On a Tuesday evening at the front of Hapnot Collegiate’s Dorothy Ash Theatre, kids run excitedly around the room, gesturing, shouting, and immersing themselves in the art of acting. It’s theatre class, and this behaviour is perfectly acceptable.
Self-expression and learning is the name of the game in Susan Gunn’s class, where students are taught the basics, history and behind-the-scenes aspects of the theatre.
The class began in January in association with the Flin Flon Arts Council.
“There was a demand for it. A lot of people had been expressing interest to me about having their kids take part in something like this. There were shows that had roles for a few kids, but not enough for all the kids who wanted to participate,” said Gunn, the lead instructor for the course.
“I talked about it with the arts council a couple of times with different people, and at one point at a meeting the idea was brought up again and I piped up and said, ‘I’ll do it!’”
Separate classes are held for kids ages seven to 11 and from ages 12-14. Each meets at Hapnot Collegiate’s Dorothy Ash Theatre on Tuesday nights.
At first, Gunn wondered if people would sign up – starting a program in January when kids may have already committed to other activities could keep some interested pupils from joining.
“It was challenging because a lot of kids have already been signed up for things, but the kids who wanted to participate in this were very enthusiastic. They were like, ‘Yes. Me. I want to join this, today,’” she said.
Gunn structures the class to include parts of theory and practice, sitting down the students for some portions while getting everyone up and moving in others.
“At first, we talked about the beginning of theatre, going from the Greeks, going up to commedia dell’arte, then we talked about Shakespeare, we talked about mime and pantomime,” said Gunn.
While discussing commedia dell’arte and Shakespeare with a group of kids as young as seven years old may sound ambitious, it doesn’t take long to figure out that the members of Gunn’s class are far from typical.
“I’m always surprised at how much they already know,” said Gunn.
“If we’re going to talk about Shakespeare, then who are our favourite characters? What are your favourite plays? What kind of Shakespeare have you seen? It’s to put it into practice, to give them a bit of a history.”
Of course, class participants have their own things to look forward to – the acting practice that goes along with the structured elements.
“I play a really good bad guy and a really good old lady,” said Lacey Svaren, who attended the class.
“Not at the same time though,” she clarified.
When asked what she has learned from the class, Kiera Ward had a fast answer.
“How to mime,” she said. “You don’t speak and they just do actions.”
Svaren piped up from the background; “I like acting. I like performing on stage.”
If any one thing sticks with the kids who show up, Gunn hopes it’s a healthy love of theatre and a willingness to keep the arts going in Flin Flon.
“We have a very thriving and abundant theatre community and I’d love to see it continue with a group of youngsters who are interested in keeping it going. That would be lovely, to put a love of this into their minds,” she said.
The class will hold a final showcase production on Mar. 18 at the theatre. Before then, Gunn plans to teach her pupils about other aspects of theatre, including lighting, writing, costumes and playwriting.
“All our classes will be dedicated in getting that production off the ground. They’ll get a background in every job that goes into that,” she said.
