More reminiscing: play summaries from 2005

We continue the celebration: 10 years of Create-A-Play. Here are some play summaries from way back in 2005--yes, they did already happen and they were awesome. If you're looking to see Create-A-Play, come Create-A-Play's 10th Birthday Bash, Sunday, November 16 from 3-5 PM.

THE TAKEOVER OF THE VAMPIRE ROBOTS
Friday, June 10, 2005
WHERE: The A.J. Heschel School
(89th Street, Btwn B’way and West End)
WHEN: 2:30 PM
Cost: FREE
Create-A-Play is a class at The Heschel After School Program
In their Bad Guy lair, King Vampire Robot and Piggy are plotting about taking over all of the towns so that they can rule the world. However, their quest to hypnotize meets resistance from many sources, including Miss Complaint and her son Alex U-Bet. Who will succeed? Stop in to see for yourself.

VILLAIN AND THE SCHOOL
Thursday, June 16, 2005
WHERE: The Auditorium at IS 98 (1401 Emmons Ave, Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn)
WHEN: 12:45 PM
Cost: FREE
Create-Your-Future is in residence at IS 98, The Bay Academy of Arts and Sciences.
A baby villain has come to the school to overpower its inhabitants. During this journey Baby Villain entraps two of the school's most unlikely of partnerships - the "Popular Girls" and the so-called, "Unpopular Girls". They must put their adolescent differences aside and ban together to defeat Baby Villain. Trapped, will they all escape? Come find out.

THE CRYSTALS AND THE MISERY
Monday, June 20, 2005
WHERE: The Auditorium at PS 191 (61st Street and Amsterdam)
WHEN: 4:15
Cost: FREE
This year at PS 191 was made possible by NY City Council Member Gale Brewer and The Ben Appelbaum Foundation.
There is a precious crystal of enormous power, and evil guy about town DR. DINO has obtained the most important one! Saviors of the galaxy, the TEDDY TITANS, hatch a plan to get it back, disguising themselves as a television commercial for a new crystal. Throughout this exciting bait and switch our heroes are aided by a mischievous cookie monster and the Wizard, as well as a hug-giving creature that everyone loves, but runs from anyway. Stop by and enjoy the fun.

TEAMWORK!
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
WHERE: The Auditorium at PS 11 (21st Street Between 8th and 9th Aves.)
WHEN: 4:00
Cost: FREE
Create-A-Play at the PS 11 Afterschool Program was sponsored in part by State Senator Thomas Duane.
All the superheroes and Super-villains board a plane to a reunion getaway. A battle between good and evil breaks out onboard, leaving no one actually piloting the plane. After a hair-raising set of turbulence, everyone parachutes off of the doomed passenger jet. They land on an island where Ragjohn Square Pants steals everyone’s powers as a way to get back at them for never throwing him a birthday party. However, he neglects to steal Namow Rednow’s magic wand, which they all band together to give a No Good Reason Party. Will Ragjohn accept this party? Come by to find out.

HOLY CHOCOLATE! THERE'S NO CHOCOLATE
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
WHERE: The Auditorium at PS 40 (20th Street Between 1st and 2nd Aves.)
WHEN: 4:15
Cost: FREE
Rock N Roll Theater is in residence at Club 40, brought to you by Wingspan Arts.
In a world dependent on chocolate for power, disaster is about to strike! A group of bad guys decide that they will steal all the chocolate and the bakers who make it. The people of Chocolateville, losing energy by the minute, must band together to save the day. Will Chocolate survive another delicious challenge?

AMAZING EXPLORATIONS AND TALKATIVE TALK SHOW HOSTS
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
WHERE: The Auditorium at PS 41 (11th Street Between 6th and 7th Aves.)
WHEN: 4:30
Cost: FREE
Rock N Roll Theater is in residence at the PS 41 Afterschool Program.
Chuck O'Lenno, a prolific talk show host, decides to follow a group of explorers as they travel through the universe. Unfortunately, what is supposed to be the journey of a lifetime turns awry when the journeyers are framed for kidnapping. They must play baseball against Ebab Htur, venture to the Magic Galaxy and eventually enlist the help of their enemies Team G in order to stop the kidnappers. Will they succeed? Watch the play and find out.

