Round Rock Leader: Tuesday, May 26

Cast of Character Matters

Photo by Sue Anconetani

Cast Party "Best of Show"

Thanks to Janine & Dave Lord for having the cast party at their home! It was a fantastic event with lots of laughter, fun, and smiles.

Round Rock Leader

The folks at the local paper came to the school today, took notes, some photos, and plan to put something in the paper about our fantastic students! They publish on Saturdays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays so keep your eye out for our 3rd grade stars. . .

Thanks for the Flowers!

“We give flowers for many different reasons; love, remembrance, apologies,
in support and simply for no reason at all. In the theatre world, flowers became part of the tradition and superstition of the play in the Middle Ages. From those early years, the belief started that having flowers on stage was unlucky, unless they were handed to (an actor) at the end of the performance, at which point it is considered good luck.” ~ Victor Epand

THANK YOU TO ALL THE CAST, CREW, AND PARENTS OF CHARACTER MATTERS
FOR THE BEAUTIFUL BOUQUET OF FLOWERS!

I LOVED WORKING WITH YOUR CHILDREN.

Character Matters II?

The kids are smarter than you think . . .

Before the cast had even gotten to the second show of the day, the questions started. "Are you going to do this next year?" "Will you do a show again for 4th grade?"

By the evening cast party, the same questions were aimed at me, only this time from the parents.

What an honor and a compliment. THANK YOU!

A Note from the Principal

Just wanted to commend all of the 3rd grade drama club students for doing such an awesome job on their play today. The students were spectacular and the singing selections were first rate!

I truly appreciate you and your team of parents for facilitating the 3rd grade drama club.

Very well done!!!

Character truly does matter. A valuable message for our students and all adults as well.

Thank you again and have a great weekend.
Dr. Wilson

AWESOME!

One down, two to go . . . and the kids were AWESOME. Truly. Every line was said. Every song was sang. Every pause for laughter done right.

There was a fair bit of stage fright at the beginning when the cafeteria filled with their friends from third grade and the kids in fourth and fifth. I encouraged them to look at me, not at the audience, and they delivered! In the words of Randy Jackson, "Check it out. It was the bomb!" Even Simon would have had a smile for those third grade kiddos, so filled with heart and courage, that I was blown away. And so was anyone else in the room. I could not have been prouder.

BIG WOO HOO, Mom & Dad. You have really helped your child become an incredible, brave and fearless performer. Hats off to all of you!

Final Rehearsal.

Just another wake-up and your child will be a STAR! Final dress rehearsals went well and I'm looking forward to their energy and excitement tomorrow when they finally perform it for an audience.

Wondering how to best cheer your child on? Remember to tell them to have fun, do their best, speak slowly and loudly. You'll be amazed by them!

Enjoy.

Cast Party

Hopefully your student brought home the cast party flyer today! It's immediately after the show until 9:30 PM. If you didn't get the scoop, catch up with us be email.

T-Shirts on Friday & Call Times

Reminder: ALL Students should wear their CHARACTER MATTERS T-shirt tomorrow (they may bring a shirt to wear the rest of the day so it stays clean for all three performances.)

7:15 AM onstage in the morning

6:15 PM in the science lab in the evening

Road Trip

Word around Sea World today was that the cast of Character Matters had some bus time rehearsals on the way to San Antonio . . .

Coming soon to your home theatre . . .

Our wolf's papa, Anthony Riqulemy, has volunteered to videotape and record the show, Character Matters, on Friday. He will be making a DVD for each family.

Costumes, Check. Set, Check.

It's an exciting day on set! The kids are eager to get their costumes and we'll have a dress rehearsal this afternoon with our sets done and ready to go. Tickets for reserved seating will be sent home today. They only account for a third of the seats, so the rest of your family and friends are welcome too. No rehearsal tomorrow, unless of course the kids want to sing their songs all the way to Sea World and back . . .

Keep Practicing at Home

The kids are getting more and more comfortable with their lines and songs. But don't stop now just because they know the lyrics. Keep practicing with junior at home and work on their diction, volume, and expressiveness. We do that at rehearsal, but we need your reinforcement too!

Final Week!

This week we have morning rehearsals Monday through Thursday with afterschool rehearsals on Tuesday and Thursday from 12:45-2:45 PM. Friday we got a *lot* of staging done and had a number of run-throughs.

Friday we will have a 8:00 AM performance for 3-5 grades, a 1:30 PM performance for K-2 grades and our evening performance for families at 7:00 PM.

Each of the kids have been tasked with reading their lines and working on their songs 4 times this weekend so hopefully you're mind is full of Character Matters lyrics!

