“To attract children to the theater, I would implement the “snowball” method

Recently, the first Forum of School Theaters “Podium. Children”. One of the organizers of the forum was the Theater of Young Muscovites. We talked about the intricacies and nuances of the organization of school theaters with the director, playwright, member of the Union of Theater Workers, methodologist in the field of theatrical creativity Sergei Rozov.

— It is gratifying for us that the first Forum of School Theaters was held at our home venue, the Moscow Palace of Pioneers. Pupils of our team within the framework of the forum showed the play “Tanya Larina” based on the novel in verse by A. S. Pushkin “Eugene Onegin”.

— Moscow is actively involved in the development of school theaters. You are a member of this project?

— Yes, we share our direct experience and experience in organizing a children’s theater. There were times when, in order to get into the Theater of Young Muscovites, there was a competition, and almost the same as in theater universities. But over time, we decided that if a child wants to do theater, he should get this opportunity. What did we come up with? Now, for example, within our team there are two areas – “Educational Theater” and “Performing Arts Workshop”. Children who want to learn to speak expressively, to behave in public get into the “Educational Theater”. For example, I am often asked: “But there is a rhetoric circle in the Palace of Pioneers, which also teaches children to speak?” But speech that is born in the process of thinking differs from memorized speech. In life, a person needs more the ability to competently and literary formulate his thoughts at once, as they say, on the go. To do this, he must have not only speech literacy, but also speech mobility.

We also conduct classes where we show what sound looks like in zero gravity. And when at school in physics lessons, for example, children are told about weightlessness and the reasons for its existence, they can reinforce this knowledge with such practical experience. The knowledge lived through, passed through oneself, remains for life. Otherwise, our brain becomes just a warehouse of information.

The “Performing Arts Workshop” is still more suitable for children who have already decided to play theater professionally. If a child has chosen an acting profession or some other profession related to the theater, then we also throw all our efforts into helping him to enter. For example, a speech teacher works with him on his competitive program, a vocal teacher helps him choose a musical composition and prepare it. The choreographer comes up with plastic sketches, which, if perfected, can both surprise the selection committee and show that the child is plastic enough.

— Are these two separate studios or one?

– The division into “Workshop” and “Educational Theater”, of course, is conditional. The guys very often put on joint performances. Joint classes are held, children participate in some common creative actions. But I can say that with such a division, it has become easier for us to respond more sensitively to the requests of students and their parents. We are actively attracting TUM students to participate in the Good Hour festival, within the framework of which they have the opportunity to communicate with teachers from various theatrical higher educational institutions, show not only the performance, but also their programs for entering universities, and also get acquainted with experience of other theatrical groups and prove themselves.

— What do you think the term “school theater” means?“?

— I would say that it is very blurry. On the one hand, we perceive the school theater as a kind of team of initiative teachers who teach history or literature, as well as put on performances for various holidays, that is, they perform the functions of such a kind of concert activity. But they simply do not have time for creativity itself. When the federal project of school theaters was being created, some school teachers turned to us as one of the most experienced teams in Moscow, which could help in some way. And we got involved in this work because we consider it important for ourselves to help in understanding what the school theater should do, how it should develop. Over time, we proved that the school theater can be not only an amateur performance, but a part of the educational process itself.

By the way, it is very important that the school theater works for the whole school, then its work will be supported by the leadership of the educational institution. Imagine, it happens that an enthusiastic teacher, who has a good command of theatrical skills, gathers a group of 6-7 people, makes a performance once and shows it to his parents. And this requires both premises and the purchase of costumes. And you can understand the director, who asks in bewilderment why this is necessary? But when such performances become a platform for the social and artistic life of the entire school, then it becomes interesting.

— ToHow to motivate the children themselves to participate in the work of school theaters? After all, such studios have to compete, including with computer games, electronic gadgets…

– Good question. A lot depends on the individual here. If the teacher knows how to lead, he will succeed. If it were my will, I would not yet establish in the relevant orders the standard number of students in such a theater group. Let there be one student there. We do a one-man show with him, show him and discuss. And I am sure that after this solo performance two or three friends, or a couple of girlfriends, will come to the circle for him. That is, to attract children to the theater, I would introduce the “snowball” method. Start small. Although, of course, it’s good if several schoolchildren decide to participate in the school theater at once. But if there is only one so far, that’s okay too.

It should be borne in mind that younger children are addicted more easily than older ones. If we are talking about the initial recruitment, we must take into account that 70 percent of the composition of such school theaters falls on elementary school students. They really want, they try to prove themselves. And while they are growing up, stage skits and performances with them that they show to their older comrades – tenth graders – which cause discussion, discussion, and will be a great motivation for them.

The practice of many years of existence of school groups shows that high professionals in the world of culture and art often came there, but many of them could not work. For different reasons. Even with older kids. And some enthusiastic teachers who mastered this profession already along the way, on the contrary, became very successful leaders of children’s theaters. There is no need to look at the diploma. Moreover, the system of virtual training and retraining of teaching staff is now very well developed.

By the way

The history of the Theater of Young Muscovites (at that time it was called the Theater Studio) began in 1936 in the House of Pioneers on Stopani. During the Great Patriotic War, front-line brigades were formed from the circle members, who went with their children to military units and spoke to our soldiers and supported them. In 1962, the studio moved to a new modern building on the Lenin Hills. A specially equipped theater stage and rehearsal rooms were built here for children. In 1966, the studio, having united theater groups, became known as the Theater of Young Muscovites. Among the famous graduates of the studio and the theater are actors, directors and screenwriters L. Nechaev, V. Andreev, R. Bykov, I. Kvasha, V. Ivanov, N. Gundareva, S. Nikonenko, V. Belyakovich.

Mona Platonov.