Eyes Alive!
Posted: 6/10/2011 in Clubs & Activities
Rumplestiltskin and Rapunzel , Kings and Queens, a strange little man and a wicked witch – all made an appearance during an engaging performance at FSDB recently. Eyes Alive!, our Deaf Department elementary performing arts troupe, wowed audiences with colorful dramatic interpretations of children’s classical literature. In addition to the well-known stories, Eyes Alive! performs interpretations of poetry and skits.
The club has about 15 student-members from grades 1 through 5, and five sponsors. Students and sponsors meet weekly after school hours, and daily as they approach scheduled performance dates.
Under the eyes of their attentive sponsors, students learn how to interpret and perform poetry, skits, and short plays, and to tell stories in ASL. They provide entertainment using mime, and special ASL handshape or “ABC” stories. This type of storytelling is one of the special traditions shared by the Deaf community. The storyteller creates an entire story using only a single handshape, or using the handshapes for all letters of the alphabet. Eyes Alive! performers build storytelling and acting skills when they create and share these entertaining scenes.
Students’ self-expression and pride are evident as students work in their culture and language, and language use has grown through this group. “Theater has a way of bringing out confidence in children,” says Jessica Stultz, Eyes Alive! head sponsor. “Many of our young students enjoy acting because it gives them an outlet for their natural creative ability.”
Sponsors Carrie Cobb, Liz Abenchuchan, Marla Hilliard, and Maryann Antal would agree, noting that their direct, quality acting instruction helps the deaf child to develop this creative ability fully. Students are naturally energetic and motivated when it comes to practicing their parts. Instruction in acting helps students to focus and to learn to take direction, skills sometimes lacking in children.
This school year was the first year for Eyes Alive! We look forward to many more colorful dramatic performances! You can view an Eyes Alive! performance on FSDB’s Vimeo channel .
