There are two kids who showed their fearlessness on stage last year. Seventh grade is not typically the place to find that kind of brave creativity. I wondered what to expect this year.
Apparently, someone somewhere recently studied improvisational jazz musicians to discover more about creativity. An unexpected finding was that the frontal cortex (the place in the brain that keeps you paying attention to what’s the right thing to do) actually shuts down somewhat during improvising, allowing you to not really care what is the right thing to do or what other people will think, but just to do it because it might work.
It might work. It might not.
This year these two kids still don’t have much restrictive action from that frontal part of the brain, but it makes them terrifically interesting performers onstage. Last year they were exciting, making crazy choices and feeding off each other. This year they took it even further, with singing and cavorting to the delight of their peers and me, too.
It was exhilarating and inspiring during the rehearsals. The other students upped their game in the safety of the classroom. There was no audience but each other, so they all did it, making poses, dances, voices .. a few even showed that rare bird: comic timing.
It all went to hell during the performances. Most of the students reverted to what was normal for them; either strict adherence to dialogue and staging or a quiet reticence to perform at all. The Two absolutely went to pieces in an almost manic sort of way. Lack of control. Huge line flubs. Wild improvisation that made little sense and was only funny in its ridiculousness.
But it was Unexpected. It was Fearless. It was Interesting. It was CREATIVE.
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