Play in a Day

Play in a Day is an engaging, entertaining, and interactive workshop/assembly for students of all ages that has been performed in hospitals, schools, parks, and libraries. Audiences will see their peers join Play in a Day creator Elizabeth Keiser in performing a live play for the very first time right before their eyes! In Play in a Day, participants learn new vocabulary, and conflict resolution. Students who don’t usually participate can step out of their boxes, and their peers and teachers can witness them achieving new types of greatness. This program is a great opportunity for a classroom of students interested in theater to perform for their school community, and it is a flexible, interactive model in which all of the audience members are able to participate in some shape or form. Using music and quick transitions, Play in a Day is always fun for all!

The first step to Play in the Day is a conversation with the school coordinator and Elizabeth Keiser to find out what kind of play the school community is looking for. For many assemblies, the content is determined based on who is attending the show, and the performance is chosen from a library of pre-recorded plays. On the day of the program, Elizabeth brings a soundtrack of the narrative for the play and directs students into a live organized show on stage. Play in a Day is a live, participatory program for children and adults, Teachers are strongly encouraged to participate!

Play in a Day Examples:

• A donor for the Providence Community Libraries wished to contribute his beloved wife’s work in the libraries. Play in a Day recorded an interview with him and participants portrayed him, his wife, and the surrounding library characters in real time, along with music, dance, and improvisation.
• A school commissioned Play in a Day to tackle some behavior challenges such as working in small groups and sharing. Play in a Day wrote a piece that deglamorized actions that are not inclusive, and devised kinesthetic and listening games to act out with music onstage.