Dear First Period 9th Graders and Families,
I'm delighted to report that we are finally taking our Greek Field Trip! Now it's all Greek to me!
On Tuesday, May 14, at 9:30 a.m., we will climb onto a district school bus and cruise over to Minneapolis, to the Guthrie Theatre. Our plan? To fulfill our hopes and dreams that linger after reading The Odyssey this winter by seeing an extraordinary performance of Homer's epic poem, The Iliad -- to wit, the Guthrie's amazing new production, An Iliad!
The play, which stars Guthrie veteran Stephen Yoakam in a one-man rendition of Homer's vast poem, begins at 10:30 a.m. and ends, ninety-five minutes later, at 12:10 p.m. Stephen performs another matinee of An Iliad that afternoon, so we may or may not see him immediately after the show on May 14; however, Stephen has told me personally that he wants to meet our 9th graders and hear their impressions of An Iliad, so we may need to create a special arrangement to meet him... a live Skype connection to & from our classroom, perhaps!
In any case, the show ends at 12:10 p.m. that day.
From the Guthrie, we will take our time returning to WHS, because after all, when you see a Greek play you should have a Greek lunch. With that noble end in mind, we hope to stop at an affordable Greek place on our way back after the show, so I'm shopping around on the phone for a terrific & affordable place that can take thirty-four of us. It's Greek to Me, in South Minneapolis, is an old personal favorite, but we can check other options: perhaps there's one that you know!
When all is said and done, we'll return to school that day near the beginning of 6th Period. Students should carefully check with teachers in advance of this trip - especially 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Period teachers on May 14 - to start thinking ahead about homework, teachers' expectations for make-up work, and all the rest. Teachers respect our field trips the most when students anticipate classroom obligations and take care of them.
This is going to be a wonderful experience. I currently have room for two (2) additional parent chaperones, and I will happily bring the first two who apply. 651-768-5406. Chaperones' bus and theater tickets are complementary.
I will post additional material for this trip, but the big push now is to get Permission Forms and $$ together for this trip. Please see my ClassJump site for our course and click on this link: ClassJump. The document is called AAAAA GUTHRIE PERMISSION FORM. (On my computer, it's just above the box for Great Expectations!)
Families, please feel free to call if you have any questions or concerns about this adventure. In the days ahead, our class will discuss Homer, the history of the Guthrie in the Twin Cities, theatre etiquette, the great Robert Fagles (Stephen and his team have faithfully adapted this rendition from Fagles), and many other topics. And we will post online!
For example, this is the Guthrie's link to the production.
Best wishes,
Mr. Bratnober
Woodbury English Dept.
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