Playwright aims to show reality of teaching

Deseret News
Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009 12:59 p.m. MDT
By Wendy Leonard

Making Waves," a new play showing Saturday at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, is a look inside the lives of teachers.

"It's what we think about, how we act and what we deal with on a daily basis," said educator-playwright Heidi Van Ert.

In what has been described as the " 'Vagina Monologues' meets 'The Colbert Report' meets 'The Laramie Project,' " Van Ert said her new production is intended to move anyone interested in education to action. It was written to cause state leaders and others to think about the value of good teachers, to attract young people into the profession and to encourage good teachers to continue what they're doing.

"It's to help everyone see a slice of reality" but makes sure to show the point of it all in the end, she said, adding that the acting is done in a reader's theater style."It's the truth, but it's more on the edge," Van Ert said.

Five years ago, Van Ert sent out a message to various teachers she thought might want to get involved. What resulted was a collection of stories about teaching, written by three teachers who are all Westminster College alumni. That group included Van Ert, an education professor at Westminster; Katharine Dalton, a fifth-grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in the Salt Lake School District; and Amanda Waterhouse, a Denver-based drama, English and theater teacher.

In one of the play's vignettes, a teacher in her first year of teaching who is pregnant is asked to deal with some violence in the hallway. The play shows how she responds to a situation that is all too common in schools. In another scene, a teacher shows the audience how to fold an origami crane.

"The overwhelming response has been 'Oh my goodness, somebody sees how well we're doing,' " Van Ert said of the variety of audience feedback from the play's first several productions performed by the Wasatch Theatre Company. Audiences at the sold-out shows have been seen laughing, crying, nodding and shaking their heads at the play's escapades.

Van Ert said she hopes the play spreads across the country, incorporating new stories about teaching, which will ultimately result in different versions of the play in every town.

"We believe there is a perfect storm brewing," she said. "Fifty percent of teachers quit within the first three to five years of teaching, and currently there are more and more Baby Boomers leaving the profession for early-retirement options."

Classrooms, she said, will end up being empty because of the experienced and inexperienced teachers' leaving.

"Making Waves" earned its way to the stage after winning audiences and directors over at a playwright festival almost two years ago. Wasatch Theatre Company picked it up and quickly cast it for production.

Van Ert said the hope is that the idea catches on – much like the model of Eve Ensler's "Vagina Monologues," which portrays real stories from real women all over the world, submitted online to a collective Web site.

"We do want bright and creative people in this profession," she said.

The group is not looking to become famous over the work but hopes to spread the real message of why they began teaching in the first place.

The final performance of "Making Waves" by the Wasatch Theatre Company is Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, 138 W. Broadway, Salt Lake City, at 1 p.m. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at www.arttix.org.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705332186/Playwright-aims-to-show-reality-of-teaching.html?pg=1