Back to School Advice

I always get excited when school starts. I remember when I was in grade school and how excited it felt laying out my NEW back to school outfit the night before as well as my NEW backpack full of freshly sharpened pencils, paper, notebooks and brand new folders. It was all mine! My path was clear and after a quick kiss to Mom and Dad, I was off. There was a buzz in the air as the new year began.
I felt the buzz again this week - but in a different way. We toured my daughter's T/TH preschool tonight and next week she and her brother will be at their respective "schools". We've had college girls nannying for the past year and a half so I want to arm the kids with a good transition plan. I know that both of them "panic" when I leave them with a babysitter these days and definately want me with them. I hung out with Marie Vukin this week (our Project Play Director) and she gave me very helpful advice:

• Use a calendar to mark the dates when kids will be going to school - this makes time concrete
• Read the book The Kissing Hand and follow what the characters to in the book to ritualize the good-bye
• Create a special greeting when you see each other
• Pinpoint something that will excite her/him about going to school (i.e. "When you get there you're going to have time to play dress-up!")
• Let child know when you will be picking her/him up (i.e. "After lunch, you'll take a nap and then I'll be there to pick you up.")

I am so excited to have Project Play apart of Trike. Marie is a remarkable resource for our community and I'm thrilled that she will be teaching the Baby Buds class (0-36 mo.) Monday's from 10:30-11:30am and the Great Pretenders class (3yr-6yr) on Wednesdays from 10:30-11:30am. If you are interested in taking one of these classes but M/W does not work in your schedule -please let us know. We are interested in your feedback so that we can offer classes at the time when you can come. I know that we are already planning on a Saturday 4-week class for those parents who work full-time during the week.

Happy beginning of school to all the Moms and Dads out there. I'll be bringing the kids to Marie's Monday class - can't wait to see you there!

Morning News Article about WAC Arts With Education Institute

Click on the above title to get you to the Morning News Article. Richard participated in the Institute and accurately describes what it was like to be there!

I have been involved in professional Theater for Youth since grad school. When I graduated in 1995, I always knew that I wanted to be an artistic director of a professional theater for youth - like my mentor Scot Copeland of Nashville Children's Theater.
I continued to follow that path at First Stage Children's Theater in Milwaukee. Then I took a job at Seattle Children's Theater as the Director of Education Outreach. There I learned how to manage a budget, hire staff, develop curriculum and train teaching artists and classroom teachers.
When I moved to NWA 4 1/2 years ago - I brought both my loves (Theater for Youth performances and Arts in Education) with me. I see the two intertwined - each guiding the learner to other for deeper learning. This week-long workshop with Sean and Melanie filled in the missing pieces for me:
How do I help audience and learners understand the process of the art form so as to feel deeply connected to the end result - whether a theatrical performance or a "last day sharing" in an 8-week class? ...DOCUMENTATION
How can I as a teaching artist continue to bring Arts Integration (and that style of classroom learning) into a Theater Training Program?...READING/LITERACY
How can I help students and audience members reflect on their experience?...THINK/FEEL/TRANSFORM REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How can I make a more permanent commitment to the growth and development of our students at Trike?...PORTFOLIO
How can we create a theater-wide culture of cooperation and individual growth?...SEAN LAYNE'S ARTS BASED CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TAUGHT BY ALL TEACHING ARTISTS IN DRAMATIC PLAY AND THE CONSERVATORY

Very exciting!

Exciting Academy Class Updates!

"You cannot teach humans anything. You can only help them discover it within themselves." --Galileo

Last week, a few of the Trike Team (myself, Virginia & Justin Scheuer & Megan Mayo) attended Walton Arts Center's AWE (Arts With Education) Institute. Sean and Melanie Layne, both national workshop presenters for The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Art's Partners in Education tour, taught the week-long training. Walton Arts Center offers AWE each summer for local teachers to learn new ways to incorporate arts into their existing curriculum. As a result of this engaging, kinesthetic, inspiring week of learning, the Trike Team and I have solidified a "Trike Academy" class methodology.

Elizabeth Murfee writes about the benefits of arts integration in Eloquent Evidence: Arts at the Core of Learning. Trike also believes that:

• The arts are serious and rigorous academic subjects. They are an essential aspect of human knowing.
• The arts have far-reaching potential to help students achieve education goals.
• Reading, writing and math skills can be enhanced through the arts.
• Creativity is naturally developed through the arts.
• Student engagement and persistence improve with an arts-based curriculum.
• High-risk students are engaged through the arts.
• Understanding of one's self and others expands with arts education.

Basing our instruction in these beliefs, we have decided that each of the Trike Academy classes will include:

• Portfolio for each student. We want students (and their families) to be members of Trike for a very long time. Portfolios are one way we can "invest" in each student. This folder will hold a copy of student work while they are taking classes at Tricycle Theater for Youth. Portfolios will be made available to students and parents at all times.
• Documentation of process. This will help show the outside community, the students' process during a particular class or project, make the learning process visible for students and create a tangible memory to share with others.
• Reflection. Done at the end of each class, students will take the time to really think and ponder about what they have experienced.
• Integration with other core curriculum. In addition to meeting National Arts Standards, we want to bring in reading and literacy objectives as well. We also thought that it would be fun to create full-on arts-integration curriculum during our week-long summer camps (Science/Drama - Wizards and potions) (History/Drama - "Magic Tree House) (Art/Science/Drama - Still Life paintings) etc.
• Arts Based Classroom Management. At AWE, we learned a technique from Sean Layne that takes the foundational elements of acting such as concentration, cooperation, and collaboration and creates a structured process that will become the basis for establishing a cooperative learning environment. Through this process, we see students establishing a sense of self-control, accountability, and team building in the classroom. This Classroom management style will be used in the Dramatic Play and Conservatory classes.

