Living statues come alive at market

Saturday, Sept. 25 marked the third year for Francesca Sobrer's "Living Statues" at the Bloomington Farmers Market. The Bloomington High School North drama teacher incorporates the European concept into her curriculum as a fundraiser for her theater program.\n"I lived in Spain and was taken by all of the statues in Europe," Sobrer said. "I decided that the concept of living statues would be perfect for my class."\nLast weekend, a group of 55 of Sobrer's advanced theater and production students stood in the market as entertainment. They stood as still as statues, yet they were able to stretch their performance talents as the afternoon went on. They will reprise their performances Saturday at the Bloomington Farmers' Market.\n"Each student must choose his or her own concept of the statue, set and costume," Sobrer said. "They come up with poses ,and they must hold these poses until someone comes up and puts money in their basket."\nThe concepts range from The Beatles to "The Wizard of Oz" and each pose becomes more and more creative.\n"They are so creative. We have students posing as The Beatles and a group of girls posing as their fans," Sobrer said.\nThe students prepared for the first five weeks of school through a number of acting exercises. The students stretched and worked on holding their bodies in certain positions for an extended period of time. They also practiced holding their facial expressions as well as communicating those expressions to the audience.\n"They enjoyed the challenges they faced. It became almost a meditation," Sobrer said. "The kids do a very clever job. I enjoy teaching it as much as they enjoy performing"