AAAHH!!! Real Monsters
“From Ghosties and Ghoulies
And things that bump in the night
Dear Lord, please protect them
From Goblins and Gorgons
That put little girls in a fright.
Please draw your sword
And protect them
There’s a chill in the night
And a chill in our hearts
When I think of what demons
Might lurk in these parts. ”
I love a good theme! Naturally, my college days were full of fantastic themed parties. Unlike normal college students, who take a theme and run chest first into the... sultry realm, theater kids tend to think outside the box. “Reptiles and Amphibians” was one of our more memorable events, wherein the theater kids, in all our clever glory, showed up as the Budweiser Frogs, Yoshi and Franklin. Another classic was the “S*** You Hate Party”. My friends showed up as the T, a mirror and my personal favorite, a red-headed Belle. Themes allow you to think outside the box, be creative and show off a little bit of who you are.
This year everything looks different. Hybrid learning, masks at all times, outdoor classrooms, some remote students, six feet of space, no scenes or tableaux… not to mention the world is entirely upside down. Seriously. It is topsy turvey 2020! Theater classrooms are no exception. I’ve been trying to redo my curriculum to help with engagement and creativity, while adhering to all the new guidelines. Thankfully, about six weeks into the school year, as the mornings get darker and the exhaustion begins to set in, drama teachers are given a true gift. A built in theme with guaranteed engagement for middle school students… Halloween!
My current Drama 7 class is working on a haunted house themed project based on one of our oldest buildings on campus. Last week, we were in a socially distanced circle, all masked up, sitting on the dewy grass, screaming so we can hear one another, trying to brainstorm some scenes that may happen in a haunted house. I was anticipating a rather short conversation on pop outs, axe murderers and perhaps people getting limbs chopped off because you know… seventh grade. I very quickly realized I lost my flare for a good theme, my ability to think outside the box.
Quiet Student: Okay so what if someone dressed up as the coronavirus?
Me: … okay… tell me more!
Student: Well someone dresses up in gray with like red sticks or something sticking out of em’ and they just run around the school!
Popular Student: Or.. or… or… what if someone dresses up as a clown right? With like the red wig and stuff and they hide behind the buses and we start to have them pop out but it's actually Donald Trump, dressed as a clown?
Me: I would prefer to keep him out of our project.
Popular Student: Fine… so we call him Tonald Drump … the clown.
Feminist Girl: Ms. Frare… can we have a ghost?
Me: Of course! I think a ghost is a great idea.
Feminist Girl: Can it be the ghost of RBG?
Me: … Well that depends. Is RBG a scary ghost because she isn’t sca….
Feminist Girl: No, no, no she’s not scary for me… but she could definitely haunt some people. Oo Oh. Like maybe Tonald Drump!!
Outside of the typical halloween trick or treat bag and straight into the haunted hallows of 2020. Of course, as the adult in the socially distanced circle, I was disheartened that THIS is the example of monsters and ghosts and fear. The kids didn't seem to have the same zoom and gloom about the whole thing (see what I did there). To them… the theater kids… this was just outside the box thinking. Variations on a theme.
I am sure there is some magical moral in here somewhere. There is definitely something about allowing students to express their stressors and fears creatively. It’s a coping mechanism. But right now, all I keep thinking about is a small seventh grade girl, dressed as the ghost of RBG, haunting Donald Trump… the clown. Genius.
