The Program Concept
This notion of improvisation-based performance seems unique in the schools, however, children actually do it from the time they are allowed to go outside and play in the yard with their friends. They roleplay many stories as many different characters, and sometimes for hours at a time. Yet, never once in this creative play, did anyone ever hand them a script. It is childhood creativity at its best! It is this heart of our childhood that gave birth and breadth and validity to this program. It is it’s very foundation.
Fingerprint is a performing and language arts educational program for children, which has found its home throughout the past 35 years in the venue of school community theatre. It offers development in, not only performance arts, but each of the language arts areas, and so has its place in the classroom as a vehicle for enhancing any subject matter. As a performing arts program, it also promotes many life skills, such as, confidence building, self-esteem, communication skills, creative thinking, problem solving, team work, and resourcefulness (Golubtchik, 2008). My professional dedication and efforts, over the past 30 + years, have been in the testing and retesting of the program with countless groups of students. Each year, as I implemented these strategies in the classroom, and as we developed our productions, I have watched these children grow in profound ways.
​When children create a story from the ground up, they own every moment of it. Every child.... cast or crew or extra... equally owns every part of the show, knows it inside out, and is therefore able to improvise as the scene calls for it; and they do so without fear of failure or judgment. They have grown in confidence; as masters of their craft, resident experts in stage production, master performers of their own show, and they are totally supported by the others taking this journey with them (Borba, 2001).
I have had it happen that, both, the lead performer and understudy were suddenly sick with flu the day before the show. I have had in these cases, other performers volunteer to play the lead part, until the original performer was well enough to join the cast again. In one case, my stage manager took on a lead part, including a solo in his main scene, and was able to perform the role beautifully.
In our travel shows, the children have to adjust to a new performance space; usually in one afternoon, and be ready to perform there the next day. They are so well adjusted, and are so familiar with their parts and storyline, that they can handle anything that is put in front of them... as well as any professional would.
These are life skills; the ability to be flexible, to take risks, to joyfully reach for personal excellence, and do all of this without fear or inhibition. And since improvisation is the fundamental driving skill behind all of this, there is joy and camaraderie in all of the cast’s endeavors related to the shows (Charles, 2010).
Furthermore, the children take such a sense of pride and accomplishment in their work, that they conduct themselves like ladies and gentlemen, back stage, before, and after performances, and can discuss with any audience, any part of their production, (Glasser, 1998a). This is certainly nurtured along with their training as performers, but they’ve become competent leaders through this process, and so, the production itself, becomes an educational forum that inspires!
As a teacher and parent, I can honestly say that this is authentic learning! This is authentic teaching! This is why teachers teach! As educators and parents, we all know the importance of written accountability established through standardized tests. But we never want to let this ambition lead us away from the authentic heart and soul of developmental stages of a child (Marshall, 2007). And we should consistently be nurturing our children with rich avenues of creative thought, problem solving, communication skills, self-confidence and the inherent love of learning, as adamantly as we have been teaching them to be good test takers. For a great author once said, “Each of us is a product of the clay that molds us,” (Jack London, White Fang, 1906).
We have learned through the years that creativity is the highest level of thinking. There would be no ingenious developments or inventions in medicine, surgery, space exploration, computer science, industry... or, in fact, in the overall rendering of products and services... without a very creative mind citing a need and using that inventiveness to meet it. “Logic can take you from Point A to Point B, but imagination can take you anywhere,” (Einstein, Autobiographical Notes in Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist, translated and ed. Paul Arthur Schilpp, 1949).
And so with the materials of my program, I hope to take teachers and students through the innovative process of creating something from a simple idea, and letting the inherent talents of children take it where they may; leaving their mark, their own fingerprint, on every aspect of their work. You, as the teacher or director, will be in awe of your students as you guide them through this journey. Whether you use a piece of the program for a 15-minute classroom exercise in Characterization, or you are committed to doing a full musical production, I believe it will be the educational enrichment that you, and they, will never forget.