T-Shirts on Friday

On Friday, May 8th we will be taking a GROUP photo for the cover of the show program so please have your child wear (or bring) their Character Matters T-shirt tomorrow. We have rehearsal tomorrow at 7:10 AM before school and at 12:45 PM to 3:45 PM after school.

The Drama Club has put together a silent auction donation for the Bash tomorrow afternoon. It has an autographed cast list, a show T-shirt, and FOUR tickets to for the FRONT ROW for the show. Bid high, bid early, bid often . . . .

Drama Club Rehearsals Resume

The district has lifted the ban on school activities effective immediately.

Therefore, we *will* have THURSDAY and FRIDAY morning rehearsal this week as previously scheduled in the science lab at 7:10 AM.

We will also have FRIDAY afternoon rehearsal from 12:45 PM (early release) until 3:45 PM. We will NOT have rehearsal during recess (or lunch) tomorrow.

PETITION GRANTED!

Petition Denied

Two-thirds of the cast banded together today during recess. Rehearsing their lines together impromptu-like and without adult prompting, you ask? No, not at all . . .

They signed a petition requesting that we rehearse during LUNCH TIME on Thursday. The 10 who didn't sign the petition are not about to give up lunch, I'm told.

I LOVE IT!

Drama Club in Lights!

If you haven't made your way into school lately, take a look at the FANTASTIC bulletin board our parents put up showcasing the 3rd grade drama club. It's incredible . . .

Lie, Lie, Lie, Lie, Lie, Lie, I'm So Sorry

There will be NO Drama Club practices until Tuesday, May 11th due to the district hold on activities as a result of the H1N1 virus, formerly known as swine flu.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE practice with your kids. They did a SUPER job today. The morning rehearsals really paid off as the kids know the chorus to the songs, no problem!

Help them know all their lines before we meet again. . .

Meanwhile, wash your hands!

Kids Are My Inspiration

I have no witty or insightful remarks today. That is because we haven't met with the kids yet this week. They are so much fun to work with and have so much energy, they do inspire me!

So, the character trait we'll talk about is work ethic. That is, the dedication to a team, a club, a group, a job, or an organization that requires us to do our best; to want to do our best. I can tell your kids have it. And I'm looking forward to seeing the results on Thursday afternoon when we next meet.

These few days of interlude are perfect for learning lines, learning songs, learning cues, and learning how to experiment with the same line over and over again to achieve different effects. Let your son or daughter do that with you! Listen to their one grand line as it is delivered with joy, delivered with sadness, delivered with amazement, delivered with silliness, delivered with courage. Ask your child to say his line again and again with different tones, different emotions, different physical postures. You are part director in this show. Help us!

Then, on Thursday, we'll meet with the kids ONSTAGE to read through the show with our cast, as our cast, and I will be prepared to be blown away by the work you have done at home!

Fern Bluff Drama Club

You Know You Make Me Want To Shout

It's a good song. It's a great feeling! Hopefully your child's shout is a happy one too.

Here is the cast list of CHARACTER MATTERS! It looked like most of the kids were happy to get their assignment. I didn't see any tears so your child was incredibly brave this morning if he was unhappy with his part. If she is disappointed, please give great big hugs and then help her become a show stopper with whatever part she has.

The kids have their lines. Please work with them to learn them by next Thursday afternoon. It might be a challenge for a few of the kids, but for many of them, it should be pretty easy. The hard part is not learning the lines, it is remembering which ones to follow . . . learning to say their part on cue. Work with them. This is a fantastic opportunity for time with your child. Enjoy it! Show him how you can make the part you are reading opposite him come alive with your voice.

We believe in all our kids. It is a great cast so help us make it a great show by listening to that CD over and over and over and over. We didn't send home the words to the songs. The kids know many of them by now and they can use the CD to learn their own songs. All kids need to know all the chorus parts so let them practice the other songs too. When your daughter or son is ready, let them try to sing without the words. You will find instrumental only songs 11-20 on the CD.

Have a great week working with your child! We will be excited to get together again next Thursday, 4/30, after school (ON STAGE) to see how far they've come. Thanks for your support!