DON'T GO BROKE!
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
WHERE: The Auditorium at PS 11 (21st Street Between 8th and 9th Aves.)
WHEN: 4:00
Cost: FREE
Rock N Roll Theater at the PS 11 AfterSchool Program is sponsored in part by NY City Council Member Christine Quinn.
In an effort to not be broke, our heroes try to put on a street performance of dance and become incredibly rich. However, no one can dance, so they take a boat to Jamaica to capture the best dancer in the West Indies. Unfortunately they capture the wrong guy and they get booed off the street. They meet an inventor who makes a “make it so you can dance” machine and we, the audience, are treated to an amazing show. Watch the dancers show off their moves!

THE GOLDEN DRAGON ROBOT AND THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS
WHERE: The P.S. 87 Auditorium
(78th Street btwn. Amsterdam and Columbus)
WHEN: Wed. June 22nd at 4pm
Create-A-Play is in residence at the PS 87 Afterschool Program.
During the famous "Battle of the Bands," the Golden Dragon Robot and his team are trying to steal the famous "Golden Guitar in the Shape of a Crown." If he succeeds, it will throw the world into chaos. Come watch as the rock stars and the superheroes try to use their incredible conflict resolution powers to save the day!

THE WEATHER SPRAYERS AND THE THREE FAMILIES OF EARTH
WHERE: The P.S. 87 Auditorium
(78th Street btwn. Amsterdam and Columbus)
WHEN: Thursday, June 23rd at 4pm
Rock N Roll Theater is in residence at the PS 87 Afterschool Program. All is well on Earth. The weather, controlled by the "Weather Sprayers," is functioning perfectly. In fact, things are so perfect that the families of earth decide to have a party. Unfortunately, The Zig Zag family is left out in a very strange moment of miscommunication. Suddenly, the three families start to fight, which, in turn, ruins the weather. Join us and see how the characters try to work through their problems, restore earth to normal and have a party for everyone.

Kids Creative Ruminations: The Rewards and Challenges of Teaching with Kids Creative

Adam here.I was inspired to write this e-mail after exciting visits to each of our after school sites and conversations with teacher, parents and kids. No matter what medium we use to fulfill our mission, the teachers all share the rewards, the challenges and the importance of being a Kids Creative teacher.

The rewards:
During my visits, I have seen kids who are incredibly excited to be part of making THEIR ideas come to life through music, theater, art, video, dance, or a combo of them all. That is our reward.

I still remember a few years ago when a 6-year-old left Create-A-Play camp after spending the day working on her play and said to her mother, "Mommy, I feel like I'm exercising my brain every day." Her mom has been involved with Kids Creative ever since. That is our reward

Now, even if you don't have a 6-year-old student who is that articulate, you can see the reward in their smiles, their interactions with you and the other kids, their excitement at having someone who listens to them and you can see the reward when the kids help each other out to reach a common goal.

When we founded Kids Creative, we didn't create our 6 C's (http://www.kidscreative.org/pages/our6cs) and then go out and test it out on kids. The Kids Creative philosophy is something that has grown organically over the last 10 years of working with kids, their imaginations and the group creation process. We find that if we're all challenged to reach a common goal (creating a play, a dance, a book, a song, etc.), there is only one way we can accomplish it. We have to work together, resolve conflicts that arise, cooperate and put in our best effort to perform. We have found that the best way to do that is to think outside the box. Each child will gain confidence in their ability to contribute if they know that everyone is working towards a common goal and that their ideas are valued by every member of the group. Many parents have told us that they are so impressed with how we are able to get their children to use their minds and to get up and sing/dance/act/have fun. That is our reward, and it's theirs too.

The challenge:
Our ultimate goal (and our challenge) is encouraging everyone to use their own creativity to help make a more peaceful world. We may not know the issues that our kids deal with during the school day or at home, but we can be their guide, their role model, their teacher and their friend. When it comes to creativity, we MUST be excited to hear their ideas, to encourage their imaginations and to want to watch them grow. Who knows, they may constantly be encouraged at home and in school to express themselves, to be confident and to think outside the box. But think, what if you are the only person that they see all day or even all week who gets excited to hear what they have to say? Our work is that important. Though we may not see the fruits of our labor every day, believe me, they are there.

