Performance Outreach Accolades
“We’re all intrinsically of the same substance." -- Janna Levin, astrophysicist
"The HYSA players have performed selections from Hamlet, Frankenstein, and other classic works of literature, drama and philosophy for my students in The Human Event course at Barrett, the Honors College. Honors students who take The Human Event read and interrogate such works as part of their education, yet few students have ever seen live theater. The extraordinarily talented students from the Herberger fill that gap and show my students the amazing possibilities theater presents. The HYSA Performance Outreach Program provide Barrett students with a new appreciation for a unique art form. The presentations of Hamlet, Frankenstein, Machiavelli, and Sun-Tzu, have given my students new and profound insights into the works themselves.
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After watching the Herberger players perform scenes from Hamlet, for example, the student-led seminar discussion became far more animated than it had been in previous classes. Students noted connections in the work, and themes that had not occurred to them before the student production. For example, students noted King Claudius's guile, as fleshed out by Herberger student Brett Cohen, in a way that had eluded them when they only read the words on the page. Similarly, Herberger student Tyera Zweygardt conveyed Hamlet’s struggle with whether or not to slay Claudius, as the villain appears to be praying, in a way that mere words on a page (a script) cannot convey.
The Young Herberger players' performances have become a regular and treasured part of my Human Event course. My students and I are not only profoundly grateful to you and these young people for taking the time to come and perform for us; we were deeply impressed by the extraordinary skill of their performances." -- Dr. Joseph Foy, Barrett the Honors College, at Arizona State University |
"I liked it because it wasn't just like a book or a movie, it was real life!"
"I wish you could come again and again and do another play for us!!" "Thank you for using your time to put on a play for the Pueblo Third Grade." "It was generous of you to perform for us. I didn't daydream because it was a really exceptional performance. It made me like school. Please come again!!" "I just want to see you again! Thank you for showing us a play." -- Assorted Second and Third Grade Audience Members' Letter Quotes |
"Dear Friends,
Thank you for the play. It was awesome! I loved the props. They were very imaginative." "I like how you use your imagination." "I liked your character because you made it up." "I thought your imaginary animals were really good." "The rock guy was so funny! Your costumes were real when you showed your terrible claws. The sounds were very silly when we went to the jungle. I think it was cool that you used expression for the wild things." "I felt like I was in the book." "You were wonderful. You are very professional." "I liked that the play was bilingual, because we are learning Spanish. So much good Spanish and you didn't hesitate. I always hesitate." |
"This was such a meaningful experience for the 3rd graders that were involved because of the collaborative effort between the two schools. The students at Cheatham Elementary School had just culminated a project in music class using the same book as inspiration. It was perfect timing for your students to come present the oral interpretive performance piece. It was also interesting to see the concrete to abstract interpretation between the schools.
The students expressed to me later, how much they really enjoyed the performance and that, for some of them, this was the first time they had seen any type of theater performance. This project was terrific for our kids on so many levels. It showed them how you can take a simple children’s book and use it as the springboard for creativity in two areas of the arts. It showed them how teachers and students can work together to create something beyond just a project. We bridged together two very different academic communities for the sake of the arts. We showed them what passion the arts can create. I look forward to our next opportunity for collaboration. Thank you again for bringing your students out to Cheatham." -- Lorena Abbott, Vocal/General Music Specialist |
"Having the students from the Herberger Academy at Broadmor was a wonderful experience for our K-5 gifted students. Aside from being entertained, we were also quite inspired. Following the play, echoes of 'that was so cool!' could be heard as students traveled back to their classes. Watching the play created a new sense of excitement about theater among our students here at Broadmor. Although weeks have passed since our viewing of the play, we're still having conversations about the various components and how we might be able to incorporate them into our own plays! Thank you again for making the trip here to Broadmor and for sharing your hard-work with our students."
--Amy Evans PACE, Broadmor Elementary |
"I want to thank you for the special treat you brought to our school with the performance of your very skilled and talented students. Both programs, The Chinese Folktale and The Wild Thing adaptation, were very educational and informative. Your students did an outstanding performance that we all enjoyed very much.
I appreciate your hard work putting together these wonderful shows." -- Inma Gabriele Second Grade Spanish FLI Teacher, Pueblo Elementary School |
"Thank you for bringing the Herberger student Honors Outreach performance of Chinese Folktales and Myths to Broadmor Elementary School, it was outstanding. The actors were obviously very well prepared and the performance was seamless. The costumes were simple yet effective in helping to tell the stories. The use of Mandarin reminded the audience of the origins of the folktales and myths and helped maintain the attention of some of my young students, in fact the switching of languages was the favorite part of one of my second grade students. Many of my students commented on how much they enjoyed the humor provided by Quick, the fox. My students were also very impressed with how well the actors projected their voices, and their animal like movements. The actors were very poised during the question and answer session and interacted well with the audience. I left the performance inspired by the Herberger Performance Outreach actors who so clearly feel a passion for performing. "
-- Margaret Voorhies Primary Grades PACE teacher Broadmor Elementary "My class loved the last play your students did. Thank you for coming again. We can’t wait to see what you have to show us next time." Much thanks, Susan Brown Second Grade Pueblo Elementary School “I just wanted to say again how wonderful today was! The students are still talking about it. Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much fun our students had. They loved it! I think their favorite part was the interactive exhibits (of course the face painting). And yes, we would love to be involved for the second semester. Thank you so much for inviting us! It was a really fun day!” – Jana Beckstead, Sunburst Elementary School |