A Class Act

Way back in September -- back when the boys were going to a Czech school, back when we hardly had any friends, never mind English-speaking friends -- we learned of a Prague-based group called Class Acts that was doing fun and educational programs for children in English. We jumped right on that tip.

Two weeks later we were off on a "Forest Day" outing through Stromovka Park, which -- though it is right in our 'hood -- we traveled to by train via Masarykovo nádraží (Masaryk train station) in downtown Prague. Much more fun to start the adventure in a group, to arrive by train with a motley cast of characters, including bilingual guides in pith helmets and wardrobes worthy of Where's Waldo? and a parrot-sporting pirate to punch our tickets.

Pirate Lukáš "validated" our Forest Day tickets using the hook on his hand
(which, unfortunately is not in this pic).

Pirate Lukáš led us in singing the Pirate Song (to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"), which we belted out numerous times on our excursion.

All for one and one for all
Yo ho ho ho HO!
Let's sing the pirate song
Yo ho ho ho ho!

Adventure guides Leah and Dora described a terrible storm that befell the forest.

Dora listened to the pirate's tale after showing him our treasure map.

We encountered a water sprite stranded in a tower, pleading for water from the river.

Revived by water from the children, the sprite descended to share her special cookies made with "fish and algae and pond water." (They looked surprisingly like cream-filled cookies.)

The Forest Day was our gateway to Class Acts, and we were very impressed. Leah and Dora [who both have backgrounds in children's theatre and puppetry (in fact, Dora's getting her PhD in puppetry!)] scripted and organized this whimsical walk which kept all the children and grown ups entertained. Ben and Garrett still talk about different creatures we encountered on Forest Day when we go to Stromovka.

Leah's one of the founders of Class Acts, along with a few other folks who had a vested interest in providing English-language programs for kids. Several are expats who married Czechs and wanted their children to have more interaction with others who spoke English as well as a sense of cultural connection to the expat parent's home country. The group's mission is "to enrich the lives of children and their families through fun, educational, and affordable English language programs in a friendly, multi-cultural community." It started with simple storytelling and has grown tremendously from there.

Both of our boys have gone to storytelling mornings, and Ben has participated in a few other programs for older kids. He took part in a reading group in the fall. How psyched was he to (1) read a good book and (2) talk about it with other kids in English? Very psyched. Two fabulous things came out of the reading group.

After finishing this, Ben got A Long Way from Chicago from Grandma and Grandpa Seeley as well as On the Wings of Heroes. And Richard Peck's stories are on heavy rotation for lights-out story time on the iPod.

The group read A Year Down Yonder, which was our entrée to the stories of Richard Peck. He's now a family favorite. Ben also met Nicky. Nicky and his parents, Pavlina and Ewan, are wonderful folks, and we are so delighted to have become friends with them. (There was a very brief reference to them in this post.)

Karl chats with Ewan and Nicky in their garden after roasting "smokies" (sausages).

In the fall, Class Acts started a new program, Drama Day, and Ben got involved. Leah (from Forest Day) led the program along with Judi Challiner, a primary school teacher with years of experience in the UK and a background in music and drama. Participants gathered at 10am on a Saturday, talked through the basics of a classic story, discussed how they might represent it in movement and minimal narration, and rehearsed it. They broke for lunch, then practiced through it another time or two. The actors' families were invited to return at 1pm for the performance.

 Ben and friends performed their condensed interpretation of Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale for the first Drama Day production. We were excited that Grandma and Grandpa Seeley were visiting and could join us for the show.

Drama Day actors presented their rendition of A Christmas Carol at the end of November.
Ben played Bob Cratchit to his co-actor's gender-bending Scrooge.

Drama Days were the precursor to the Drama Club which was launched this winter. Ben again took part, and Nicky joined the troupe as well. The club adopted the name "Echo Theatre," a suggestion by one of the families. The actors, once again ably directed by Judi and Leah, met eight times over the last three months to interpret and embody two classic Czech legends: Libuše and the Golem.

On Sunday, Echo Theatre presented its world premiere production, Two Czech Legends.

Echo Theater actors await showtime.

Leah and Judi led the troupe. The kids adored them,
and it seemed the adoration flowed right back.

Ben, as ploughman Frantiček, delivers his big line after Libuše determines that Pepiček is the rightful owner of disputed land: "Why must we have to have a female judge? Every other nation is ruled by men. Long hair means short reason!"

Libuše prophesies the founding of Prague. "I see a great city whose glory will touch the stars! It will be called Praha."

The Golem rises to wreak havoc on Prague.
(Judi accompanied the drama with evocative music.)

Partial picture of the cast standing for appreciative applause from the audience!

These "founding members" of the Echo Theatre did a terrific job. It was delightful to see the performance after all the weeks these kids spent interpreting the legends and rehearsing their parts. It was a neat opportunity for Ben, not only to dip his toe in the world of drama but also to inhabit some characters in these classic tales.

We're so grateful for the commitment, talent, and passion of the leaders at Class Acts! We have all benefited from the programs, and we've made connections with some really cool families, connections that we hope will last long after we return home from Prague and find ourselves looking at the pictures, wondering if this was all a dream.