The Pandemic can have us feeling a bit at sea when it comes to gearing up for the new school year. Is it just me? New parameters are being set for doing what we have done, instinctually, for so long. Teachers are having to dig down deep to develop their curriculum this Fall. The creativity we are seeing from theater educators, not surprisingly, knows no bounds!
Pre-pandemic, we met a teacher who was making creative choices for her students habitually. Patty MacMullen has taken the reigns when she has needed to. When she couldn’t find the right piece for her particular group of students, she made it herself. The truth of that piece resonated and now we at Stage Partners share it with you.
Patty MacMullen’s play, WILD WAVE WHIST, based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, is about the making of a school production. It honors the tradition of school theater as we have always known it; the highs and lows, the casting process, the ensemble building that creates life long friendships. As we sit at the top of this turning point in theater education, I encourage you to consider this piece while developing your curriculum for the 20/21 school year. As Shakespeare says, “What’s past is prologue.” Our new Act 1 is about to begin.
Get the inspiration directly from Patty MacMullen along with Mandy Conner here on the Stage Partners blog.
Looking to write a play with your students but will be teaching remotely? Check out our lesson offering here.
About the Author
Patty MacMullen’s play Wild Waves Whist is available on Stage Partners. She is the theater director at Hill Country Christian Upper School of Austin and co-authors theater teacher resource materials with Maestro Theatre Publications, LLC.
