Agatha Rex by Lindsay Price is a bold high school take on Antigone - packed with heart, conflict, and a powerhouse ensemble. One girl. One stand. One huge risk. *NEW COMPETITION VERSION AVAILABLE!*
Jessica Stafford of Owensboro Middle School was in the middle of rehearsing Hoodie for the KTA middle school festival. She generously shared this “Positive and Negative Post-it Exercise” she used with her cast.
“Students write on post-it notes the negative words they have heard from others about themselves and the negative words they think of when they look in the mirror. They are only allowed one word or phrase per post-it. The post-its are placed on a large piece of orange paper hung on the wall. Students then write positive words they have heard from others or think of when they look in the mirror. These are placed on a large piece of blue paper hung on the wall.”
The purpose of the exercise was to gather words for a specific scene in the play about personal perception, and the assignment raised a variety of reactions.
“The kids loved and hated this assignment at the same time. They found it so incredibly easy to come up with the negative and hateful words but needed prompting from myself and others in order to find the positives. I think they were relieved to see they weren’t the only ones with the same negatives. I promised them I would do my post-its, too. I told them that adults can walk the same walk – positive and negative.”
The exercise was used in a rehearsal setting but it certainly could be adapted to the drama classroom. It’s an exercise that explores how students feel about themselves, how others feel about themselves, and helps establish empathy for others.