Dreaming, Building, Becoming: Harnessing theatre to support students in harnessing their inner artists.
A Photo Essay in Three Parts (Preschool, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary) by:
Matthew Lawrence, Alley Theatre Primary Programs Manager
Maryam Lumpkin, Wide School Owner and Director
Building in Lower Elementary
Kinder-1st Grade| What does is look like to tell a story?
Classroom Teacher: Diane Bauri
Lower elementary students explored storytelling through movement, genre study, and imaginative play, connecting their classroom learning with artistic expression. Using activities like Brain Dance, tableau, and breathing exercises, they embodied characters and created narratives inspired by space, fairytales, and personal dreams. Through group work and games like “Designing a Dream,” they developed characters, crafted dialogue, and refined their use of facial expressions and body language. These experiences built the foundation for students to create their own version of The Three Billy Goats Gruff, using movement and voice to portray different-sized goats and the bridge setting. With support from teaching artists, they discovered their roles, prepared props in Maker Space, and created comic-strip-style artwork to express their identities as artists, all while building stories with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Creating Characters and Environments
Lower elementary students are using tableau to decide how to create the bridge for their interpretation of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.”
Tableau also supported the students in developing characters, crafting dialogue, and highlighting physical movements. The students displayed their creativity remarkably, utilizing their imaginations and all the skills they had developed during this program.
What does it look like to tell a story?
Every student had the opportunity to design their own artist and the narrative their character represented. This artwork was selected by the students and drew inspiration from crafting a detailed comic strip or graphic novel. Through exploring various genres and book types, the students developed their own stories while showcasing their artists. The narrative also emphasizes the structure of beginning, middle, and end.
Maria Romero — Maker Space Atelierista (Lead Art Teacher)
Part 3, Upper Elementary (and conclusions), will be posted soon!
Matthew is very honored to be working with the Alley to make arts accessible to Houston’s youth. Matthew has a strong background in theatre, child development and education. As an actor Matthew has performed on the west coast and in Houston with The 5th avenue Theatre, Village Theatre, Pacific Conservation Theatre, Oregon Cabaret Theatre, Utah Festival Opera, Main Street Theatre for Youth. Matthew’s career in education extends over 18 years. He has worked as an Early Childhood Consultant with United Way Bright Beginnings. His career expands from teaching theatre, dance, and music to children, to working as a teacher in Reggio inspired preschools in Seattle Washington. Matthew has also led Teacher Professional Development Workshops that focus using Theatre Techniques to enhance teaching practices and relationships with children. In addition to that he has various published articles in the NAECY Magazine Teaching Young Children Magazine “Look Listen Learn.” He holds an Artist Diploma from The Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Washington in Early Childhood and Family Studies.
