Talking isn't doing. It is a kind of good deed to say well; and yet words are not deeds.

Of course, that's Shakespeare.  Nice to start with a bit of Shakespeare at the beginning of a new year.  He's saying that "action speaks louder than words".  You can say you want to help, but that isn't actually helping.  You can tell your parents that you'll do your homework, but you actually have to do it to learn what it is you're expected to learn!  A lot of us are thinking these days about how to help with the Syrian refugee crisis.  I heard yesterday that one in 120 people in the world is a refugee, so, of course, it isn't just people from Syria who need help.  There are all sorts of people in the world who see Canada as a safe haven and a refuge.  We are so lucky!  I have a foster child in Guatemala and although they aren't at war like the poor people in Syria, things are not easy there either.  If you want to help, you can contact agencies like Unicef, the Canadian Red Cross, Medicins Sans Frontieres and Plan Canada.  They already have people on the ground in places like Syria or Somalia or Afghanistan and so they are already helping.  Someone on the radio said that for kids, one way to help is to suggest donations to worthy causes rather than birthday presents!  There's an idea.

Anyway, welcome (back, for some of you) to Drama!  It is great to see all your smiling faces in class these early days.  Make sure you bring a pen/pencil and a duotang with paper to write on tomorrow to class as we will be writing journals.

Grade 8's:  Your journal topic is simple.  Tell me about yourself!  We spent the first day trying to learn each other's names and we will be working together for quite a while, so it is helpful if you tell me a bit about your past drama experience (if you have any), whether you have stage fright or not (lots of people do, so you aren't alone if you feel nervous), whether you've ever performed in any capacity before (music, sports, public speaking, etc.), whether you like group work and anything else you would like to share.

We will be reciting a bit of Shakespeare in the early part of Drama.  Here it is:

All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances
And one man in his time plays many parts.

Grade 9/10:  Write the story of a scary experience you've had.  Try to make your story dramatic!

Theatre Production:  Write about a scary movie you've seen.  Describe in detail what made it scary.  Could you recreate it in our theatre?  Why or why not?

Drama Club:  We will be getting together on September 21 and 22 to read through David's second draft of his play.  It will be very casual and everyone is welcome to come and read.  This is the play we will be doing early in 2016.

Our first show of the year will be called something like "As American As Apple Pie" and will be three American one-act plays:  "The Pretty Trap" by Tennessee Williams, "The Dancers" by Horton Foote, and "The Happy Journey to Trenton and Camden" by Thornton Wilder.  We will be auditioning for acting parts on September 23, 24, and 25.  There are lots of parts and if you want to be on stage, I will make sure you get there (although I don't guarantee you'll have a big part, of course).  There are lots of jobs for people who want to help backstage, too.  Audition sheets are in the blue folder on the bulletin board outside the theatre.  We welcome all participants so don't be afraid to come out and see what all the buzz is about!  We will perform these plays in late November.