St. George, Dragon Make Learning Fun For Children

If you're tapped into Seattle's theater community, you probably know the work of Theo and Toby Brown, who not only ran the World Mother Goose Theatre and the Generations Theatre, but also wrote several of the plays they produced there.

That experience has steered the Browns into a new direction: "St. George and the Dragon," the first of a projected six multi-media package designed for schools and libraries. The six plays, all musicals, are aimed at ages 3 through 10, a span the Browns know well.

"We know about kids," Toby Brown says; "we have seven of them. They understand things, and they don't need to be pandered to in the manner of a lot of `kiddie entertainment' out there."

But they do need instruction, and the Browns feel the arts (specifically, the musical theater videos and the accompanying instructional package) are the ideal gateway for a broad span of learning. Theo Brown describes the series as "a complete course in manners, morals and history," one that he knows will reach children because of the extremely positive feedback he's had thus far.

While Theo did the writing, Toby has worked to put together a curriculum package that refers to the staged, live-performance videos in teaching as many lesson plans as possible.

The curriculum breadth is impressive. It includes language arts (What is the difference between "hearing" and "listening"? What does "ferocious" mean?), history (What's the difference between

legend and fact?), geography (St. George also is the patron saint of Lithuania; where's Lithuania?), self-esteem (What does it mean to have faith in yourself?), art (create a shield with a symbol of what protects you), and several other subjects from math and science to technology.

"Acting is the most natural way to learn," says Theo Brown.

"It also brings subjects alive for such a wide diversity of learners. What constitutes Americana these days? The answer is not the same for inner city or ethnic children. They look at a picture of Washington crossing the Delaware, and they see a old-fashioned guy in funny pants and a wig standing up in a boat, and they can't relate to him.

"But a five-minute playlet with kids acting, telling about how it's Christmas Eve and they haven't eaten in five days, and half of them don't have any shoes, how they have to make this desperate move to fight for their freedom - there you have learning. There you can relate."

The "St. George and the Dragon" package has a 35-minute video of the staged musical production, with audience participation, just as if the kids were at a theater. Also included is an audiotape with teacher information and songs from the video, presented both with and without the lyrics, so children can learn to sing along. The curriculum material is presented in a booklet with illustrations, art projects, sheet music for all the songs and lyrics in large type for easy reading. The package costs $120, with $8 for shipping (for information, call 338-2144).

The remaining programs in the series have already been committed to videotape and are now being edited. The titles include updated versions of "The Blue Bird," "Cinderella," "Androcles and the Lion," "The Red Shoes" and "Camelot."

"St. George" is already in use in the King County, Seattle Public and Sno-Isle libraries, Montessori schools, the CAMPI (Central Area Mothers for Peace and Instruction) program in Seattle schools, and several other public and private schools.

The responses have been "very favorable," according to Theo Brown.

The Browns first got interested in children's theater when they produced a fourth-grade version of "Macbeth" in a small California town where they formerly lived. Every book on Shakespeare sailed out of the public library, and kids and adults alike demanded more.

"The theater has such an amazing influence," Theo Brown says.

"It's the perfect way for kids to get involved in school - if we only take the trouble to involve them."