←Recommendations of Yeah, Art Figures

As a pedagogue and artist, I found myself nodding non-stop while reading this play - not just because I agreed with the points being made, but because I felt like I knew all of the thoughtfully-drawn, complex educators at the center of this story. The real magic trick is that a character I despised at the beginning became a character I was rooting for by the end...which is sort of the thesis of the play - empathy, empathy, empathy! I think this should be required reading for new teachers!

I had the pleasure of reading YEAH, ART FIGURES for a contest. Very rarely does a short piece have so much to say in such a fun and elegant manner. I absolutely love the richly drawn characters and the dialogue is spot-on perfectly natural. So well done. I hope this is staged near me so I can see it - or better yet, give me the opportunity to play FRANK. This is a wonderfully written play certain to entertain (and educate) audiences while providing actors with meaty material.

This play is certainly timely given our current state of education. Rather than depressing the audience, Ruyle provides us a story that gives us the optimism needed in raising the next generation by asking what it means to be a true educator in today's society.

As teachers, we learn theories: Gardner's multiple intelligences, Maslow's hierarchy of needs...and the keystone to them all is compassion. Jason standing at mindless attention is not what this--or any country or child--needs. Compassion is the key. While it's easy to blame technology, the solution is always a human one: a passionate teacher with compassion and financial support. This play--performed live to an ever changing audience with their own different biases, perceptions, educational experiences--gets that. Bravo. I enjoyed the world premiere and look forward to hearing more about it soon.

As a teacher, this play felt like everything I've been saying to people for years. It shows both sides of an issue that a lot of people have strong feelings about, and displays how care, kindness, and empathy can truly be what gets a student to participate and do better in class. I loved how fleshed out and complex the two main characters felt-- honestly, I connected to Joni very deeply. It made the issue very real to see it discussed between two people whom it affects every day. Brilliant. Non-teachers should definitely read!

For anyone distraught about the state of education today, this clever little piece offers a dose of optimism and encouragement. What draws in the audience is that everyone--for better or for worse--has had at least one of these teachers regardless of when and where they grew up. Technology may have changed, but the teachers--not so much. How cool to finally get a clue as to what goes on in the teachers' lounge! This play is always moving and so engaging that audience members will feel like students who want to keep up!

Very thoughtful and absorbing play set in the teacher’s lounge of a contemporary public high school. Ruyle pits six teachers with different teaching philosophies and techniques in a lively argument that exposes the cracks in our narrow thinking about educating a new generation. Joni, a holistic humanist, wins that day as she penetrates the hardened heart of burnt-out math teacher Frank. And the never-seen Jason, a remarkable student facing domestic struggles, takes center stage (despite never taking the stage), reminding the teachers—and us—to think outside the box. Never didactic, YEAH, ART FIGURES gets an A.

This play is so brilliantly crafted. The dialogue is some of the most natural dialogue I've encountered in a long while, and it is all about intelligence. How everyone is intelligent in different ways. And not in the "we're all special" kind of way, but how everyone reaches the answers to the same question via different mental paths. Art, music, math, athletics, they're all connected. And to say one has less value than another is just, like, wrong. This should be performed for educators!!

Kim E. Ruyle provides an entertaining and thoughtful look at today’s educational environment through the varied lenses of teachers with vastly different approaches. As anyone even remotely involved in the arts knows, music, art, theatre, etc., enhance the school experience, HENCE, improving performance in the hard sciences. And when a meeting of the minds results in some emotional vulnerability, there’s no telling what can happen. I highly suggest you read it to find out. Great dialogue! Winning characters!