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August 17,
2009—Thanks to a $10,000 Arts-in-Education grant, Duanesburg
students will have an opportunity to attend live
performances, educational programs, films and an in-depth
residency program at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady this
year.
“We are thrilled to announce this innovative partnership in
which students will be able to visit an amazing cultural
center, practically in our backyard, at no cost to them,”
said Duanesburg Central School District Superintendent
Christine Crowely.
The theater’s director of education pursued and secured
funding opportunities on behalf of the district after a team
of teachers and administrators visited the facility in July.
After a tour of the site and review of program offerings,
the group agreed this was an opportunity that could not be
missed.
“It provides us with a new means of exposing our students to
theater and music that we otherwise could not provide them
with,” said Middle School Principal Peter Reyes.
Approximately $3,500 of the funding will go towards the
“Stories That Dance” residency, while the remaining balance
will go towards tickets for shows.
Programs offer learning opportunities for all
The dynamic educational programs offer opportunities for
students to learn in all grade levels and across disciplines
from English language arts to science and social studies.
Each of the educational programs offers lesson plans
linking to classroom curriculum.
For example, a fun and interactive
presentation by the Mad Science Group will help third-
through seventh-graders to explore the laws of motion.
To help enrich the students’ learning experience and foster
their understanding of theatre and the power of the written
word, performance-based literacy programs offer adaptations
of popular books such as, The Things They Carried and
Farenheit 451.
Students may also voyage through the human body, visit the
moon and discover how organs function by watching larger
than life films exploring these subjects.
“We’re very excited about this opportunity to not only
enhance and support students’ understanding of the
district’s art and music program, but also the core
curriculum as well,” added Crowley.
Duanesburg Middle/High School music/drama teacher Mira Ordon
is certain that the students’ exposure to Proctor’s
remarkable shows will help stimulate even more excitement in
the district’s drama performance of Oklahoma this fall.
“I would love to take my students to some of the shows, tour
the facility and possibly provide them with the opportunity
to speak to the actors and production staff,” she said.
“Stories
that Dance”—Elementary students will bring a story to life
One lucky elementary school classroom will transform a
fictional story they write in class into a spectacular
full-scale production to be performed live at Proctor’s
Theatre.
As part of the one week “Stories that Dance” residency
program, students will work in collaboration with the
theatre’s education team and the Northeast Ballet Company.
Together, they will develop the choreography, design the
costumes and lighting, choose musical selections and much
more.
In addition to the full week of residency and a rehearsal
with the full production team at Proctors, students will
conduct two live performances in the spring.
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