Artist-in-Residence Site:  Cleveland Elementary School

919 Northern Avenue/124 W. Lincoln Ave., Fergus Falls (Con. Dist. 7)

Collaborating Teacher: Barb Zempel

Teaching Artist: Carol Anne Hough; Julie Hough, Assistant

Art form: Theater

Project Overview

Students learned about being a playwrite, the producation of a play, theater (how to use voice, movement, costuming and props) and wetland animals when they rehearsed and performed “Wetland Adventures,” written by the Teaching Artist Carol Anne Hough. Students had the opportunity to perform for their entire school and community at the Center for the Arts in Fergus Falls on the last day of the residency.

Project Highlights

“All three of my completed plays for children have been performed in my hometown. I’ve wanted to get something produced elsewhere and this seemed like a perfect fit. I am not comfortable initiating new professional relationships. This reticence perhaps hinders me more than my physical disability and I am working on overcoming it. It was time to go beyond my comfort zone and I dreamed of collaborating with A Center for the Arts, Prairie Wetlands Learning Center, and a local elementary school. Thanks to VSA Minnesota, an existing connection, I was able to take my idea to the next level.”– Carol Anne Hough, Artist

“My character was Pip the mosquito. My favorite part of the play was being in front of my class at the Center for the Arts”– Edwardo, Student

“Students showed progress on IEP goals of reading, public speaking and most importantly, social skills with peers and adults. It is fair to say that every student involved in this project was changed. Confidence is too often a hallmark with disabled children (or lack thereof) and these students showed incredible confidence in themselves and their peers while performing. The other significant change was in the audience – respect for those with disabilities increased exponentially among both students and staff. ” – Barb Zempel, Teacher.