The
Actor
and
Writer
Speaks
Credit
(2008-2009)
(2008-2009)
In my Actor and Writer Speaks credit, I took part in a playwriting class at our local theater The Growing Stage. I worked with several other students and our teacher, Mary Saarman, to produce the start of my play. I continued this play under my Theater Arts credit. The playwriting group was excellent, and I wanted to join it again in the next term, but sadly not enough people joined and it had to be canceled. I instead took part in a great acting class offered by the Growing Stage, taught by Danny Campos. Emboldened by these classes, I tried out for the Growing Stage's production of The Neverending Story (a play adaption of the book, not the movie), and got in. Although I only had a minor role, it was a wonderful experience to work with other young people who enjoyed acting. Also, the play was my introduction to Black-Light Puppetry, and I controlled and helped to control several puppets in the production.
Here are some highlights from The Actor and Writer Speaks Credit!
- The first draft of my play, The Office, a comedy about modern-day crime in New York City:
- Some photos from the Growing Stage's production of The Neverending Story. These are staged photos, as there was no photography allowed during the play.
Classical
and
Modern
Literature
Credit
(2008-2009)
(2008-2009)
In my Classical and Modern
Literature Credit, I read books of all genres, including fantasy,
science fiction and modern-day stories; books by the masters and
non-fiction books on various subjects. For most of these books, both
fiction and non-fiction, I wrote book reviews to help me look at the
book as a reviewer might, as well as to help other people interested in
said book. I linked all of them up to the Book Reviews section of my
blog, as you can see below. This credit helped me to go beyond my love
of reading, and think about the structure of each story, as I also
covered (later) in my Novel Writing credit.
Here are some highlights from my Classical and Modern Literature Credit!
Here are some highlights from my Classical and Modern Literature Credit!
- A link to the Book Reviews section of my blog (down at the
bottom of the page, you'll see Book Lists, with a list of all the
months):
Creative
Writing
Credit
(2009-2010)
(2009-2010)
In my Creative Writing Credit, I
wrote many short stories and poems on my computer and sent them off for
contests in magazines such as Cricket, Dig, Creative Kids and Muse. I
also sent some stories and articles off to ZigZagZine, an electronic
magazine produced by a friend of mine. I wrote short stories and poems
for fun, although they weren't as successful as the ones I worked on
for contests (having a deadline always helps me). I worked on writing
interactive adventures for me and my friends to play through, trying to
create stories that we could put our own mark on. Lastly, I wrote a
nature journal describing
my
experiences
on
our
daily
walks.
Here are some highlights from my Creative Writing Credit!
I began by working with the One Year Adventure Novel curriculum, using it to create characters, themes and ideas for a short novel. Then I used the OYAN curriculum to craft my story, working through every aspect until I knew what I was going to do. After the planning phase, I sat down and wrote my book, which included twelve chapters and was much shorter than I'd envisioned. When I finished it, I put it aside for a while, then looked back at it. I realized that the story needed some serious rewriting work before I would consider showing it to anyone, but I already had enough hours to make a credit. I decided to start a new credit, using the OYAN course to create another novel, this time much longer and more in depth, using some of the same ideas.
Here are some highlights from my Literature-Novel Writing Credit!
I started out by working in various grammar books, including Hot Fudge Monday, Language is Served, Red Hot Root Words, and Phunny Stuph (a proofreading grammar book). I also entered writing contests for magazines such as Muse, Creative Kids and Cicada. I wrote book reviews for the books I read each month, which I linked up on my daily log. Lastly, I entered pieces of writing and worked as the editor of the Points to Ponder column in the Homeschooler's Quarterly, an online newspaper run by homeschooled teenagers.
Mentor's Evaluation:
Jack has a very good grasp of grammar and writing. This credit has helped him refine those skills, which he will need for his future Creative Writing Associates Degree. Jack has worked hard on his daily exercises from the workbooks he has already mentioned, which I used as an evaluation of his progress. - Lorna Wooldridge
Mentor's Evaluation:
Jack and I met at The Growing Stage Theatre: The Children’s Theatre of NJ. We have worked together there as colleagues on stage in a performance of A Secret Garden, and he has also been a student in a class I taught called “The Actor Speaks”. In addition, I have seen him perform on stage in several other productions and heard the music he composed for another. Jack is a multi-talented young man. As an actor, he is always prepared, willing to take direction, willing to learn new techniques, cooperative with and supportive of his fellow actors. He is not afraid to take initiative. The energy, focus and thought that he puts into the roles he performs are beyond his years. I was especially impressed with his performance in a production of James and the Giant Peach at The Growing Stage.
As a writer, Jack is a joy to work with. He has an original way of looking at the world, and this is evidenced in his playwriting. As he worked on his play in our class, he was always willing to discuss and take comments and suggestions from the other writers in his group. And the next week, he would come back with revisions where it was clear that he had given thought to what had been suggested. He did not see re-drafting as drudgery but an opportunity to make his piece better – and he did. Jack’s distinctive sense of humor and voice came out in his characters to the delight of an audience of his peers and to his instructor. His frame of reference to and knowledge of theatre and film history plus his own performance experience added depth to his pieces, and this also showed a level of maturity beyond his years. Jack is a writer who is not satisfied with “good enough”, one who will continue to polish and hone his writing. I sincerely hope he continues.
