I Was a Drama Coach

Lights. Camera. Action! These boys are crazy. I know because I am their drama teacher. They are eight and nine and fearless. I have to keep them happy and alive for an hour. They threw out my ideas the first week. This is week three. I dare not turn my back. They will turn this classroom into a skateboard park. I let them run with their ideas. Encourage improvisation. Gloat in their happiness. Every performance different than the one before. Final performance outstanding. Nothing I had ever seen. The parents could not believe they wanted it to go on forever. But they did. They are eight. I had given them all kinds of power. One dad said “I request that it be over” when they asked parents to shout out requests. For that dad it will never be over. His son lives on the streets. Getting work in plays. Doing standup. Doing improvisation at clubs. This dad had no idea what was happening back then. His son is twenty-three, still doing improv. I gloat, taking full credit.