The Cast of CHARACTER MATTERS
(in order of appearance)

Rapunzel: Olivia
Prince: Naren
Witch: Rose
Little Red: Rylie
Wolf: Molly
Little Red's Friends: David, Kendall
Princesses: Hailey, Kristen, Megan
Baby Bear: Jake
Mama Bear: Grace
Papa Bear: Ethan
Goldilocks: Lauren
Three Little Pigs: Mira, Siya, Mia
Cinderella: Katy C.
Mice: Anna Grace, Katie S.
Humpty Dumpty: Emily
Humpty's Friends: Brooke, Jace, James
Mirrors: Chloe, Lizzie, Jeremy
Jack: Jennifer
Giant: Kelsie
Frog Prince: Scott

Call Backs are Boring

Unless of course, you are one of the actors who is being called back.

At our morning rehearsal we had several students sing a few roles for us to help us better make casting selections. Then we asked all the students to sing the part of the Wolf as one last chance to make an impression on us. And impress they did . . . I stood in the closet for most of the morning and was greatly surprised to hear all our kids! The timidity with which some students sang in the first week was gone; replaced with strength of voice, self-confidence, and a desire to be heard. (Who doesn't have that?) I was very excited by our kids and certain that we were going to have an even harder time casting the show!

In the afternoon we did the same, but with speaking lines being read and re-read by several students as well. You can guess by now what roles we were trying to cast . . . the bears and the pigs. How did mice get more popular than bears anyway? People don't give babies teddy mice. Must have something to do with Walt. For some students whom we did not need to see again, I suspect this was boring. You could tell by the chatter that would flare up or the chair movements. The kids played a pivotal role, however, as we wanted to be certain that our actors could play the parts comfortably in front of an audience. And, it was a lesson in how theatre works.

I talked with the kids for awhile, once again, about the importance of every role. I reminded them that there are no tears in theatre (yes, I took some liberties with that line) and that when they got their roles tomorrow that everyone should embrace their part and shine onstage. Clearly, I have been saying this for several days because when I asked them if they were going to be sad if they didn't get the part they wanted the kids all looked at me, bravely, shook their heads and answered, "No. We won't be sad." I told them, "Of course you will be!" which took them by surprise. Then I continued, "So be sad in your heart for just a moment and then get your part and become the best you can at the role you play in the show." (Or something like that. I really shouldn't use the quotes because I have no idea how I said that but it was that sentiment that I was trying to get across. Call it literary license to build blog drama. That's our club after all.)

Your kids are quite special and I'm very excited about our next weeks together as the kids learn their parts by heart and start to become baby bear learning forgiveness, or become the giant who learns not to judge people by the way they look, or become the pig who wants to build with bricks because it is the right thing to do even if it isn't the easiest.

Pigs Still Not Popular

There's something about being cast as "PIG" I suppose. But I can't figure out why the Bears aren't in on the popularity contest . . . Witch, Prince, & Rapunzel are still the favorite roles. We're looking forward to getting the kids' letters tomorrow telling us why they would make the best ever "fill-in-the-blank."

The kids are doing SO great! Moms & Dads, you must be proud parents. I'm enjoying working with all the kids and adore their energy, shyness, confidence, nervousness, joy, and boldness as they all sing or read different roles of the show this week. It's great fun for us and I hope it's great fun for them too!

Count to Ten, Walk Away

That's what the kids are telling Cinderella to do in Character Matters. She's very angry to have to always pick up the table while her family is watching cable and having to do the dishes all the time (who isn't?). . .

Count to Ten, Walk Away, Take A Breathe, You're Okay. That's their advice. Sound, I say. And so we should all hum that tune to ourselves when things don't go our way.

But today, things did seem to go their way!

All the kids did a SUPER job at our morning song evaluations and our afternoon readings! We got through the show four times, with each student reading a different part each time. I asked for clear, loud lines and that's what we got! BRAVO was all there was to say after listening to our young thespians.

Part Is Parts

That's what my father used to say. Apparently he was quoting 1980's Wendy's commercials, but he always made it relevant to whatever situation was at hand.

And that's the way it is with Drama Club too! Parts Is Parts.

Today, tomorrow, and through Thursday each of the kids in Drama Club will be asked to read or sing a different part in the show each time we get together. It may not be THE part your son or daughter wants to have, but everyday, regardless of which part they are assigned, it is THE part on which we will be making evaluations. If you child is clear and loud, we'll hear them! If he is not, we'll notice that too.

Talk with your kids. If your child wants a role with 32 lines, we have to hear her. If your child wants to sing a solo, we have to understand him. If your child wants to be in the chorus only, we plan to stretch their talents by asking them to read or sing a few lines anyway!

Witch 8; Baby Bear 0

So the popular parts seem to be Witch (8), Princess (7), Goldilocks (6), Prince (5), Wolf (4), Cinderella & Rapunzel (3) each.

Clearly, we can't cast 8 kids in the role of Witch so there will be some unhappy kids at the end of this week when they are not cast in their most favorite role of the show.

