About Cosmic Capers
Cosmic Capers is a creative drama program for young children. We provide creative drama classes based on Winifred Ward’s principals for teaching drama. Our methods and practices stem directly from Ms. Ward’s seminal works in this field and the continued leadership that has been carried through to the present by the creative drama practitioners at Northwestern University.
Cody Cosmic is the owner and founder of Cosmic Capers and has been teaching creative drama classes in Dallas since 2013. Before moving to Dallas, Cody managed education programs for Chicago Shakespeare Theater and Creede Repertory Theatre.
Cody developed her creative drama skill set by studying closely with Rives Collins, one of the premier practitioners of creative drama in the country. Cody holds a master’s degree in Theatre from Northwestern University.
Most Common Question: What is Creative Drama? (And why should I care?)
Cody’s answer:
Creative drama can be described a few different ways. It is story telling through improvisation. It is problem-solving in role — the wolf is at your door, little pig, what’s your next move?
Using stories, simple costumes, and face paint, creative drama invites students to investigate situations, characteristics, and emotions in role. It’s a dynamite way to be a trickster spider, an astronaut searching for a lost moonbeam, or a magician with too many rabbits and not enough carrots.
Whether a student is shy, brave, or a little of both, he or she can learn and grow by spending time as a little pig living on its own for the first time.
Creative drama creates an environment of instant engagement because young children are masters of play. And at the early childhood stage, raising engagement is critical. Students with high levels of engagement will head into their school programs with much more success because they are already practiced in the skills needed for group learning.
And because the fun of the drama engages students’ bodies and minds, the students begin to develop stamina with attention span, body control, and intentional participation at an accelerated rate.
Creative drama classes succeed in bringing out a child’s confidence and strengths because each improvised story begins with acknowledging the strengths that children already possess.
