wadebradford.com Blog

Hi everyone… It seems this old blog is working again… And a fellow reader left the following post:

“Mr. Bradford, I am a high school theatre director (with no formal theatre background whatsoever) and I have chosen your play – Conflict – for our region competition this year. I love it. It is so much different from anything that we see in our area. I’m convinced we can win the competition. I was wondering if you could offer some advice and tell me how you envision the actors being costumed. I have run the gamut of ideas and cannot seem to settle on one. With no set to speak of, I think the costumes take on more importance…”
– Krissy

Well, Krissy, I hope this response reaches you.

I wrote the play knowing that some theater groups with very tight wallets might use this play. All you need, really is a cantaloupe. So, in some sense, the costumes aren’t terribly important.

However, here’s how I envision the show. My best friend and I, back in our early days as starving artists, used to do children’s parties for the kids that were in our youth theater programs. My friend and I would simply bring a trunk, chock full of hats, shirts, baggy pants, robes, masks, and anything else we could fit in. We organized it in a way that we could very quickly change on stage… Now, I’m not saying that this is the best way to go for “Conflict” — maybe all of the costume changes should take place off stage. But there is something fun about a performer who can reach into a suitcase and a second later become a brand new character.

Hope this helps… and I hope you win the competition!

By the way… This blog is basically a ghost town now. The ongoing blog is now at the following address:

www.wadebradford.com/blog6

Hey folks,

In a pathetic attempt to stay up-to-date with the social-media world or Web 2.0 or whatever the heck it’s called, I’ve joined Twitter.

I’ll be Twittering mainly to promote my Guidesite at About.com — so if you’d like to know what’s going on in the World of Drama, by all means become a follower of my Twitter Page:

http://twitter.com/dramaplays

And speaking of About.com, I’ve been working on a Study Guide for “Death of a Salesman.” So far I’ve created the following articles:

Review of Death of a Salesman

Plot Summary of Death of a Salesman

Character Analysis of Linda Loman

Themes in Death of a Salesman

Pretty soon, I’ll be creating something called a Hub page that brings all the articles together onto one page.

Finally, I just updated my Homeschool Page. Basically I talk about how my recent good fortune (and subsequent happiness) have caused me to be a pretty lazy homeschool parent. But I’m getting back on track starting this Monday!

Hope all is well in your world.

Poetry Presentations: For poetry presentations students will select a single poem from the textbook. (Or – if you’d like to bring in a different poem you may… However, you will need to bring in enough copies for your fellow classmates.)
Read the poem aloud; then explicate the poem. Pay attention to:
Denotation –
Connotation –
Biographic Context
Social / Historical Context
Symbolism
Students will be expected to discuss their poems for about five minutes. So, choose a poem you feel is worthy of college level analysis. If you choose one that is too simplistic (or excessively complex) you may not get a very good grade.

Literary Analysis – Song Lyrics

Select a specific song writer whom you feel is worthy of college level analysis.

Write an essay that analyzes and evaluates the following:

• 1 – 3 songs by the artist (Denotation, Connotation, etc.)
And at least two of these components:
• Biographical Connections between the songwriter and his/her work
• Any social commentary found within the lyrics
• Any significant impact the artist has had on the lives of others
• Growth / transformation as a songwriter

Incorporate one primary source (the song lyrics) and at least two secondary sources. Be certain to include an MLA formatted Works Cited page. Essays without a Works Cited page will automatically lose 15% of the grade.

Peer Review: May 21st

Final Draft Due: June 2nd

Holy smokes! I’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting… and I can’t believe what just happened. I checked my email about ten minutes ago –

Low-and-behold guess what? Tricycle Press has offered to publish my picture book!

I called Abigail to thank her — I didn’t want to just email her a smiley face or something, I REALLY wanted to let her know how much I appreciate all the hard work she has put into the project — and really, she’s got more work ahead of her.

I can’t believe it.

In fact, maybe I shouldn’t believe it. About twenty ago, I fell asleep on the couch. Maybe I’m still napping and this is all a dream.

No. It’s not a dream. I just tried to fly and it didn’t work.

So it’s real. I’m going to be a published author! (Yes, I know, my plays are published… But this is a whole new world for me.)

I’m so happy I’m in giddy-school-boy mode.

I’m having a good day….

… I wonder what I should work on next.

Yes, that’s right… About a month ago I auditioned for “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” And I was pleasantly surprised to find that I not only got a part in the show, I landed my favorite role: “Hysterium.”

I’m a frenzied slave-in-chief who doesn’t get too much stage time (that would make me even more nervous) but gets a lot of funny bits… not the least of which will involve me wearing a dress. (Ugh — first Shakespearean tights, and now this!)

If you’re interested, and I’ll understand if you aren’t, it’s playing at the Canyon Theater Guild

Visit: www.canyontheatre.org

I’ve been very pleased to see that more than a few schools have been producing my one act: “Conflict.” Several drama troupes have performed the show at regional competitions.

Here’s an article about one such case:

Braham One-Act heads to subsection, presents ‘Torrent of conflicts’
Wednesday, 28 January 2009

Life needs conflict to make it interesting– or at the least, funny.

ImageThe Braham One-Act Play group explores those thoughts while presenting Wade Bradford’s comedy, Conflict, this competitive season. Continuing his progression as an actor, David Ramthun spins through an array of emotions over a chaotic lifetime as the lead character. Matching him well and keeping the play’s pace on the mark is narrator Samantha Dallman (pictured).

“The premise is the idea that a good story needs conflict in order to capture the audience’s attention. Through the narrator, we learn of the various conflicts expressed in literature from man vs. self to man vs. woman. Our protagonist, David Ramthun, encounters several antagonists on his journey through the 25-minute play,” described Braham director Jennifer Lundin.

