| REPORTER: |
Excuse me, sir. I'm a reporter from "The New York Times." |
| CARLOS: |
(With a smile.) Yes? |
| REPORTER: |
You're Carlos Gontow, the writer of the book "The Classroom is a Stage," right? |
| CARLOS: |
(Proud.) Yes, that's me. |
| REPORTER: |
Can I ask you some questions? |
| CARLOS: |
(Trying to be nice, because "The New York Times" is a famous newspaper.) Sure. Go ahead. |
| REPORTER: |
Where are you from? |
| CARLOS: |
I'm from, Brazil. |
| REPORTER: |
You're an English teacher and an actor, right? |
| CARLOS: |
That's right. |
| REPORTER: |
How long have you been an English teacher? |
| CARLOS: |
Since 1987. |
| REPORTER: |
And why did you decide to use theater to teach English? |
| CARLOS: |
(Thinks for a while.) Well, uh... I don't exactly know. I've always loved theater and ever since I was a young boy in school, I've always used theater in my presentations. |
| REPORTER: |
What do you mean? |
| CARLOS: |
When I was in school and I had to present a paper on something, let's say the discovery of America, I would put on a little play and tell the story in theater form. It was fun, and students who watched it had fun, too and learned a lot. So for me it was only natural to use theater to teach English. |
| REPORTER: |
And what are the advantages of using theater to learn English? |
| CARLOS: |
There are many advantages. (Thinks.) Uh... First of all, theater recreates life, and the language used in theater is very close to the language we use in real life. In real life, people hesitate... uh... make mistakes, forget what they were going to say... let me see... what else?... Well, they misunderstand each other, leave unfinished sentences, are interrupted by others... uh... I think that's it... Language in textbooks is "too perfect." |
| REPORTER: |
Too perfect? |
| CARLOS: |
Yeah, one line follows another without interruptions. You know exactly what the other person is going to say. Many times students have the feeling that they have to memorize the conversations in their textbooks and get frustrated when they are not able to follow them perfectly. In real life, there are many different ways to say the same thing, and you cannot control what the other person is going to say. You have to be ready to improvise. |
| REPORTER: |
But in theater you know what the other person is going to say. Don't you have to memorize the... the... what's it called? |
| CARLOS: |
The script. |
| REPORTER: |
Yes ... sorry... don't actors have to memorize the script? |
| CARLOS: |
Of course they do, but many times people forget the script, change words, use a synonym instead of the word that's written in the text. They have to improvise. And in real life they have to improvise, too. So this experience will prepare them for life. |
| REPORTER: |
That's interesting. |
| CARLOS: |
And in real life, when people communicate, they use gestures, facial expressions, body language, eye contact... uh... many other features of communication. In a classroom, many times students read a dialog looking at the book. They don't communicate to each other. They don't change the tones of their voices. They read the dialogs mechanically. That is very artificial. |
| REPORTER: |
And what other advantages are there? |
| CARLOS: |
Well, theater can increase students' motivation. |
| REPORTER: |
How? |
| CARLOS: |
Many students, especially young ones, learn English because their parents force them to. A lot of English students don't have a chance to travel to English speaking countries or speak to native speakers and never get a chance to put what they are learning into practice. It's common to see English students ask, "Why do I have to study English?" Parents say, "English is important for your future." But for them the future is tonight. They can't relate to an objective that is so far away from them. When we are rehearsing a play, they only think about the presentation of the play. They have to learn their lines and act them out well, because they want to look good on stage. They have an objective in mind when they come to the English class, "I have to study English to present this play." They'll really look forward to presenting it. And they learn English much faster when they're motivated. And most of all, theater is fun! |
| REPORTER: |
Fun? |
| CARLOS: |
(Smiles.) Sure! It's fun to pretend to be somebody else and say and do many things that you don't do in your everyday life. I like to say to my students that being an actor is not being afraid of the ridiculous. You can be ridiculous, you can say ridiculous things, because you are not you - you are the character you are playing. |
| REPORTER: |
And how about grammar? Do students learn grammar when they're acting? |
| CARLOS: |
Theater is a wonderful way to help students to learn structures. When they're acting, they don't think about grammar - they just worry about remembering their lines and acting. By repeating the same lines many times, they will eventually remember them and, consequently, acquire lots of grammar structures. And a funny thing that happens is that, at the end, all students know everybody's lines, so they learn much more. |
| REPORTER: |
I see. So how can teachers use the plays in your book? |
| CARLOS: |
Well, there are 40 short plays - sketches - in the book. Before each sketch there's a page with some information for teachers - the level of English, the grammar structures and vocabulary involved in the sketch, the recommended age for the students, the number of characters (with some suggestions to change it), suggestions for costumes, the playing time and some suggestions for production. It's very easy to find a play that is good for your students. And you can always adapt the stories. |
| REPORTER: |
How? |
| CARLOS: |
I included some plays which have different versions, with more or fewer characters, and more difficult or easier lines. They're examples of what teachers can do with all the plays - change them, include more things, omit things. Everything is possible. There are some sketches that were inspired by other plays and books, and I really hope teachers will be inspired to write or adapt their own sketches. |
| REPORTER: |
If teachers don't want to put on a show or simply don't have time to rehearse a play, can they still use your book? |
| CARLOS: |
Definitely! All the sketches can be done in the classroom, with very simple scenery and props. That's why the book is called "The Classroom is a Stage." You don't need a theater to use these plays. Teachers can simply have students read the plays in small groups. Students can present them in front of the class, just reading their lines. Teachers should encourage students to stand up, move, look at each other, touch each other, and raise their voices. They can also ask students to read a play and write a different version of the same story. Students can write it at home, then rehearse in class and present it at the end. |
| REPORTER: |
What else? |
| CARLOS: |
Well, they can always put on a show - a combination of many sketches - and present it. Parents love to see their children acting and speaking English on stage. You can do it as an extra-class activity and get students from different classes to put on a play and present it to the whole school. In this case, you can get students who don't want to act to be sound operators, backstage assistants, costume designers, or anything you can think of. You can have a school festival and have groups from different classes present their plays. There are so many possibilities! |
| REPORTER: |
Mr. Gontow... |
| CARLOS: |
(Interrupting him.) Call me Carlos, please. |
| REPORTER: |
Carlos, are the plays in this book only for children? |
| CARLOS: |
No, definitely not. There are many plays that can be used by teenagers and adults. I find, from my experience, that adult students love to role play and act. They have a great time rehearsing a play and presenting it, even if it's just a one-day activity and if they only present it in front of the class. |
| REPORTER: |
Well, thanks a lot for the interview. |
| CARLOS: |
Oh, you're welcome. It was a pleasure. |
| REPORTER: |
Bye. |
| CARLOS: |
Bye... (Calling, showing the book.) Hey, I have a copy of the book right here. Don't you want my autograph? |
| REPORTER: |
No, thanks. (Tries to leave.) |
| CARLOS: |
(Calling.) How about my picture? Don't you want to take my picture? (Dreaming, talking to himself.) Imagine that... my picture in "The New York Times..." Wow! |