In conversations with Kids Creative teachers, many say that the brainstorm is their favorite part (I know it's mine). Teachers Suzu and Alexis were just talking yesterday about how their summer camp group grew following the brainstorm. A group that started off in cliques (the older kids, the 191 kids, the MSC kids) immediately started to break down those barriers when they were challenged to share ideas and work together. And those friendships were not just in the classroom, but on the playground, on field trips and more.

The biggest challenge? How do you get kids to work together to create? This requires a very extensive answer that is in our curricula, but in short, be really excited about all ideas and activities. And do not allow teasing or even fake teasing. One of the reasons that we tease (even as adults) is that we feeling a lack of confidence and the need to "bring others down". It can be fun, sure...for the person who teases or those who watch and sometimes even for the person who is teased. But what happens when it strikes a nerve? We start to question ourselves, our ideas and our abilities or we lash out. We should definitely challenge others and be challenged ourselves to think critically, but if we're doubting our own ideas and abilities, we are less likely to be able to even think critically. Although it is at times a very difficult rule to enforce, the rewards for making sure the kids know they won't be teased at Kids Creative will be great. A group that is able to work together, to value each other's ideas and to challenge each other to grow and think critically is a group that can succeed at just about anything.

In my visits, I have seen an incredible energy and enthusiasm for the children, the groups, their ideas and the art, music, dance, theater, whatever the vehicle for reaching the greater mission of Kids Creative. Thank you to all of the teachers for your hard work and keep it up. We look forward to watching these unique creations grow.

Happy 10th Birthday Create-A-Play

In September, Create-A-Play turned 10 years old. We will be celebrating all year long, beginning with a Birthday Party on Sunday, November 16 at Fordham U at Lincoln Center. You are all invited to join.

In the meantime, we went into the archives and laughed when we found these summaries of plays that we created and performed in 2002-2003.



“The Saga of the Magic Cube”
The people of Blah Blah Houston Rollerface Planet are really hot, so they build a magic cube, which cools down most of the planet, except for the Empro Dragons. The Empro Dragons steal the Magic Cube so that they can be comfortable. What will the people do? Come next Thursday and see for yourself.

“The Six Island Deep Sea Adventure”
Wall Town is located at the top of a stack of 6 towns in an underwater desert. All of the power in Wall Town has gone out and the people are very hot because their air conditioning does not work. The Baby Robots of Wall Town venture to Sunnyville to take the sun and use it for power. Come find out if they are successful!

“The Island that Forgot Time”
One thousand years ago on the Island That Forgot Time, Genius and his three sons put their power into a ring so that the island would remember time again. However, as the years pass, everyone forgets about Genius. Now, the Mayor of the Rings guards the ring. One day, the Mayor gets a bad feeling and goes to check on the ring, only to find Genius and his sons stealing it. After a wild conflict, we learn that Genius is not actually stealing the ring, but instead trying to restore its power. You won’t want to miss the resolution to this conflict!

“The Search and Rescue of Genius Backpack”
Genius Backpack and her friends always watch the television show Looby World. Unfortunately, one day, when Genius Backpack is enjoying the show, she is actually sucked into the television and transformed into Evil Backpack who steals towns by stuffing them into her backpack. Come find out what Genius’ friends do to rescue her!

“Project Uh Oh Oh Uh”
The Land of Uh Oh Oh Uh is being taken over by Donut Brain Aliens who are eating the houses and stealing the sun. Wizards and superheroes from Wallage the Water College dig underneath ground to help. Come watch how they convince the Donut Brain Aliens to help put the sun back together and to stop eating all of the houses.

“The Adventures of Big Head and Little Head”
Grandpa and Lead Cousin Ted come back from the past and Grandpa, who has a giant head, lands on the ground. His head creates a huge crater that fills with giant bugs. This causes the world to spin backward and everyone is turning into infants again. It is up to Big Head, Little Head and their friends to move the bugs out of the crater and save Stripe World. Join us to see if they succeed.