Brooklyn Community High School of Communications, Arts & Media (BCAM), Arts & Media, Bedford-Stuyvesant, District 13

Coe Booth, Tyrell: A performance workshop.

Visit 1: December 8, 2009

Several years ago, Behind the Book brought Coe Booth and her book Tyrell to the 9th
grade at BCAM. The book was such a hit among the student body that the administration
decided to include it in their English curriculum. Every year since then, the 9th grade
waits in anticipation for their chance to meet Ms. Booth. Tyrell is the story of a 15 year
old boy in the Bronx dealing with living in a homeless shelter, raising a younger brother,
having a father in jail and an irresponsible mother.

During Ms. Booth’s visit, students performed a reader’s theater, where groups of students
interpreted a passage of the book and turned it into a short theater performance. They
also had a fiery question and answer session, where students challenged the author to
think about gender roles in her book, asked her opinion on their essay theses and begged
for some insider information about the sequel to Tyrell. As their final project, students
wrote analytical essays about Tyrell.

A student reads from Tyrell.		Patricia McCormick speaks to the BCAM class.
Three young men perform their short theater performance as their classmates look on.		Next, the young women take the stage to show their interpretation of Tyrell.

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