Jake Frost adds depth as a mean-spirited cantaloupe farming rival. Krystal Constenius as a first-love, Courtney Brown as the mother, Josh Fike as the father, Grace Sundeen as a con artist, and Alex Jones as Zeus fill the remaining roles.

The Bombers hosted a Jan. 24 festival with Pine City, Rush City and Onamia. This Saturday, Jan. 31, the troupe travels to Howard Lake- Waverly for the 4A Subsection Festival as one of six competing schools.

The top two productions advance to the Section 4A contest at East Central Feb. 7. The Class A One-Act Festival is Feb. 13 at The O’Shaughnessy, The College of St. Catherine in St. Paul.

And the above photo is from another school… Buena, Arizona. Here’s their article…

Eng 101 Schedule:
Feb 16th: No School
Feb 18th: Persuasive Writing Workshop *

Feb 23rd: Paragraph Development Workshop *
Discuss: Field p. 1- 14
Feb 25th: In Class Diagnostic

March 2nd: Classic vs. Rogerian Argument Workshop
Discuss: Field p. 82 – 106
March 4th: Standing Debate
Discuss: Culture p. 211 – 230

March 9th: Discuss: Field p. 160 -167 & 239 – 249
March 11th: Peer Review – Bring Draft of Argument Essay
Discuss: Culture p. 13 – 37

March 16th: Proposal Workshop
March 18th: Argument Essay Due

March 23rd: Discuss Culture p. 84 – 99
March 25th: Compare / Contrast Workshop
Discuss Field p. 266 – 273

March 30th: In Class Essay
April 1st: Peer Review: Bring Draft of Proposal Essay

April 6th & 8th: NO SCHOOL

April 13th: Cause / Effect Workshop & Video Part I
April 15th: Proposal Essay Due & Video Part II

April 20th: Literary Analysis Workshop
April 22nd: Poetry Analysis Workshop
Discuss: Culture p. 569 – 574

April 27th: Process Analysis Workshop
April 29th: Narrative Writing Workshop
Discuss Field p. 304 – 312

May 4th: Division / Classification Workshop & Discuss Culture p. 403 – 412
May 6th: Definition Workshop & Discuss Field p. 275 – 284

May 11 & 13th: Oral Presentations

May 18th: Peer Review: Bring Literary Analysis Essay
May 20th: Discuss Potential In Class Essay Topics

May 25th: NO SCHOOL
May 27th: Literary Analysis Due

Time seriously needs to take a chill pill and slow down. What’s the rush? Why do my kids need to grow up so quickly? Is it really necessary for me to start looking like I’m in my late 30s? Isn’t there a pause button for life?

Anyway, at the end of the months, that’s when I start to realize — “Shoot! I wanted to get a whole bunch more writing and blogging done!” I often give myself deadlines, and usually the end of the month is the goal. For example — I was supposed to be done with my play, Promedy. That’s not going to happen by the end of today. Too much stuff going on.

But I did manage to crank out a few good blogs and articles toward the end of February. here they are for your reading pleasure:

Homeschooling:

The Gift of Spare Time

Should I Teach My Child a Second Language?

Falling in Love with Languages

Getting Your Kids to Write

Plays / Drama at About.com:

On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson

The Best of David Mamet’s Plays

As I stated in the previous email, I’m having a blast teaching British Lit. However, that does come with a price. I have to sharpen up my poetic lexicon (not to mention my math skills) and refresh my “meter memory.”

Here are some useful links:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/general/gl_meter.html

http://www.uncg.edu/~htkirbys/meters.htm

and

http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Terms/

I’m so honored to be teaching British Literature this semester. Here’s the schedule of what the class and I will be studying:

British Literature II: Reading and Assignment Schedule

The Romantic Period
Feb 26th:
Samuel Taylor Coleridge p. 446 – 466
• Kubla Khan
• Christabel
• Frost at Midnight

Lord Byron p. 607 – 614
• She walks in beauty
• They say that Hope is happiness
• When we two parted

Percy Shelley p. 741- 744 & 772-775 & 817 – 820
• Mutability
• Ode to the West Wind
• To a Sky Lark
• To Night

March 5th:
John Keats p. 878 -880 & 888 – 909
IN-CLASS ESSAY

March 12th:
Jane Austen p. 514 – 535
Dorothy Wordsworth p. 389 – 405
Letitia Elizabeth Landon p. 970 – 978

The Victorian Age
March 19th:
Elizabeth Barrett Browning p. 1077 – 1082
Alfred, Lord Tennyson p. 1109 – 1126
Robert Browning p. 1255 – 1256 (“My Last Duchess”)

March 26th: Victorian Issues
Poetry Analysis Essay Due
Industrialism: p. 1573 – 1580
“The Woman Question” p. 1581 – 1596

April 2nd:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde p. 1643 – 1685
Rudyard Kipling “If” p. 1821 – 1822

April 9th: NO SCHOOL

April 16th:
The Importance of Being Earnest p. 1698 – 1740

April 23rd:
Wuthering Heights (1st Half)

April 30th:
Wuthering Heights (2nd Half)

May 7th:
Thomas Hardy p. 1868 – 1872
Wilfred Owen p. 1971 – 1980
William Butler Yeats p. 2030 – 2041

May 14th:
James Joyce: “The Dead” p. 2172 – 2200
D.H. Lawrence: “The Horse Dealer’s Daughter” p. 2258 – 2269
Katherine Mansfield: “The Garden Party” p. 2346 – 2355

May 21st: Oral Presentations

May 28th: “The Modern Era” – Pages TBA

June 4th: Final In-Class Essay
Fiction Analysis Essay Due