Limelight - Perfect (lots of) Picture(s) Book Friday

Veering off into the graphic novel arena this week, because I want everyone to cheer on Renée LaTulippe’s book about musical theater, releasing October 28th! It’s fun. It’s poetry. It’s catnip for kids who love performing, and it gives non-theater kids an inkling about what it takes to put on a show. One of the answers is LOTS of people.

But the book also speaks to how watching a live performance can generate empathy for characters and their lives in ways similar to books, by pulling the viewer inside someone else’s world—only with characters who are breathing the same air in a darkened space, creating a potentially transformative experience. And it can be transformative not just for a viewer, but also for the actors.

Now, in addition to having all of this “going on,” the book also includes descriptions of the different poetic forms used throughout. And as anyone who’s ever take a Lyrical Language Lab class knows—Renée’s an expert! Nuff said. English Language Arts teachers take note!

Divided into three acts (as any good book about the theater should be), Act I, aptly titled, “Putting It Together,” starts with “The Audition.”

Text ©Renée LaTulippe Illus. Chuck Gonzales

Oh, how I remember auditioning for plays in high school…and later while I was in college. It was such a thrill to get a part! Woohooo!!! Even though I knew it wasn’t my calling, those experiences helped change me and how I viewed the world. But back to the book….

In a purposeful, and interesting choice, Act I rehearsal scenes/poems are colored in shades of blue. They include the audition, the director’s repeated requests to “take it from the top,” tips from a script, tap dancing, and a few words from the rehearsal piano. When we reach Act II, yellow enters the picture, illuminating the stage. In this act, the stage, costumes, scenery, flier, lights, orchestra pit, stage crew, and curtain get their say.

When we reach Act III, it’s showtime!, and full color splashes across the page. A perfect metaphor for how a show comes to life during a performance. The theater, a dressing room mirror, an understudy, the stage manager, a seat, the actors, and applause all get their moments in the spotlight, so to speak. And then it’s a very satisfying ending when the curtain falls.

In the graphic novel section of the book, each poem is fully illustrated. Afterward, in a section called “Backstage,” the poems are shown as text-only, allowing the reader to focus solely on the lines. This is important if you want to understand their underlying structures (described by Renée in the back matter), along with a glossary of theater terms….oh, and for those who love felines in their literature (and theaters), yes, a theater cat appears throughout the story. A fun touch!

Now for a peek at a poem without the illustration:

Bravi! Renée and Chuck!! You’ve brought the theater to life!

Activities:

Pick one of your favorite books that has dialogue between two characters, preferably if those characters are not happy with each other for whatever reason. Work with a friend to memorize the dialogue and act it out as a scene. Choose a monologue, if you prefer to act alone.

Watch this video of a tap dancer moving to the rhythm of Renée’s words as she reads one of her poems, Betty’s Tap Shoes. Why do you think the author used the Abstract/Sound form for this poem?

Pick a scene or setting from one of your favorite books. Take a shoebox and turn it into a theater set for that scene. Here’s a video to give you ideas on how to start.