Many of the children at our nursery have theatrical interests. A number of them attend drama classes and some of the children's parents are professional actors. Some of the children love to stand up and sing a song in circle time, so we wanted to give them the opportunity to expand this and perform on a grander scale. It was through this that the idea of a stage project developed.
We hold regular planning meetings with small groups of children where they have the opportunity to share their ideas, give feedback and make suggestions. They were enthusiastic about the idea.
To prepare, we arranged an outing to the musical 'Wicked' for the staff team; not everyone had been to the theatre. We then had the experience to refer to during the project. Many of the children have been to the theatre, but those who haven't ever seen a live performance have experienced sitting in a cinema audience.
We talked to the children about what a stage is and the children then helped develop it. This was surprisingly simple.
SETTING UP
The stage was marked on the floor with masking tape and then we put down coloured mats to emphasise it. Dramatic long curtains framed the front of the stage, and the children decorated a material backdrop. To one side of the stage we created an orchestra pit, complete with musical instruments and also marked with masking tape, and on the other side we put up a curtain to screen the 'backstage area' where the dressing-up outfits are kept.
The children decorated stars with their names and photographs to go on the wall backstage and made cardboard stage 'lighting' and 'microphones'.
Numbered rows of chairs were lined up in front of the stage for the audience. We also installed a 'box office', a table with a telephone, cash register, tickets and seating plan so that the children could take bookings and sell tickets. Flyers for theatre performances were pinned on the wall for reference.
SHOWING OFF
The children enthusiastically incorporated the stage area into their play. Now they use it in many ways. The language and creativity potential is immense. The children's vocabulary is constantly being extended and they are now naming things such as director, lead actors, extras, narrator and conductor.
They enjoy singing and dancing on the stage. A member of staff loves 'boy bands', so she brought in her CDs and the children have made up a dance routine to the Backstreet Boys. We are planning on getting a karaoke machine to extend this further.
But it's not all singing - the children also enjoy performing and making up or reading stories on the stage. Some will walk to the front and announce, 'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the show!' They also like to take a bow at the end of a show.
The staff performed for the children and it made us realise how daunting being on the stage can be. It has really boosted the children's confidence. In fact, the quieter children have enjoyed sitting in the audience and observing, but they have gradually grown in confidence and are now performing as well.
Our children with English as an additional language can struggle in a group, but they have been sitting in the audience and clapping, playing instruments in the orchestra pit and interacting with the children on the stage. It is very inclusive.
FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS
- A staff member has written to local theatres telling them what we're doing and asking if they can assist in any way. One has phoned to say we can borrow some of their props and another has invited us to have a tour of the theatre, including looking backstage.
- A child who is deaf attends the nursery, so we are considering exploring mime or Makaton on stage.
- The staff are planning to introduce classic stories via books and CDs and then extend the children's interest by encouraging them to perform the characters on stage.
- One of the children has recently been on a film set with her mother and she told us about the filming and how there was a director. This has prompted us to video the children on the stage so that they can watch their performances on television and also show their parents.
- We hope to involve parents further by inviting them to perform on the stage themselves for the children. A staff member and her recorder group are also going to perform.
- At Christmas we are planning on having a nursery trip to a pantomime so that all the children can experience the excitement of being in a real theatre.
- Cheryl Cusack is the manager of Lisson Green Nursery, part of Westminster Children's Society, London. She spoke to Annette Rawstrone.
THE CHILDREN'S LEARNING
Through the focus on 'the stage', the children were able to develop their learning across the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum, particularly in the area of creative development, where they:
- expressed themselves through drama, singing, dancing and playing musical instruments;
- developed imaginative skills;
- acquired new language;
- boosted their confidence and self-esteem.
BOOKS TO SUPPORT THE THEME
- Supporting Creativity and Imagination in the Early Years by Bernadette Duffy (£17.99, Open University Press).
How music, dance, visual representations, imaginative play and drama can enable children to express themselves.
Supporting Drama and Imaginative Play in the Early Years by Lesley Hendy and Lucy Toon (£18.99, Open University Press).
Includes examples of fantasy play taken from pre-school, nursery and infant settings.
- Drama 3-5 by Debbie Chalmers (£14.99, Nursery World/Routledge).
Practitioners are given guidance in this practical book to develop children's dramatic work with confidence and enthusiasm.
- The Little Book of Dance by Naomi Wager and Julie Quinn (£7.99, Featherstone Education).
Dance especially for the Foundation Stage, with a wide range of types of movement suitable for all children. No specialist knowledge of dance and movement is needed by the practitioner.
- Role Play by Ros Bayley, Lynn Broadbent and Sally Featherstone (£14.99, Featherstone Education).
This book offers many exciting suggestions for topic-based work that has the child at the centre of the activities.
- Works by Vivian Gussin Paley such as 'The Boy Who Would Be A Helicopter' and 'A Child's Work'.
Make Believe Arts, a theatre and education company that promotes children having a creative education, www.makebelievearts.co.uk.
