Poetry Theater

FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS Ray McNiece Student Testimonials has been presenting poetry theater shows and F ROM THE P AGE I thought poetry would be pretty boring, but the first leading writing and performance workshops TO THE S T AGE day was really fun. Now I am making my own poems. for students from kindergarten through college. -- Ryan (5th grade)

You did something that got every single person in the audience involved. You made your poetry so fun, it took • On the rosters of both the Ohio Arts Councils’ me half the period to realize you were actually telling Artist in Residence Program and Young poems to everyone. -- Antonio (10th grade) Audiences of Cleveland.

Iamastudent taking English as a second language. I came • On the board of the Poets and Writer’s League to America no more than 2 years ago. You showed me of Cleveland and PAD,aswell as being a member how poetry can help me learn this language. of the Cleveland Theater Alliance, Alternate -- Eason Jiang (11th grade) Routes and Poetry Slam, Inc. Ray McNiece’s

Administrators & Teachers Testimonials • Keynote speaker at ASU’s Literature and Language Arts Symposium, The First Coast Well, obviously your visit was a tremendous success. I think Writers’ Conference, and Lakeland College’s Poetry you accomplished your mission to make people think Writing Festival. differently about poetry many timesover. The students buzzed about your presentations all day. More importantly, • Presented at NASAA, The Palm Beach Theater faculty was pumped up as well. I certainly will look Shakespeare Festival, Massachusetts at Shakespeare and Sandburg in a different light. Festival of Literary Magazines, and • Assembly Programs -- Mike Hoffman, Lima City Schools Alabama Young Authors Conference • Writing & Performance Your performance at Worth County School was won- • Artist in Residence at the Cuyahoga Valley Workshops derful. The kids really ‘got into it’ and even some of our National Park, The Jack Kerouac House, ‘tough guys’ found themselves enjoying poetry through and currently Artist in Residence at the WRHS’s • Residencies your presentation. -- Alan Grimsley, Administrative Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum. Assistant, Worth County Schools, Sylvester, GA • Teacher Training •Performed internationally at Scotland’s • Historical Characters Ray McNiece was so charismatic and dynamic, he had Edinburgh Fringe Theatre Festival, at the the children in the palm of his hand. They can’t stop opening of City Lights Italia, and on “Good • Poetry Slams & talking about him – nor can we teachers. Fantastic Morning, Russia” in Moscow. experience – far, far beyond any and all expectations. Other Programs -- Kelly Caress, classroom teacher (through • Twice captained National Poetry Slam Young Audiences of Greater Cleveland) Championship Teams and won the Arkansas “A poem is not finished until Grand Slam, the largest performance poetry it is shared out loud.” ‘ He speaks their language,’ one of our teachers has prize ever awarded. said. He encourages students to follow their dreams by his example. And he is ‘street-wise’ and practical enough • Author of six books of poetry, two plays, to earn their respect. -- Ruth Skillicorn, High School one children’s book, “The Land of Poetry,” Coordinator of Gifted and Talented Education and co-editor of the anthology “America Zen.” For more information, log on to: for the Elyria Schools. www.raymcniece.com Dedicated to facilitating student HISTORICAL CHARACTERS literacy, developing critical thinking, (interactive programs) and improving communication skills, author, actor, and educator These cross-curricular historical interpretations recreate two influential characters from American Ray McNiece offers a variety history who have helped in developing our knowledge of “edutaining” performances of the world of plants and their role throughout and informative workshops for man’s history. children of all levels and ages.

ASSEMBLY PROGRAMS TEACHER TRAINING combine original poetry, mono- provides teachers with writing and logues, and songs with classic presentation strategies and a week’s and multicultural works from the worth of exercises for a poetry unit, curriculum. Drama, improvisation, demystifying poetry and demonstrating and audience participation create its cross-curricular applications to pro- a lively mix that brings poetry motecontent understanding. alive from the page to the stage. Johnny Appleseed (K-3) Teacher WRITING & PERFORMANCE Leads participatory story telling, WORKSHOPS POETRY SLAMS & songs, and activities that describe Testimonials Using blueprint exercises, students OTHER PROGRAMS his personal history, the benefits will develop a better understanding of apples in frontier life, and the He made history ‘come of grammar, usage, and a broader • Slams varieties and usages of them in alive.’ Johnny stayed in vocabulary. Performance workshops Ray demonstrates, our own times. character throughout the utilize kinesthetics to learn poems organizes, and emcees entire presentation. by heart as well as group work to a slam (6 – college) -- (2nd grade) make poems into “moving pictures.” • The Seanachie Johnny Appleseed was RESIDENCIES Irish bard, stories, excellent. He knew how of one, two or four weeks provide poems, and songs to speak at the children’s students with an in depth opportunity (K–12) level. They enjoyed his to explore creative language, building accent and clothing. • Down Home Hootenanny skills and confidence through the I liked the way Johnny completion of a process. At the end Appalachian stories and songs (K–12) interacted with my of residencies, students will create students. The whole print anthologies and present a activity was valuable performance of their own works. • History of Rock & Roll Americana song lyrics because the students as literature (5–12) got a look at history in a way they found Ray’s “performance poetics” are aligned with national and state Thomas Jefferson (3-6) fun. -- (3rd grade) ELA standards, and enable students to achieve benchmarks by: Presents his ideas on government and democracy, colonial farming Ray’s interpretation of methods, his inventions, the Lewis Jefferson was compelling; • Improving writing, editing, • Understanding lyric, narrative, and Clark Voyage of Discovery, the journal exercises and communication skills and dramatic modes of writing and his garden at Monticello as brought the achievements • Organizing thoughts • Exploring imagery, metaphor, he leads students through four of this scientist/president and verbalizing feelings and other figurative writings journaling exercises. into focus. -- (6th grade)