AfricanTide Union e.V. and the Anne Frank Comprehensive School worked together with a group of 22 students for around six months on the theater play “Straight from the Heart.”

The students from the fifth and sixth grades, aged between 10 and 13, collaborated on this project during afternoon lessons, supported by their homeroom teacher.

To introduce the children to theater work, the actor Mr. Sulaimon first carried out theater-pedagogical exercises with them. The focus of these exercises was on body awareness and concentration. Since the children lacked prior experience in this area, this preparatory work was necessary and took about eight double lessons. The process was made more challenging by the fact that seven of the children, due to behavioral difficulties in the area of “emotional and social deficits,” required particular attention.

Afterwards, ideas for the theme of the performance were collected. The children were able to identify with the content of the play, as diversity and multicultural coexistence are already part of their daily school life. To deepen their engagement, the students painted pictures that illustrated the various aspects of the presentation. In addition, Mr. Sulaimon gave them the opportunity to explore the theme through improvisation exercises.

Since the primary focus was on language, the children initially worked with texts that seemed difficult to understand, in order to transform the project into an appropriate form using their own creative expressions.

In a second phase, the participants were divided into three working groups according to their interests. One group, under the guidance of a theater scholar, developed the script for the musical, which was later brought to life through acting. Another group composed their own lyrics and melodies for music and rehearsed the songs they had created, supported by a music teacher. Thanks to existing partnerships with other schools, the students had access to a wide range of instruments.

A third group, supported by a staff member from AfricanTide Union e.V., created the costumes and stage design. All choreographies were rehearsed collectively as a whole community.

This integrative project led to intercultural exchange among all participants, which was clearly reflected in the feedback from the audience at the final performance in October 2012 in Dortmund.

A continuation of this project would be highly desirable, so that other students can also have the opportunity to develop their creativity.