Phone:         954-763-6882
Fax:             954-523-0507
Email:          janet@flctstar.org
Web:            www.flct.org 

Services Available: Single Teacher Workshop, Series or Residency

A Bridge From Me to You 
For the past 15 years, Fort Lauderdale Children's Theatre (FLCT) has offered an anti-bullying program to 5th grade Broward County Public School students. The program is called A BRIDGE FROM ME TO YOU, and last year our facilitators worked with students from North Fork Elementary to Rock Island, Harbordale to North Side to Wilton Manors and Horizon Elementary Schools. We discovered that bullying is reaching younger and younger students, and those students, once empowered, can have the tools to recognize and handle these complicated and difficult decisions. Our program uses drama and role-play techniques, teaching empathy as well as the character traits mandated by the Broward County School Board. We work with the entire fifth grade of an elementary school using theatre games and creative dramatics techniques to address negative behaviors in an engaging, interactive and meaningful manner. No one approach fits each school, so our facilitators utilize the program's success and teacher requests so that the program reaches more students. While the School Board has supported this program financially in the past, budget cuts over the past few years stopped that support. Yet Fort Lauderdale Children's Theatre continued to provide A BRIDGE FROM ME TO YOU to many schools because of teacher demand and a commitment to this community's youth.

Educational goals:

• Teach students collaboration and teamwork through positive repetition;
• Teach students to focus on the task at hand in order to complete the task successfully;
• Enable students to better comprehend the written word through acting out parts of a script or book;

Methods used:

Creative dramatics based curriculum, including but not limited to:

• Various theatre games, script and scene study, presenting or performing in front of others;
• Character education, including empathy and responsibility, with role play and discussion
• Collaborative techniques

Indicators of progress:

• Student improves focus in school subjects
• Student interacts with other students and teachers in positive ways
• Student improves both grades and behavior as a result.

Assessment methods:

• Teacher feedback
• Student willingness to continue program(s)
• Parent feedback
• Student survey and writing

Previous assessment results from A Bridge From Me to You found that in 80% of fifth grade classrooms presented with Bridge the students were not only able to identify at least four of the mandated character traits, they were able to participate in role play improvisations created in the classroom to deal with conflict and find words to solve problems. Also, at least 75% of students and 85% of teachers were able to understand the role of drama as a device for personal communication and conflict resolution. Teachers also continued to use techniques learned from Bridge facilitators.

Creative Dramatics Classes 
The foundation of FLCT's class curriculum is based on the developmental principles that children's growth is progressive and sequential and each child develops at an individual pace. Classes address the developmental needs of children ages 4 to 18 including cognitive, behavioral, and social skills, artistic expression, and growth as an individual and a member of a community. Areas of study include acting, comic and dramatic improvisation, personal storytelling, personal expression through movement, and more. Ali classes also model character education, with empathy, responsibility and the collaborative nature of theatre emphasized and repeated. Students learn to work together to create an ongoing or finished product.

Educational goals:

• Teach students collaboration and teamwork through positive repetition;
• Teach students to focus on the task at hand in order to complete the task successfully;
• Enable students to better comprehend the written word through acting out parts of a script or book

Methods used:

Creative dramatics based curriculum, including but not limited to:

• various theatre games, script and scene study, presenting or performing in front of others;
• character education, including empathy and responsibility, with role play and discussion
• collaborative techniques 

Indicators of progress:

• Student improves focus in school subjects
• Student interacts with other students, teachers and families in positive ways
• Student improves both grades and behavior as a result.

Assessment methods:

• Student feedback
• Student Willingness to continue program(s)
• Parent feedback
• Student survey

From Page to Stage Literacy Program 
FROM PAGE TO STAGE is a literacy and reading comprehension program in fifth and seventh grades that utilizes theatre techniques such as performance and tableau to improve vocabulary, understanding of character, plot and theme while encouraging creative and active participation for students of all learning styles: Writing journal assignments and the creation of a book-inspired production for peers and other grade levels add to the classroom activities, which are all connected to the Sunshine State Standards for learning. Many program participants stated that FROM PAGE TO STAGE was the first time that they have ever read a book from cover to cover.

Educational goals:

• Teach students collaboration and teamwork through positive repetition;
• Teach students to focus on the task at hand in order to complete the task successfully;
• Enable students to better comprehend the written word through acting out parts of a script or book 

Methods used:

Creative dramatics based curriculum, including but not limited to:

• various theatre games, script and scene study, presenting or performing in front of others;
• character education, including empathy and responsibility, with role play and discussion
• collaborative techniques to create scenes in groups;

Indicators of progress:

• Student improves focus in school subjects.
• Student interacts with other students and teachers in positive ways.
• Student improves both grades and behavior as a result.

Assessment methods:

• Student feedback
• Student Willingness to continue program(s)
• Parent feedback
• Student survey