![\"IMG_2710_2\"](\"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/07\/IMG_2710_2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nEven he admits his approach was different.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came in and started a community theater basically,\u201d Seneca said. \u201c\u2019This is your responsibility. This is our responsibility. Get it done.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Every role necessary for putting on a production was assigned to the elementary schoolers; everything from stage crew and set building to props and even the lightboard and soundboard was run or overseen by the students.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re putting kids in these scary positions and they\u2019re taking over and making it their show,\u201d Seneca said. \u201cThat could have really backfired, (but) these kids rise to whatever you set before them.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to giving children a special ownership of their play, Seneca ensured students were meeting almost all the SOL standards for theater classes. He has also seen firsthand students exhibit positive growth in their vocabularies, management skills and even math skills from various set designs.<\/p>\n
\u201cKids learn better when (they) don\u2019t think they\u2019re learning,\u201d Seneca said. \u201cGive them as much as you think they can handle and back off if you have to. We haven\u2019t had to back off yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Trantwood community has excitedly partnered with their work.<\/p>\n
Fellow staff members, teachers and parents pitch in to help oversee various parts of the production. The hard work has paid off.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrantwood Troupers builds confidence in students,\u201d said Dr. Jeanne Crocker, principal of Trantwood. \u201cIf there is a fear of public speaking prior to participation in Troupers, it fades with the encouragement of Mr. Seneca and the appreciative applause from the audience\u2026 In short, Trantwood Troupers inspires children to become more than they ever dreamed possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since Seneca took over the program, attendance at the group\u2019s shows has been standing room only. In fact, this year, the students took over the Plaza Middle School auditorium to be able to seat more guests.<\/p>\n
Not bad for an elementary school production.<\/p>\n
A life-long thespian himself, Seneca is thrilled more students have the chance to be on stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a good outlet,\u201d he said, \u201cespecially for kids who are trying to figure out who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seneca himself has spent years working in theater – his first lead came in the eighth-grade (he played Snoopy in Charlie Brown). He continued to pursue local community theater work throughout college and while stationed in various locations in the Navy. \u00a0In fact, while in Hawaii, Seneca scored some onscreen time as an extra in the 2001 blockbuster Pearl Harbor<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Now, he has been able to share his love of the arts with his students.<\/p>\n
When the schools were closed for the snow days this winter, Seneca volunteered to go to a local bookstore to help rehearse with students nervous about learning their lines. He orchestrated photo shoots of the students dressed as their characters to put in promotional materials and playbills.<\/p>\n
He even worked with Cinema Caf\u00e9 to hold a special screening of recordings of the school\u2019s plays. Seneca edited the footage to create \u201ctrailers\u201d for the play, and had them running on the televisions in the theater\u2019s lobby.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo them, it\u2019s a movie theater, they\u2019re not supposed to see themselves up there,\u201d Seneca said. \u201cLittle kids were turning around seeing the students.. It\u2019s something they may never see again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seneca said he hopes other schools will see the successes of Trantwood\u2019s programs and look to incorporate it into their school.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are other people who can do programs like this, shows like this, and kids want this,\u201d he said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t do this on my own. We\u2019ve created something that going everywhere\u2026We need more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q&A:<\/strong><\/p>\n What is your favorite book? Anything by Stephen King really.<\/p>\n What was the last movie you saw? Dawn of the Planet of the Apes<\/p>\n What is your best recommended study tip? Get some place quiet.<\/p>\n What is your favorite play\/production to see on stage? Wicked.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The group of students looked up at the screens above them, and there, right in the middle of the movie theater foyer, they saw something strange, something unexpected: They saw […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2166"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2172,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2166\/revisions\/2172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}