Kimmel Center 2011 Dream Flag
Celebration Details:
Location:
The Philadelphia Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts,
Commonwealth Plaza-- located at the intersection of Spruce
Street and Broad Street in Center City Philadelphia.
Commonwealth Plaza is the large glass-enclosed lobby area of
the Kimmel Center. There is a stage on the south side of the
Commonwealth Plaza, and our registration desk will be next
to it.
Kimmel Center web site:
http://www.kimmelcenter.org/
Kimmel Center directions web page:
http://www.kimmelcenter.org/planning/findus.php
Kimmel Center Visitor Services phone number: 215-670-2327
Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm
Transportation:
Bus drop-off can be on Broad Street (two-way) or Spruce
Street (one-way east.). It’s probably easier on Broad since
it’s a wider street. Parking is available at several area
garages. It is pricey.
If you use public transportation, you can walk to the Kimmel
Center from Suburban Station or from PATCO station on Locust
St. It is a ten to fifteen-minute walk. You can also get off
at the Walnut-Locust stop on the Broad Street subway. It’s a
two-minute walk from there.
Who can come:
Whoever would like to from your community. It’s free and
open to the public.
Who can participate:
All 2011 Dream Flag groups are invited to participate.
We encourage all groups to send students and teachers
to participate directly
if at all possible . Groups who can not attend because of
distance or other reasons are invited to send Dream Flag
Lines to be included when we connect them at the Kimmel
Center and to send poems to be displayed at the event.
All students present can participate
in several ways. There is a pre-program "Open
Mike" where any interested poet can read his or
her work. Also, every group needs flags holders
for the connection ceremony. This means that they have to hold up the school’s
Dream Flag Line for display at a certain point in the
program. They’re also there to cheer on their school’s
readers. In addition, this year, we hope that schools may
learn “The Dream Flag Song” in advance and help sing it at a
certain point in the program.
Who can read a poem
from the stage:
Each school will be asked to have a few poets read (or send
a few poems to be read.)
Each school
attending (or sending poems) can have between 2 poets/poems representing the school.
This allows our program to be an appropriate length for
participants of all ages.
Pre-Program
Activities
These activities provide additional ways to feature
student poetry and share more information about The Dream
Flag Project at your school. All are free unless stated
otherwise.
"Open mike" Poetry
There will be an area for students to informally share
poetry from a podium (without an actual microphone).
Audience will stand to listen. Any interested students can
bring a paper copy of her/his poem to share in this forum.
It will be moderated by a Dream Flag Event staff person.
Create Your
Dream Flag Button
This is an activity in which students can
decorate a Dream Flag Project Button form, then
make it into a button to wear and keep using our
button maker. Help is provided.
Group Dream
Flag Art
This year we'll have a group project going
in which all interested students can take time
to add a piece to a collective Dream Flag sheet.
We'll have the markers, etc.
Dream Flag
Tee Shirt Sales
2011 Dream Flag Tee Shirts will be on sale
for $10. We'll have them in Med. and L Youth
sizes and in L and XL Adult sizes. They can be
decorated and have a space for you to add a poem
(see below).
Your Dream
Poem on A Dream Flag Shirt
Students can copy their own dream flag poem
onto a writeable area on the back of a Dream
Flag shirt. The art activity is free. We'll have
the makers, etc. to do the job.
Program
The formal
program starts with introductions and teaching of "The Dream
Flag Song." This is followed by readings from student poets
representing each school. Poems are accompanied by
improvisational music from University of the Arts artist
Manfred Fischbeck and friends. Following the readings,
students go to their Dream Flag Lines (already laid out
around the balconies) to hold them up for display. Each
school is called out, celebrated, and ties it's line to the
next in a symbolic connection of all our dreams. We conclude
with brief closing remarks and singing of "The Dream
Flag Song."
Following the program, schools collect up the Flag Lines.
Those who will have them displayed by The Dream Flag Project
at the Philadelphia Free Library exhibition will leave them with Event Staff at the
Registration Table. ALSO, those who have Dream Flags
to go to Nepal will leave them at the
Registration table as well. (We can take 5 from
each school.) See
this flyer for details.
Timing:
1:30 At least one person from each school should be
at the Kimmel Center with all of the Dream Flag Lines from
the school. That person will register the school,
receive the school packet, and then
set up the Dream Flag Lines. (This takes a WHILE with so
many flags to set up.)
2:00 Pre-Program Activities begin.
2:30 All
students from the school should arrive by
11:30 to get familiar with what to do for poem reading, flag
displays, and singing (if applicable.) Students have to
be chaperoned by adults from their school community.
3:00 Program begins.
4:30 Program concludes.
4:30 to 5:00 Breakdown. Schools are asked to leave
the flags out for about fifteen minutes to allow the
audience to walk around and view them.
By 5:00, Dream Flag lines should be packed up by
schools.
