Our 7th Grade advisory program kicked off this morning with a creative, entertainin
g, and often hysterical venture into the world of improvisational acting, which served as an innovative way to introduce some of the topics that will be discussed during advisory this year.
g, and often hysterical venture into the world of improvisational acting, which served as an innovative way to introduce some of the topics that will be discussed during advisory this year.Our program was led by Danny Hoffman, a YU drama major and veteran actor (and Rabbi Srolovitz's future brother-in-law), who, along with two of his fellow thespians, introduced the students to what improv is all about and what the key components of good improv are. Most important, Danny noted that it is crucial that everyone listen to one another and that they always work in agreement on what is happening in the scene that they are creat
ing on the spot.
ing on the spot.After a thoroughly enjoyable improv demonstration, featuring Morah Kraut and Rabbi Srolovitz, our students broke into their advisory groups to "prepare" for their own improv skits. Each group was given one advisory topic, such as relationships with parents, team building, and truth-telling, that would serve as the basis for their skits. After a few minutes of preparation, during which time the students were only allowed to frame their skit and choose up roles, each group was asked to perform their improv for the rest of the grade.
Mere words cannot describe how easily our students were able to produce a 3-5 minute production with no script in hand. As we head off to Frost Valley on Monday morning, we are now all in the right frame of mind that will help us to be able to work well with each other and to think on our feet to take on new and exciting challenges.
