Adaptations & Group Interpretation
Morton East High School Theatre’s IHSA Group Interpretation of The Hazards of Love.
Note: All photos are click to enlarge for closer viewing.
ADAPTATIONS
Adapting theatre is a skill that I am particularly proud of and have honed over the years. Adapting plays, children’s stories, novels, and even albums has been something I have enjoyed doing since my undergraduate years.
Jefferson Middle School students performing an original adaptation of Charlotte’s Web.
Adapting theatrical shows has been very useful in the educational field and allows flexibility in choosing productions and creating shows where there may be a deficit. This skill allows me to hone shows into perfect productions for my school’s community and students.
I have studied this skill throughout my undergraduate and graduate programs at Concordia University Chicago and Roosevelt University. In these courses I was taught by professionals who have adapted their own works of theatre and shared their knowledge and passions. In my masters program I was taught by two professionals from Lookingglass Theatre, in Chicago, and received feedback and insights into my adaptation process and works.
Some of the works that I have adapted include: The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe, James and the Giant Peach, Charlotte’s Web, A Raisin in the Sun, The Hate U Give, Romeo and Juliet, All the Bright Places, The Things They Carried, The Hazards of Love, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and my master’s thesis production of Frankenstein.
Thornridge High School Theatre students with their awards from IHSA sectional competition.
Reavis High School Theatre’s IHSA Group Interpretation of All the Bright Places.
Morton East High School Theatre’s IHSA Group Interpretation of The Hazards of Love.
“This was the most physical GI I have ever seen. Period. In 25 years. There were moments I thought it was brilliant. The blocking and storytelling was awfully acrobatic and challenging! Wow. I didn’t want to write I wanted to keep watching! Even if I was confused at some points by the material I am fully riveted by what I am seeing and hearing. This is super challenging material, but I can see the buy-in from the ensemble. They’ve been properly directed to understand what you are presenting. I am fascinated by this unconventional source material. I have never seen anything like this before. What a challenge to interpret an entire album of music like this. I will remember this!”
GROUP INTERPRETATION
Group Interpretation (or G.I. for short) is a competitive theatre event in which groups of three or more students interpretively present literature in front of judges.
Morton East High School Theatre’s Adaptations presents student’s narrative stories to an audience.
This form of theatre encourages students to create a scripted ensemble performance that displays their interpretive skills (through use of their voices and movement) without the aid of costumes, make-up, set or props.
Throughout my time as a director I have been a part of several schools that have had strong Group Interpretation programs, and one that I built up from the ground up. The excitement of working with students to develop a unique ensemble based piece purely using the actor’s tools is a thrilling way to watch and direct theatre.
Morton East High School Theatre’s Adaptations presents student’s narrative stories to an audience.
Beyond the competitive nature of Group Interpretation there are many skills that students can garner from the experience including working in an ensemble, adaptation, playwriting, as well as accepting and implementing critiques. At Morton East High School I built a Group Interpretation program for the IHSA season and beyond. With a group named ADAPTATIONS the students and I adapted various projects and presented them throughout the school year for assemblies and at feeder schools. One interpretation project had us take the narrative stories of hundreds of 4th and 5th graders in the community. Working with reading specialists and teachers we had hundreds of students submit narrative stories to us. After reading the stories we chose the ones that would be adapted and then began the process of adapting them for the stage. The Adaptations team adapted them, rehearsed, and presented them onstage for the students, teachers, and families. The students watched their stories come to life and had a blast watching high schoolers bring their stories to life onstage.
The real joy from group interpretation and adaptation comes from the process of working with students to create a piece of theatre. Whether the piece is performed or not the sharing of ideas and collaboration that comes from taking a piece of literature (whether it is a poem, song, novel, short story, or children’s narrative) and creating it into a piece to be performed is a skill that I find invaluable and one that I love sharing with my students.
Morton East High School Theatre’s Adaptations presents student’s with awards after their narrative stories were chosen for performance.
“As a director of several projects including Co-Director of our Group Interpretation of “All The Bright Places” his directing style is unlike anything I have experienced prior to his arrival. Through a serious, but light hearted tone, he easily trains his students’ focus on what must be accomplished by the end of a rehearsal and provides positive training so we can take charge of our performance and leave with a smile on our faces. Moreover, his plethora of “outside the box” ideas has not only helped us get out of our writer’s block moments, but enhanced our show as well.”