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Some shows just have that
special magic to help create that
learning environment. “The Lion
King, Jr.” is a story of challenges
conquered and fears overcome.
Other important themes include
environmental responsibility, of
teamwork, and perseverance. Its
content is curricularly relatable to
the iconic play “Hamlet” and its
plot is compelling to younger and
older people alike. While these
themes were performed on stage,
they were also enacted behind
the scenes in producing the
play. Educators can differentiate
expectations based on the
creative potential for students.
Younger students have redefined
expectations, but it is up to the
creative educator to keep the
expectations proportional in
their level of difficulty. That is to
say, the work that an elementary
school theatre student is not less-
challenging than the work of an
older student, it is simply more
designed to their educational
needs as a developing student
and artist.
Let’s look at two examples:
2012: St. Mary’s school in Aliso
Viejo CA performed its largest
production yet. ”The Lion King,
Jr.” included 120 students–a full
quarter of the Grade 8 graduating
class participated.
2016: A production of “The Lion
King: KIDS” at Lusher Charter
School in New Orleans, the
Grade 4 Theatre curriculum
was designed from focusing
on William Shakespeare’s
“Twelfth Night” to “Hamlet”–to
compliment the “Lion King”
student production and enhance
the student’s relational thematic
understanding.
As with every production, even
when two different groups do
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The connection of life is not only a
narrative theme in “The Lion King”
it is production reality iterated in
the educational process. Students
connect the stage production
to their own experiences in
viewing the animated film, they
are given the opportunity to
make connections to the deeper
historical theatrical canon, and
they coordinate the narrative
experience of the piece with
their own distinct experiences in
producing the musical for their
peers and family.
?
the same show, they will have
their own unique takeaways and
experiences.
At St. Mary’s school, while some
were returning students from
prior productions, many had
never stepped foot on stage
before. However, at the end
of the rehearsal process, the
children came together to
create an incredible production.
What do we make of both this
enduring dedication by veteran
performers, and the newcomer’s
willingness to take risks? It starts,
and ends, with the students at
the center of each experience.
Regardless of where the students
were in their artistry, by meeting
each student at their level, it
created a welcome environment
for collaboration. This also gave
the returning performers the
opportunity to learn leadership
skills, as the newest members
of the ensemble looked to
them as models of the culture
and expectations. As much as
we adults try to be the perfect
examples, sometimes kids just
learn the most from each other.
At Lusher, the critical thinking and
engagement students deployed
to relate the plot of “Hamlet”
to its adaptation in “The Lion
King” cognitively and creatively
engaged the students to:
? Rethink the familiar–utilizing their
common expertise in the “Lion
King” story, students repurposed
knowledge and references they
already contained to connect it
to Shakespeare’s work;
? Witness the adaptation chain
from Shakespeare’s tale to
animated film to reinterpreted
stage production;
? And make connections between
the tale and the culturally-based
reinterpretation through live
performance that harkens ritual.
So what then are they key
takeaways of the show from
both productions?
?
?
Collaboration: A theatre
program can be entirely student-
driven if the teacher or director is
willing to take a risk and cultivate
more trust. From inception to
final curtain, students are at the
center of the creative process,
taking full ownership of the
production. They are the leaders
and decision-makers, from set
design to stage management
to the actual performance.
They mentor, inspire and push
each other. Their power over
the process fuels innovation.
Creativity flows from their
responsibilities. And a shared
goal inspires compassionate
collaboration and expression.
Problem Solving: When they
encounter challenges—and they
do—students are responsible
for finding solutions. A large
production, such as a musical,
may require the students to
design and construct hundreds
of costumes and props, as well
as choreograph five different
ensembles. Students will
need to address traffic flow
issues, staging transitions, and
coordinating all the moving
pieces onstage and backstage.
? Teamwork: Every production,
no mat ter the size, presents
new problems to solve,
requiring creativity, innovation
and advanced skill sets. The
obstacles students face mirror
what they will experience
in the future, both in higher
education and in the workforce.
Teamwork requires discovering
each student’s strengths and
experience levels, and managing
many personalities. Challenges
become successes when the
team works toward a common
goal with the success of the
group at heart.
? Transferable Skills: STEAM and
Design Thinking are principles
that can be applied just as easily
on stage as in a Science lab or
Math class. As Prek-8 teachers,
we encourage students to find
solutions by engaging empathy
with experimentation. This
method reflects the hallmarks of
what we do as theatre educators,
connecting subject areas
with inquiry-based, hands-on
learning while developing strong
social-emotional skills.
Despite its commercialism, “The
Lion King” continues to represent
a substantial artistic achievement
to the broad American culture.
Even the youngest students in the
K-8 grades are able to grapple
with the plays narrative message
and production realities. Just
as the characters in “The Lion
King” transition from innocence
to experience in the awe of the
cylicalness of life, so are theatre
students when given the powerful
opportunity to engage fully in
theatrical work. Student-driven
productions with accessible
and exciting material allows
for students to create their
own culture of theatrical self-
sufficiency and, indeed, legacy
in an age of apps, screens, and
pixels. Indeed, if life is a circle, so
is art.
MAREN OOM GALARPE is
Director of the Arts at St.
Mary’s School in Aliso Viejo,
CA. She is also the co-chair
of AATE’s PreK-8 Network.
ALEX ATES contributed
to this article. He is also the
co-chair of AATE’s PreK-8
Network.