Registration opens AUGUST 15 and our first class begin SATURDAY, SEPT. 27. Once we begin, I will have images to post and more documentation to share.

Check out our upcoming classes at http://www.triketheater.org/

AND REMEMBER - WE PLAN TO BEGIN PRODUCING A FULL SEASON OF THEATER FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES IN THE FALL 2009.

Stepping Out at Bentonville Farmer's Market

We were at the Bentonville Farmer's Market this past Saturday (July 26) and had a fabulous turn out. I especially want to thank all the families who came out to play with us after reading about it in our newsletter. Christa and I were featured in the Benton County Daily Record this past Friday - and a bunch of folks had read about us there. IT WAS HOT! But the Puppet Play, Sand Play and Drama Workshops were a hit! Many people signed up to get our newsletter and a number of people expressed their willingness to volunteer. This event reminded me why we are starting this theater in Bentonville -

because we have the opportunity to serve a need for the growing number of Bentonville based families who want performing arts experiences for their children. The excitement around our tents was palpable. Downtown Bentonville Inc. has invited us back any time we want.

One story - there was a little boy who was very focused on the Sand play - carefully choosing characters with which to play out the story in his sandbox. His mother was amazed at the level of concentration that he demonstrated since he has Aspergers Syndrome. She is now very interested in participaing in our Project Play classes.

Another story - the drama workshop photo you see is being taught by Megan Mayo - a very talented young woman who is leaving in a few weeks to get her MFA in Theater for Youth from Florida State - a wonderful program. I taught earlier and there are very few photos of me because for most of the workshop I carried Rowan (my 1 1/2 yr old) on my back in a carrier. This is not new for me - since I've "worn" him and taught since he was 6 weeks old. At 9am I started with 1 girl and ended up enticing 6 more girls to join us - including my 3 1/2 yr old daughter - who has never taking a class from me (yet!). I always love when kids who want to watch first - decide to jump in and play - it feels very rewarding to have them trust me enough to try some new activities.

We're going to open registration for the classes Mid August - and I'm excited to see the registration numbers and start getting folks into volunteer.

Our Future Home 120 S. Main St. Bentonville

Christa and I are currently working with the leasing agent of this space. It's a 1600 sq ft. - long - rectangle - and 1/2 block south of the Square - just down from Java on the Square and right next door to the Convention and Business Bureau. It's an old store front with lots of possibilities.

Right now it is a blank slate that will work really well for our classes, Trike Nights and small performances. It's not perfect (the one bathroom is in the back) and we will only be able to fit around 50 people max into the space because of fire codes. BUT - it is perfect for what we want to do now and will help us be a major player in the Downtown Bentonville experience and growth conversation. In a few years - we will want to build/move into a larger space with a 250 seat theater/shops for building sets, props and costumes and more classroom spaces. I feel confident that with the help of our "Trikesters" - members of the Trike family - we WILL make it happen.
If you happen to be walking through downtown - take a look into the space and let us know what you think.
We'll make sure to have a fun party/open house as soon as we sign that lease!

Getting Started

Well, we're off! I'm so glad that you've joined us for this exciting ride! We're starting a professional Theater for Youth in Bentonville, AR. In this blog, I'll be chronically my journey, introducing the folks involved and the programs we're doing.

First, here's a little bit about what we're doing:

Tricycle Theater for Youth (The Trike) is the premier not-for-profit professional theater for youth located in the heart of Bentonville, AR. The Trike provides relevant, audience-driven professional Theater for Young Audiences to NWA and quality creative learning activities and a theater training conservatory through three equal programs:

Trike Playhouse: In the future, we will producing 5-6 shows a season in a permanent 200-250 theater. The Trike will employ theater professionals (actors, designers, and technical staff) and also casts young actors ages 10+. The plays will reflect the different age groups within 2-18 years and the various racial and ethnic groups within our NWA community. Production enhancement programs help audiences personalize and make relevant the theater experience: performance guide, youth and family workshops and an interactive lobby.

Trike Academy: The Trike’s youth education program serves students ages 1-18. Programs include: Summer & Spring Break Drama Academies, Year-round Project Play, creative drama & theater conservatory classes, Summer youth productions, High School Young Company and Internships.

Three Phases of Trike Academy:
1. Project Play – (1-3 ½ yr)Parent & Child playgroups, classes, music, & art Bringing “play” back into the family.
2. Dramatic Play- (3 ½ - 2nd grade) Story Drama, Treasure Trunk, Movement, Art & Music Strengthening foundation for structured imaginative play.
3. Conservatory – (3rd-12th grade) Acting, Scene Study, Improv, Design, Directing, Audition, Movement, etc. Training program for new and experienced theater artists and art patrons.

Trike Shop: The publishing/consulting wheel of the company, The Trike Shop offers a way for people to make The Trike process work in their own lives through: Teacher professional development, Teaching Artist training, Performance Guide materials, show related merchandise and “play-in-a-box” kits.

We are in the process of incorporating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and are seeking interested working board members. Our company is led by me, Kassie Misiewicz, Executive Artistic Director, and Christa Davis, Managing Director.

For more information - please contact me at:

kassie@triketheater.com