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Library offers acting, learning
at 'Le Café Fou'
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 14, 2004
Kirsten Sorenson
At their young ages, 7-year-old Jessica Lasman, 10-year-old Chaz Malcolm and
11-year-old Rebecca Udall are still mastering the basics of English.
But these three East Valley students, along with about a dozen more, have been
cast in a comedic play Thursday at the Southeast Regional Library. What's more,
the play is not performed in English, but in French.
The performance, Le Café Fou (The Crazy Cafe), is the brainchild of Lynne
Johnson, who works in yuth services at the library. This is the third time
Johnson has written, cast, rehearsed and directed a French play performed at
Southeast Regional, 775 N. Greenfield Road.
She speaks fluent French and believes children benefit from exposure to another
language.
"Kids mostly get exposure to Spanish in school," Johnson said. "They don't get
French exposure until they get to high school."
The younger a student is when they try to learn a foreign language, the easier
it can be, according to Johnson.
She recorded on cassette tapes the lines each young actor was to speak in French
and has been working with them on accents and emphasis.
The actors in the French drama troupe have equal parts in Le Café Fou.
Although the play is billed as a French drama, it actually has a humorous bent,
with the actors performing exaggerated expressions and pausing for audience
reaction.
Most of the students can speak a little Spanish, but none has ever been exposed
to French.
"It's sometimes hard to understand what you are saying," said Lasman, a
home-schooled student who plays the waitress, Camille.
Malcolm, a student at Oak Tree Elementary in Gilbert, has French ancestors.
"I wanted to learn French because I'm part French," he said.
Malcolm plays Jacques, a patron of the cafe.
Udall, who attends Entz Elementary in Mesa, has learned a little bit of Spanish
and also German. She plays Chloe, another cafe patron.
It's doubly difficult for the young students, who not only must speak their
parts in French, but also must act their parts. This is the first acting job for
most of them.
Johnson spent a recent rehearsal teaching the actors blocking - where they must
stand when and to never turn their backs on the audiences - and even worked with
one student, who plays a waiter, on how to take believable pratfalls.
The play is 7 p.m. Thursday at the library's assembly room.
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