You can help us make it less disappointing!

Ask your daughter what other parts there are in the play. Remind your son or daughter that there are "no small parts, only small actors." Why? Because that is what all directors would say. Every single cast member has an IMPORTANT role. Can Goldilocks be successful without the three bears? No! And yet not one kid asked to play papa bear, mama bear, or baby bear. Can the wolf be as fierce without the three pigs? No. Yet another set of roles that remain without students clamoring for casting.

So I ask you: talk with your child between now and Friday (when we hope to share the cast list and distribute take home scripts). Explain percentages. Share theatre philosophy. Make sure she understands that all parts are good parts! Make sure he understands that there is no show without all the characters.

Characters Matter.

Difference can be scary but it's cool.

Woke up this morning to the tune Jack & the Giant sing together. Is that happening to you yet?

It's about how we should take time to learn about one another first instead of judging a book by its cover. The song is fun and shares a great moral as both Jack and the Giant admit that they each made the wrong assumptions when they first saw each other.

"Difference really feels different as a rule. Difference can be scary but it's cool."

It's cool.

Role Evaluations & Attendance

The kids are doing a super job with the songs! Keep practicing them at home. During rehearsal, they have the script so they can follow along with the words. Now we need them to learn how to sing the songs without the script. You can help by playing the CD every time you are in the car. Of course, you'll learn the songs too, but you'll be glad you did! They are very catchy.

Today we asked the kids to write down their top two choices of roles, now that they have been through the show a couple of times. Next week, we will be having the students read through and sing along to their choices, solo, and will evaluate how they do. By the end of the week, we'll ask them to write us a letter explaining which part they want and why (with several options) as well. We already know there are a few roles that many kids want . . .

Your child needs to be at all rehearsals to be considered for the role of their choice. We can't do proper evaluations or determine the level of commitment your child has to learning the lines or songs if they are not at every rehearsal.

Thanks greatly for supporting your child in the drama club! It's great fun and full of excitement as we move to our second week of rehearsals.

Music CD's Sent Home

Okay Moms & Dads. Your son or daughter brought the CD to Character Matters today and now you get the pleasure of listening to it over and over and over again! Before you know it, you'll be whistling a tune without even realizing it and waking up in the morning with Not Bricks rattling around. . . Enjoy!

Morning Rehearsals

Today was a GREAT first morning rehearsal! The half-hour morning rehearsals before school are designed to simply give the kids time to listen and learn the words and melodies of the songs from their show, Character Matters. Kids were already singing strong by the time we got to the final two songs. Fun, fun, fun!!

Parents: Please remember to drop your students off at the front in the mornings as the back doors will not be open that early.

Thanks!

First Reheasal & Read-Through

The 3rd grade drama club met today after school for the first time! Parents helped dramatize the show, Character Matters, for the 30-students with a read through to introduce the show to the club. It was a fun afternoon and everyone took home their sharp looking, new, Character Matters T-shirts!

Drama Club's First Rehearsal Tues, April 14

We are excited and thrilled to be working with thirty students over the next month as we put together the show, Character Matters!

Our first meeting with the Drama Club will be next week, Tuesday, April 14th after school from 2:50 PM to 3:50 PM in the 4th grade hallway Art/Music Room. We will introduce our production team, review our schedule and expectations, and read through the show Character Matters for the students.

Beginning the next day, Wed April 15th, we will begin with morning rehearsals at 7:10 AM in the Science Lab. Students will listen to the show music each morning to begin learning the songs.

Drama Club Registrations Due April 1st

Registration forms for the 3rd Grade Drama Club will be sent by email to third grade parents the week of March 23rd. Completed and signed forms, with fees, are due by April 1st. These can be returned to the PTA lock box in the front office of the elementary school.

"Character Matters" The Show

The show, Character Matters, was created by Bad Wolf Press; a company that makes musical plays for elementary students. Here is the synopsis of the show that third grade students from Fern Bluff Elementary will be performing in Spring 2009:

Welcome to the weekly meeting of the Fairy Tale Advice Council!
Led by Rapunzel, a Handsome Prince, and a (recovering) Wicked Witch, the council offers help in character building to famous folk creatures. In this fun and non-preachy show, the Big Bad Wolf learns the Golden Rule, Cinderella gets help in managing her anger at her bullying stepsisters, and Jack and the Giant discover that their differences are cool. Will Humpty Dumpty take responsibility for his fall? Can Baby Bear forgive Goldilocks (and will Goldilocks apologize, or just take the porridge and run)?