Schools who wish to have their flags go on exhibition
at The Free Library of Philadelphia will deliver them to the registration
desk. Flags get mailed back to schools after exhibition.
(More details on this later.)
Other schools should take the Dream Flags home.
Food:
Students
may have some kind of snack. . The Kimmel Center
has a snack bar with sandwiches, beverages and
cookies, but it’s pricey. It’s a good idea for
students to have their snack between 2 and 3.
FAQ on
Kimmel Center Celebration
How do you choose the readers?
Should we invite parents?
How should we pack the flags?
Can we bring food?
Why do we have to be there so early?
Who is responsible for the children?
Can schools bring busses?
Can students come and participate without
adults?
Why is this on a Saturday?
How much time should I allow for parking on a
Saturday morning?
Can we take public transportation?
What happens to the flags after the celebration?
How do you choose the readers?
Schools choose readers in different ways,
depending on the age of the students and other
factors. First, you have to know which students
definitely can attend. From those, some schools
pick names from a hat; some have students vote
to elect their two poet representatives; some
award the chance to students who seem most
deserving; and some have teachers read nominated
poems “blind” (without names), and select those
they consider the best.
Should we invite parents?
Yes. This is a great event for parents and
families to attend. The Kimmel Center atrium is
very large. Seating, however, is limited, so
parents should know they may have to stand.
Those for whom seating is a priority should try
to arrive early. We will send a sample letter
for inviting parents and students soon.
How
should we pack the flags?
The best way is to accordion fold the flags and
then clip them. Put them in paper bags with your
school’s name on each bag. Try to keep lines
less than 20 feet or so to make packing (and
displaying) easier. Leave a foot at either end
for easy tying. See our sheet of
Making a Dream Flag Line for more
information.
Can
we bring food?
Yes, you can bring food, and it’s definitely
a good idea since your children (and you) will
be there at least from 2:30 to 4:30 or 5:00.
There is some food for sale at the Kimmel
Center, but it is expensive.
Why
do we have to be there so early?
A teacher needs to be at the Kimmel with
your flags by 1:30 because we have to carefully
lay out all of the flag lines in order along the
balcony floors before 3:00. We will have
between 2,000 and 3,000 flags to lay out in an
hour and a half. We have an event staff of
about 20 to help schools lay out their flags in
time for the start. Students need to be there by
2:30 so they will know where to go when it’s
time to connect the flags and so they will know
what to do if they are readers. Also, being
there early allows students to see and
appreciate each other’s work.
Who is responsible for the children?
This is not a school field trip; it is a
public event. Each school is responsible for
its own students. Most schools require the
parents or other responsible adults accompany
and look after each child or small group of
children. The Dream Flag Project is not
responsible for any supervision of students, and
The Kimmel Center requires that students behave
appropriately—no running, loud behavior, etc.
Can
students come and participate without adults?
No. No student may participate unless he or
she is accompanied by a responsible adult. This
is for safety and to comply with Kimmel Center
requirements.
Can
schools bring busses?
Yes, schools can, and they have done so in
the past. Drop off is easiest along Broad Street
since it’s wider. than Spruce. Busses have to
find their own parking during the celebration.
Pick-up can also be along Broad Street.
Why is
this on a Saturday?
The Kimmel Center allows us to use their
space at no cost. The time they can offer us is
always a Saturday. It is part of the “Free in
the Commons” program, offering free community
events each Saturday in the Commonwealth Plaza
of the Kimmel Center. This year, we regret that
we are scheduled for the weekend of Mother's
Day, but hope that families can attend anyway
since Mother's Day is on Sunday. It was the only
available date available to us.
How much time should I allow for parking on a
Saturday morning?
Allow at least 15 minutes to park, get your
ticket, and comfortably walk to the Kimmel
Center. If you’re driving from the west, allow
at least 20 minutes to get from I-76 to the
Kimmel Center. Traffic can be dense on Saturday
morning. There are several lots in the area.
Please see the
Kimmel Center site for details.
Can we take public transportation?
Yes, you can. If you’re coming from the suburbs,
you can take SEPTA or PATCO. You get off at
SEPTA’s Suburban Station or from PATCO station
on Locust St. It is a ten to fifteen-minute
walk. If you’re in the city, you can use the
Broad Street line and get off at the
Walnut-Locust stop. It’s a two-minute walk from
there. If you take the Market Street line (the
El), get off at City Hall. It’s a ten-minute
walk.
What
happens to the flags after the celebration?
After the celebration concludes at 4:30,
schools collect up their flags and repack them.
Schools who wish to have their flags in Dream
Flag Project Exhibition at the Free Library of
Philadelphia Main Branch deliver them to
the registration desk. This will be installed in
their main entrance on May 22 and remain up
through mid-summer. Flags will be mailed back
next fall.
