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Kelley Ryan, Clayton High School
Acting I, Advanced Acting, Directing Studio, Theatre Arts, Theatre Arts for English Language Learners, Shakespeare, Plays
Kelley Ryan learned the power of stories early in her teaching career. During college, she lived with her parents in Connecticut and worked 20 hours a week so she could afford to travel into the city to attend NYU. All this effort and sacrifice fueled Ryan’s desire to work with the experimental theater team at the school, where, finally, she won an internship.
“At that time they were working in a school in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, in an immigrant neighborhood that represented 56 languages and all these different cultures,” Ryan recalls. “We worked with the students to write and perform the story of what it was like to leave their country. It was called 'The Ellis Island Project.'”
Ryan had been hooked on theater since her junior year of high school, but this sealed the deal. “It was just one of those moments where your life takes a totally different turn,” she says.
Since 'The Ellis Island Project,' which she did in 1988, Ryan has helped her students to create much more than roles and scripts. Once, during a storytelling exercise in class, a student shared how his mother was raising him and his siblings singlehandedly. The student told how his mom worked full-time and would probably be too tired to make a Thanksgiving dinner.
“I approached him afterward and said, 'You know, I bet you could make the dinner.' We went to my office, looked up on the Internet about how to make turkey and stuffing, and printed out recipes. I told him that if he'd do this, I'd make one of my famous pies for dessert. He got this determined look, and he decided to do it. So I made the pie. This was years ago—and last week, he called me again to ask if I would take a look at the screenplay he’s writing. I just made a pie, and I have this kid forever. We'll be in touch for life.”
Ryan hopes that, especially during her advanced classes, students “develop an eye for what's true” and an ability to communicate it with others. “I also try to instill the ability to hear, give and internalize critical comments on performance without taking it personally,” she says. “Academically, that's key.”Advertisement
Over the course of her whole curriculum, she says, “I want them to understand that stories are important to the quality of our lives—that theatre brings joy and beauty, as well as challenge and the power to change things.” Just like somebody we could name.
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