NEWS
African storytelling comes to life on
the Abram Lansing stage
Earlier this month, Abram Lansing students were treated to workshops and performances by the Grumbling Gryphons, an award-winning traveling Chidren's Theater. The Gryphons’ productions focus on multi-cultural awareness, integrating authentic melodies, masks, costumes and language from specific cultures.
At Abram Lansing, the theater troupe brought to
life the story of Anansi: The Trickster Spider in front of hundreds
of students in the Lansing auditorium. With help from their teachers
and Principal Cliff Bird, the students learned the story of how this
clever West African and West Indian hero brings the stories back to
the people from Nyame the Greedy Sky God. They also learned about
the transformation of folktales from country to country.
Before staging their show featuring many animals of the jungle in a
colorful folktale, the acting troupe offered students small-group
instruction on how to tell a story in dramatic form and how to use
some African musical instruments.
The theater group's visit was another featured
event in the school's Year of the Lion King, which will culminated
March 17, with a trip to Protors Theatre in Schenectady to see
Disney's The Lion King.
