By DANIELLE GARRAND
The Theatrical Outreach Program (TOP) has been an official Fordham club only since the fall of 2010, but in the past three years they have made an invaluable contribution to the Fordham and Bronx communities.
TOP’s mission statement is “to bring classic works of theatre to students of the Bronx community as well as the Fordham community” according to its OrgSync page, but it is not as easy as it sounds. Each semester, TOP performs two classic pieces of theatre to children in the Bronx community as well as a performance of each show on the Fordham campus. Before the shows are even chosen, however, the club’s counsel narrows a selection of seven classic shows down to three. Then the shows are presented to the general board and two are chosen. From there the intense job of abridging difficult works, such as last semester’s shows Pygmalion and A Christmas Carol, begins.
For four to six weeks, members of the club meet twice a week to make the scripts more understandable for young audiences who have never been exposed to complicated works of theatre before. Current President Jenna Isabella, FCRH ‘13, said that the main goal of the editing sessions is to “retain meaning and preserve the meter. There are a lot of checks and balances. We never want to get rid of a character. We make sure to make the characters are really clear in the first few scenes so they[the Bronx school children] can follow along.” After the script is finished, the student director holds open auditions, and a cast of 14 to 20 people is chosen.
Throughout the rehearsals, the cast and production team also plan activities to do with the kids during the two-hour visit. Usually, the show takes about an hour and the last hour is spent “getting them to see from the other side of the stage,” as Isabella said. In the past, members have done workshops, Q& A sessions with the kids, stage combat training and have let the kids read from the scripts. It was during these sessions with Bronx school children that Isabella had one of her favorite memories: “One kid was amazed that we were students. It dawned on him that he could do something of that scope; that moment of excitement that theatre is something that anybody can give a go.”
Through all of the shows and community outreach, Isabella, who has been a member of the club since she played Juliet in Romeo and Juliet as a sophomore, explained that the club “is a family” that is definitely worth being a part of. The nation seems to be catching the TOP fever as well. Founder of the club, Ryan Adams, FCRH ‘11, who now attends Harvard Divinity school, was asked if TOP could be turned into a nationwide club represented at colleges all around the country.
In less than the time it takes to get a diploma, TOP has taught Bronx children that theatre is accessible for all and made it possible for them to understand works that some adults cannot fully comprehend, while catching national attention. TOP definitely deserves a standing ovation.
This semester’s shows:
Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
William Shakespeare’s Two Gentlemen of Verona
Auditions for Two Gentlemen of Verona- week of March 3rd(Days TBD)
