Posted by Meredith on Thursday, Sep 18, 2014
The Iowa City Public Library invites children interested in the performing arts to join them every Sunday in October for October Improv! The Story’s the Thing.
Using a variety of drama techniques to bring popular children’s stories to life, October Improv! will explore the many ways there are to tell stories, and how actors can experience the character, action, and themes inside of stories.
These weekly drama sessions will be led by AmyRuth McGraw and students from the University of Iowa’s “Drama in the Classroom” course. AmyRuth has a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre for Youth from Arizona State University. She spent four years as the Associate Director of Education for Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, New York, and was an Outreach Specialist for Sunshine, Too, a touring theatre company sponsored by the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
Caps for Sale, designed for children in grades kindergarten through second grade, will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5 in the Storytime Room, in conjunction with the Iowa City Book Festival. Children are invited to take on the role of monkeys and experience this well-loved story in a new way. They’ll also learn to build a story with their bodies, voices, and an empty room.
The Legend of the Shooting Star, designed for students in third through sixth grades, will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12 in the Storytime Room. Participants will explore how storytelling devices prepare them for drama work, music inspires movement, and playing broadens the creative mind.
The Little Engine That Could, designed for children in grades kindergarten through second grade, will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in the Storytime Room. Participants will use their bodies as building blocks, creating machines and exploring how to give trains personalities.
Stone Soup, for students in third through sixth grades, will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, in the Storytime Room. Participants will explore the difference between drama and reader’s theatre, learning how an actor communicates character and action by blending narration, vocal work, and limited movement.
October Improv! The Story’s the Thing is free to attend, but registration is required. To register, call the Library at (319) 356-5200.