Of the many tasks at Gorchakov Memorial School I must do, one of them is to help run a drama club in English. The instruction is given in English, the performance is in English and the script is in English. The only parts of the club where we use any Russian is when we translate the script and provide Russian subtitles for the audience, and when we translate English words that the students don't know and the meaning of the word isn't easily explained.
Last October, the English Department organized a historical play I wrote that reenacted "The Gunpowder Plot," which occurred in 1605 when treasonous individuals, including the infamous Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the British Parliament. Complete with costumes, makeup, subtitles and a backdrop, we had a fairly sizable turnout enjoy our play. I wound up having to stand in for one of the students who was absent that day due to illness. Following the play, in reference to the upcoming British holiday known as "Bonfire Night," we had barbecued sausages, roasted marshmallows and threw effigies of Guy Fawkes into a big bonfire.
After a Nativity Play that was staged just before Christmas, the reformed English Department (we shrank from four teachers to two... me and a new head English teacher who joined the school from Donetsk) found itself faced with having to write, stage and organize a play just before the school.
To try and smooth the transition process, I wrote a simple skit based on the characters from Harry Potter as I knew many of the students enjoyed Harry Potter. However, the play failed as the students voiced their desire to have a play that explained the history of a holiday and how Englanders and Americans celebrate it. After a long discussion, we came to a consensus that Easter would be the new holiday we would depict, thus beginning hours of research and playwriting which would end with an Easter play.
For example, apparently the tradition of decorating Easter eggs started during the Middle Ages when nobles of families gave one another gold-covered Easter eggs. The act of giving eggs became popular but it was too expensive for commoners to take part, so they began to give normal hard-boiled eggs which had been painted or dyed. We learned this fact and many mores while we were researching the play. The hardest part was simply determining how to demonstrate these facts without relying too much on simply talking.
Below are photos of the play, which included music, costumes, Russian subtitles and props. In the end, I found myself wearing some bunny ears that a student had made. Still, the performance went fairly well and I learned quite a bit of history about Easter's non-religious origins and the ways different cultures celebrate Easter. After the play, I then gave a very short lecture about Easter in the United States (i.e. White House Easter Egg Roll, Easter Egg hunts, coloring eggs), Canada (Hot Cross Buns) and Germany (an egg-cracking game called Ostereierditschen), which then led into a very short quiz to involve the audience and test how much they understood.
Pagans, before Easter became a religious holiday, used to worship and praise Ostara, who was the goddess of spring and fertility. Here the students are walking around chanting Ostara's name and praying to her for a good harvest. They eventually present Ostara with a gift basket filled with eggs which Ostara happily accepts and awards her followers with a good harvest.
Last October, the English Department organized a historical play I wrote that reenacted "The Gunpowder Plot," which occurred in 1605 when treasonous individuals, including the infamous Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the British Parliament. Complete with costumes, makeup, subtitles and a backdrop, we had a fairly sizable turnout enjoy our play. I wound up having to stand in for one of the students who was absent that day due to illness. Following the play, in reference to the upcoming British holiday known as "Bonfire Night," we had barbecued sausages, roasted marshmallows and threw effigies of Guy Fawkes into a big bonfire.
After a Nativity Play that was staged just before Christmas, the reformed English Department (we shrank from four teachers to two... me and a new head English teacher who joined the school from Donetsk) found itself faced with having to write, stage and organize a play just before the school.
To try and smooth the transition process, I wrote a simple skit based on the characters from Harry Potter as I knew many of the students enjoyed Harry Potter. However, the play failed as the students voiced their desire to have a play that explained the history of a holiday and how Englanders and Americans celebrate it. After a long discussion, we came to a consensus that Easter would be the new holiday we would depict, thus beginning hours of research and playwriting which would end with an Easter play.
For example, apparently the tradition of decorating Easter eggs started during the Middle Ages when nobles of families gave one another gold-covered Easter eggs. The act of giving eggs became popular but it was too expensive for commoners to take part, so they began to give normal hard-boiled eggs which had been painted or dyed. We learned this fact and many mores while we were researching the play. The hardest part was simply determining how to demonstrate these facts without relying too much on simply talking.
Below are photos of the play, which included music, costumes, Russian subtitles and props. In the end, I found myself wearing some bunny ears that a student had made. Still, the performance went fairly well and I learned quite a bit of history about Easter's non-religious origins and the ways different cultures celebrate Easter. After the play, I then gave a very short lecture about Easter in the United States (i.e. White House Easter Egg Roll, Easter Egg hunts, coloring eggs), Canada (Hot Cross Buns) and Germany (an egg-cracking game called Ostereierditschen), which then led into a very short quiz to involve the audience and test how much they understood.
Pagans, before Easter became a religious holiday, used to worship and praise Ostara, who was the goddess of spring and fertility. Here the students are walking around chanting Ostara's name and praying to her for a good harvest. They eventually present Ostara with a gift basket filled with eggs which Ostara happily accepts and awards her followers with a good harvest.
And here's where I'm giving my small lecture on Easter traditions in England, America, Canada and Germany.
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