Shakespeare Youth Theatre
by Beth Bruno & Lois Lake Church

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The Shakespearean Youth Theatre, a group of 14 homeschooled young people, ages 12 to 17, from many parts of Connecticut, has performed annually since 1997 at the Puppet House Theater in Stony Creek (Branford), Connecticut.

Each January the troupe chooses a play and begins rehearsing (weekly at first, eventually every day) for June performances. The actors edit the play (either by cutting or combining characters, or by assigning multiple smaller roles to one person); they also choose the setting, create the set, make the costumes, and handle program and publicity, in addition to their rehearsals with director/teacher/playwright/former actor Dana Sachs. From professional actors and a college professor, they have taken workshops in stage combat, character interpretation, scansion, and playing roles in the opposite gender. For several years, members of the Royal Shakespeare Company have presented a half-day workshop to the young actors.

This year's 3-performance weekend, on June 7 and 8, 2002, will feature "As You Like It." In past years the troupe has presented "Love's Labour's Lost," "Macbeth," "Much Ado About Nothing," "Twelfth Night," and "The Tempest."

"Love's Labour's Lost," last summer's selection, is a romantic comedy set in the lovely court of Navarre where the King and his compatriots decide to isolate themselves from the world for three years of study, vowing to see no women during that time. However, when the beautiful Princess of France arrives with her ladies on a diplomatic mission, the men find themselves caught and the comedy begins.

"I think this play is very funny and the wordplay witty," says Sarah, a member of the cast. "Working with the cast again this year is great!"

"It's neat doing a play no one has ever heard of before," Matt comments. "Love's Labour's Lost deserves resurrection. It's really funny!"

Katie, another young actress, says, "Setting the play in the 40s is cool because, for the first time, I can buy my costume instead of making it. It's amazing how much sense a late 17th century play makes set in the 1940s and performed in 2001."

The entire troupe is dedicated to performing quality productions of Shakespeare and learning about the play, the playwright and theater. To this end, the cast is highly involved in every aspect of the production, from selecting and editing the play, to publicity, sets and costumes. Cast committees, with the guidance of the director, handle the production. Cast members organize publicity, design the programs, make the sets, find props and sew costumes. By getting involved in the whole production the cast is able to better appreciate and understand theater and Shakespeare.

Early in the year, the cast meets with the director to discuss possible plays for the season. The discussion ends with an assignment of several plays for closer rereading and consideration. The cast then votes on the play, taking into consideration issues such as casting, audience appeal, and, of course, personal taste.

In past years, the plays have been edited for length and content, MacBeth being the group's first unabridged production. Each cast member reads and researches the play and submits his or her edited version of the script. The director then reads each one and synthesizes the final script. This process has increased the cast's understanding of Shakespeare, character development and script analysis.

Getting involved in SYT also means diving into the text. The group has taken classes on Shakespeare and his times with Professor Tonkin from the University of Hartford, stage combat with Geoff Gilbert, text analysis with Marcella Trowbridge of the Oddfellows Playhouse and acting classes with Bruce Altman. Also popular were the workshops with the Royal Shakespeare Company of London on their visits to New Haven.

To check out past performances, learn about this one, see photos, get directions to the theatre and to make reservations, visit the Shakespearean Youth Theatre's Web site. For more information about the SYT, email or call the director at 203-772-2557.

Faces of Homeschooling

Self-Directed Home Schooling
by Lisa Rivero
author of "Creative Homeschooling for Gifted Children"
There are nearly as many definitions of unschooling as there are people who consider themselves unschoolers. Lisa Rivero, author of Creative Homeschooling for Gifted Children, says: "I prefer to use the phrase self-directed learning or self-directed home schooling to unschooling as a way to describe our home schooling approach, because it is a more positive description of what actually occurs." In this adapted excerpt from her book, she describes how self-directed learning is an educational philosophy that emphasizes the child's role as an active learner. She shows how parents can introduce self-directed learning to their children by giving their children input into the content of study, materials used for study, and the pace of study.

Faces of Home Education Profile
"Lights! Camera! Guinea Pigs!
Films by Alyssa Buecker,
High School Homeschooled Filmmaker
hosted by Joanne Spataro, FreshAir TeenZine

Alyssa Buecker is an extraordinary teenager. She’s a very talented up-and-coming movie director, with a cast of unique actors. This home-schooler’s future as a director blossomed when she combined her love of directing and animals. Alyssa is the producer, editor, director, and writer for all her films! See a bit more on her unique films which have gained prominence at HBO, Nickelodeon and the Cannes Film Festival!!

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