, I interacted with a very quiet boy. Through our playing and conversation, I learnt much about kids, especially what makes them happy. My experience was very educative. (Annette Ajavon _ Grade 7)
My experience at Snuggles was rewarding. Playing with the kids and reading storybooks reminded me of my childhood. I look forward to more experiences with the kids. (Nanette Ativor _ Grade 7)
