Kelly McNerney

Kelly McNerney holds a BFA in Acting from the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has worked as a teaching artist for the past 7 years for several theatre companies in Seattle, First Stage Children's Theatre in Milwaukee and most recently for Stage One Children's Theatre in Louisville, KY. Kelly has performed in the Pacific Northwest for Taproot Theatre, Book-It Repertory Theatre, and co-produced and performed in The Baby Dance by Jane Anderson at both A Contemporary Theatre and the Seattle Repertory Theatre. She has also performed at Milwaukee Shakespeare Co as Phoebe in As You like It. Kelly is a member of Looking for Lilith Theatre, a women's history theatre company. She has performed in LFL's What My Hands Have Touched: American Women in World War II in Louisville and in Milwaukee. Most recently, she directed LFL's one woman show Women Speak: Iraq.

A Literacy Residency for grades 1-3 for one week Monday through Friday.

Class periods range depending on grade level: Grade 1 (30 minutes), Grade 2 (40 minutes), Grade 3(60 minutes).

Book choices are based on grade level and each school’s required reading list.

The project goals for this residency would be based on main components of Literacy: Phonics, Sequencing, Comprehension, Vocabulary, and Spelling. Students will have read the book prior to the residency. Based on the length of the book, Ms. McNerney would read the book to the students. Ms. McNerney would bring in a word wall that contains the main vocabulary words from the chosen piece of literature. The students would explore a theatre exercise called “Lump of Magic.” This exercise allows the students to act out the vocabulary words silently and then add sound if needed. The students guess the vocabulary word by reading the word wall. Once the word has been guessed, the students collectively say-spell-say the word. The sequencing of the book will then be discussed by the students and are then instructed to create a series of tableaux to correspond with the beginning, middle, and end of the book. Students focus on the action in each tableau and then decide the best point to “freeze” the action. Students focus on facial expressions and movement. The element of thought tracking will then be facilitated by Ms. McNerney placing a hand on the shoulder of students and asking them who they are in tableau and what they are doing and how they (their character) are feeling, and to say a line in character to another character in the tableau using vocal expression, speaking style and the body language of their character. Next, students would explore the three tools of the actor in order to better understand character. Exercises that teach drama core content would be implemented to explore speaking style and vocal expression of the actor using VOICE, body language, and facial expressions for BODY, and imagination exercises to demonstrate how the actor must be able to access the five senses in order to create the level of imagination needed when acting.

Day Two would explore taking the tableau created from the day before and adding dialogue. The first  stage would begin with improvisation and then the groups would begin to adapt the improv into a script becoming playwrights.

Day Three would be constructed in a Reader’s Theatre format and then allow time for re-writes and editing.

Day Four would work on getting the script up onto its feet and beginning to add and create design elements.

Day Five would focus on finishing design elements of scenery, costume, props, sound and lights. A dress rehearsal would occur and then a final run through for the students. The teacher then has the option of showing the students play to a younger grade of students the following week and inviting the parents as well.

The following core content is addressed in this week long residency: RDEP2.2-Students will describe characters, plot, setting or problem/solution of a passage. RDEP2.4-Students will identify specialized vocabulary (words and terms specific to understanding the content). RDEP2.5-Students will identify the correct  sequence. RDEP3.1-Students will explain a character's actions based on a passage. RDEP3.2-Students will explain how a conflict in a passage is resolved. AH-04-1.3.3- Students will identify and describe a variety of creative dramatics (improvisation, mimicry, pantomime, role playing and storytelling).AH-04-1.3.1-Students will identify or describe the elements of drama in dramatic works. AH-04-1.3.2- Students will identify, describe and/or explain characters, relationships among characters and settings as related to a script, a scenario or a classroom dramatization.

Teachers will be provided with supplemental exercises and will be able to apply the exercises Ms. McNerney teaches that week to any piece of literature in order to further literacy development of students.