January 26, 2015 at 1:38 p.m.
Lights, camera, action: First 4-H drama session a success
Lights, camera, action: First 4-H drama session a success
The group was originally scheduled to meet Saturday morning at the Oneida County Senior Center for the first of many scheduled drama sessions. When 4-H youth development agent Lynn Feldman arrived to open the doors for her crew, though, the locks wouldn't budge.
Thinking quickly, much like an actor responds after missing a line, Feldman put a note on the door directing participants to report to the 4-H offices in the Rhinelander/Oneida County Airport for the first session.
Thanks to the ad lib, everyone ended up where they needed to be and the group's first session turned out to be quite successful.
"It was all thumbs up. It was absolutely wonderful," Feldman said. "It was fun, really great. Right away, we went over everyone's names and played some introduction games and then just dove right into creating characters and scenes and working on displaying emotions and things like that."
Games and activities were the main focus of the first session, as the kids practiced working as a team to create different scenarios for their characters.
"We went over what drama is - movement, emotion, things of that nature," Feldman said. "So we just opened up with games and activities and the kids were so engaged. It was amazing. They ended up just leading everything, they were so enthusiastic about it all. It was awesome. It was a lot of fun. We all had a lot of fun with this."
The kids had fun, too. As their Cloverbud counterparts created puppets in the next room, the 4-H kids worked on creating characters and "dramatic sculptures" with their teams.
Participant Louis Malais, who brought many Star Wars-themed ideas to the table, said he came to join the group because he wanted to expand on the other drama activities in which he has participated.
"I've done some drama and plays and reading before, and I just wanted to see what this was all about and see how it was going to go," he said.
"I had a lot of fun and I'll be back next time."
Sessions are planned for once a month, with the next session scheduled for Feb. 21. That session will be at the senior center.
"We'll be back at the senior center next month. We'll get that all figured out in the meantime," Feldman said. "We'll just continue to build on what we've learned. The kids all have journals to jot down notes and ideas and things like that, but anyone can show up at anytime. You don't have to worry about missing anything or falling behind or anything like that. If you come, we'll get you having fun."
It not yet clear whether the group will eventually put on a full performance, but Feldman said it is a definite possibility.
"We're going to see how it all goes. This all came about because people have been calling and asking about drama opportunities for kids, so really, it's up to the people that show up to decide how it's all going to go. We've got a good group here and more are expected - some kids were sick (Saturday) so they couldn't make it. If we get enough, we'll see about putting on a play," she said.
"Really what it's all about, though, like all 4-H activities, are building our life skills - teamwork, creativity, organizational skills, all of that. How we practice those skills will depend on how many kids show up each time, but if we keep getting a great group like this, which I expect we will, it's going to be a lot of fun."
Registration for the drama sessions and all Cloverbud projects is free, but children must enroll in the county 4-H program.
Parents can register their children at 4honline.com or by calling Feldman at (715) 365-2750.
Adult volunteers are also needed.
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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