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NewsNovember 14, 1997

A travelling theatrical troop entertained and educated some 700 high-school foreign-language students Thursday during bilingual performances at the A.C. Brase Arena Building. Nine actors and actresses delivered their lines in both English and Spanish during performances before beginning- and advanced-Spanish students from Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. The group performed the 17h century Spanish farce "Mananas de Abril y Mayo," or "Mornings of April and May."...

A travelling theatrical troop entertained and educated some 700 high-school foreign-language students Thursday during bilingual performances at the A.C. Brase Arena Building.

Nine actors and actresses delivered their lines in both English and Spanish during performances before beginning- and advanced-Spanish students from Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. The group performed the 17h century Spanish farce "Mananas de Abril y Mayo," or "Mornings of April and May."

The play relies heavily on shtick, or physical comedy to get its point across, said actor Christopher Williams. The high-paced production presents each scene in sequence so that students are able to follow the action, he said.

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Williams said purpose of the play, which is sponsored by the National Theatre of the Performing Arts, was twofold. "The point of this is it's an instructional tool to help kids to learn Spanish," he said. "It also serves as an outreach to areas of the country that may not otherwise have ready access to live theater."

Nearly all of the actors were aided by the fact that they grew up in bilingual homes or neighborhoods, Williams said. Two of the performers are native Spanish speakers; the others received help with their lines from a Spanish-speaking coach.

He said bilingual performances are important to students because they get away from the instructional component and actually get to hear the language.

"It's really just as important when you learn a language to hear it spoken," he said. "You're not worried about conjugating verbs or forming sentences. They get to see it and hear it in a context that hopefully helps them understand it better."

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