He has branched out into writing reviews of plays he has seen over the past year, including productions of Oliver Twist, The Wizard of Oz, Gypsy, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus From seeing such a variety of productions and styles, Jack has begun to note the kinds of choices actors make in creating characters, the ways in which directors handle blocking and staging, the importance of how choreography is integrated into a play, how physicality can enhance understanding in performances of Shakespeare, and how challenging the adaptation of a Dickens’ novel is for the stage. Again, his knowledge of literature, literary history and theatre history adds levels of understanding to his reviews, which are thoughtful and concise.
Currently I am an English Instructor at Raritan Valley Community College, and I have been teaching writing, acting, and dance for many years. Jack is a student who stands out in my mind as one with great potential and great breadth. He is also a delightful human being. If I can be of any further assistance in Jack’s evaluation, please feel free to contact me at 973-347-0192 or at saarmann@mindspring.com.
Sincerely,
Mary Saarmann
Here are some highlights from my Creative Writing Credit!
- Here are some links to stories and articles I wrote for
contests and for ZigZagZine:
Literature-Novel
WritingCredit
(2010-2011)
I began by working with the One Year Adventure Novel curriculum, using it to create characters, themes and ideas for a short novel. Then I used the OYAN curriculum to craft my story, working through every aspect until I knew what I was going to do. After the planning phase, I sat down and wrote my book, which included twelve chapters and was much shorter than I'd envisioned. When I finished it, I put it aside for a while, then looked back at it. I realized that the story needed some serious rewriting work before I would consider showing it to anyone, but I already had enough hours to make a credit. I decided to start a new credit, using the OYAN course to create another novel, this time much longer and more in depth, using some of the same ideas.
Here are some highlights from my Literature-Novel Writing Credit!
- Here is the 22nd lesson of my One Year Adventure Novel Course, as a sample. You can find the rest on my blog.
Grammar
and
Writing
Credit
(2008-2011)
(2008-2011)
I started out by working in various grammar books, including Hot Fudge Monday, Language is Served, Red Hot Root Words, and Phunny Stuph (a proofreading grammar book). I also entered writing contests for magazines such as Muse, Creative Kids and Cicada. I wrote book reviews for the books I read each month, which I linked up on my daily log. Lastly, I entered pieces of writing and worked as the editor of the Points to Ponder column in the Homeschooler's Quarterly, an online newspaper run by homeschooled teenagers.
Mentor's Evaluation:
Jack has a very good grasp of grammar and writing. This credit has helped him refine those skills, which he will need for his future Creative Writing Associates Degree. Jack has worked hard on his daily exercises from the workbooks he has already mentioned, which I used as an evaluation of his progress. - Lorna Wooldridge
Stage
Literature Credit
(2010-2011)
I started out by writing reviews of various plays and musicals we
went to see, from Taming of the Shrew to Godspell: The Musical. My
mentor, Mary Saarmann, really helped me with this, asking questions and
making suggestions to make my reviews better and more informative. I
also took the Actor Speaks class at the Growing Stage, learning a lot
about being a playwright and getting to work with a great group of
young actors. In this class, I created my own play, a comedy entitled
The Office. Lastly, I took part in the Growing Stage Theater production
of James and the Giant Peach, in which I got many roles, including
sailor, cloud-man, construction worker and shark.(2010-2011)
Mentor's Evaluation:
Jack and I met at The Growing Stage Theatre: The Children’s Theatre of NJ. We have worked together there as colleagues on stage in a performance of A Secret Garden, and he has also been a student in a class I taught called “The Actor Speaks”. In addition, I have seen him perform on stage in several other productions and heard the music he composed for another. Jack is a multi-talented young man. As an actor, he is always prepared, willing to take direction, willing to learn new techniques, cooperative with and supportive of his fellow actors. He is not afraid to take initiative. The energy, focus and thought that he puts into the roles he performs are beyond his years. I was especially impressed with his performance in a production of James and the Giant Peach at The Growing Stage.
As a writer, Jack is a joy to work with. He has an original way of looking at the world, and this is evidenced in his playwriting. As he worked on his play in our class, he was always willing to discuss and take comments and suggestions from the other writers in his group. And the next week, he would come back with revisions where it was clear that he had given thought to what had been suggested. He did not see re-drafting as drudgery but an opportunity to make his piece better – and he did. Jack’s distinctive sense of humor and voice came out in his characters to the delight of an audience of his peers and to his instructor. His frame of reference to and knowledge of theatre and film history plus his own performance experience added depth to his pieces, and this also showed a level of maturity beyond his years. Jack is a writer who is not satisfied with “good enough”, one who will continue to polish and hone his writing. I sincerely hope he continues.
He has branched out into writing reviews of plays he has seen over the past year, including productions of Oliver Twist, The Wizard of Oz, Gypsy, The Taming of the Shrew, and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus From seeing such a variety of productions and styles, Jack has begun to note the kinds of choices actors make in creating characters, the ways in which directors handle blocking and staging, the importance of how choreography is integrated into a play, how physicality can enhance understanding in performances of Shakespeare, and how challenging the adaptation of a Dickens’ novel is for the stage. Again, his knowledge of literature, literary history and theatre history adds levels of understanding to his reviews, which are thoughtful and concise.
Currently I am an English Instructor at Raritan Valley Community College, and I have been teaching writing, acting, and dance for many years. Jack is a student who stands out in my mind as one with great potential and great breadth. He is also a delightful human being. If I can be of any further assistance in Jack’s evaluation, please feel free to contact me at 973-347-0192 or at saarmann@mindspring.com.
Sincerely,
Mary Saarmann
- A link to the Book Reviews section of my blog (down at the bottom of the page, you'll see Book Lists, with a list of all the months):