Classroom Immersions

Residencies for 1st-12th Grade Classrooms
September 4, 2023 through May 31, 2024

• Students will work with a professional teaching artist to rehearse and perform a short script based on a traditional folktale, focusing on reading fluency, intonation, flow, and expression.
• A teacher consultation will occur beforehand to ensure we serve the needs of your class and to select a multicultural folktale from our list.
• The residency will align with Missouri and Kansas English Language Arts and Theatre Arts standards.
• Script options include Anansi and Five, The Cheetah and The Lazy Hunter, The Deer People, Why the Sun and Moon Live In The Sky, and The Chanchasa Bird.
  
  $300 for three 50-minute sessions per classroom sized group
  10% discount for 4 or more classrooms 
  a mileage fee may be charged for travel outside the Kansas City metro area

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• Students will work with a professional teaching artist to write and perform a short first person monologue about a "hero" (based on a historical/real figure).
• Using existing monologues as examples, students will analyze what makes a good monologue and demonstrate that understanding through their own original writing.
• A teacher consultation will occur beforehand to ensure we serve the needs of your class.
• The residency will align with Missouri and Kansas English Language Arts and Theatre Arts standards, and will offer students the option to share their work with each other. 
  
  Three 50-minute sessions can be arranged to suit your schedule
  $300 per classroom sized group
  10% discount for 4 or more classrooms 
  a mileage fee may be charged for travel outside the Kansas City metro area

• Students will view a performance of either The Masque of the Red Death, The Pit and the Pendulum, or The Tell-Tale Heart (determined by classroom teacher) from The Coterie’s production of Electric Poe starring professional actor and teaching artist R.H. Wilhoit, underscored by musician Rex Hobart.
• Wilhoit will then join students in person as their teaching artist to explore the historical and cultural context that inspired Poe, as well as the use of symbolism and imagery to create lasting impact.
• Writing to composer Rex Hobart's Electric Poe underscore as inspiration, students will create their own moody masterpiece in the form of a dramatic scene or monologue
• A teacher consultation will occur beforehand to ensure we serve the needs of your class.
• The residency will align with Missouri and Kansas English Language Arts and Theatre Arts standards, and will offer students the option to share their work with each other.
  
  Three 50-minute sessions can be arranged to suit your schedule
  $300 per classroom sized group​
  10% discount for 4 or more classrooms
  a mileage fee may be charged for travel outside the Kansas City metro area

EDUCATOR TESTIMONIALS

"I had the honor of bringing actor Hollis Wilhoit and The Coterie's Electric Poe Immersion workshop into my hybrid classroom. The three day experience covered a vast amount of significant material. An actor's perspective of workshopping and performing a solo piece of theatre adapted from 3rd person literature - many topics for discussion within that. Great for students to see how many ways imagery and theatrical effects can be interpreted and support text. It's an opportunity for students to write and create themselves! Along the way, Hollis' questions, sharing and feedback was exceptional. I highly recommend this workshop for grades 8-12."

- Tracy Terstreip-Herber, Performing Arts Chair at Pembroke Hill

"It was wonderful! My students really enjoyed it (Electric Poe immersion) and Hollis did a great job presenting and teaching them about playwriting. Something I would definitely do again!"

-Lisa Jensen, Gifted Teacher at Leawood Middle School
 

"I loved so much about the Reader’s Theatre program that we participated in. The warm ups were always fun and engaging. The progression from casting, reading through, and then blocking kept our daily activities fresh and brought out something new each day. Even my shyest student came out of her shell during this activity. The program was flexible and met our needs with materials/technology. My students looked forward to seeing Amanda every single morning!"

- Jayme Keyser, 4th grade teacher at KIPP Endeavour Academy

“The Coterie Theatre’s virtual immersion, Electric Poe, was absolutely wonderful! Our teacher for the three day event, Hollis Wilhoit, was able to engage students who were working both in class and remotely at the same time, while covering specific Language Arts standards we had asked him to address. ... The students loved working with Hollis and put forth a ton of creative effort to complete something they hoped he would enjoy reading. Hollis validated students’ ideas, while also pushing them to think outside the box, and they all appreciated the helpful feedback he provided throughout the event. I would highly encourage teachers to take advantage of this wonderful virtual field trip. Despite the frustrations of our current learning model, all of my students genuinely looked forward to this fun change of pace each day!”

- Megan Komp, 8th grade ELA, Summit Trail Middle School