The week before spring break, Class 2 students debuted their original plays! This year, the interdisciplinary project began with an essential question: What kind of story do we want to tell?
In Drama, the girls considered ‘What do we want people to feel?’ and ‘What are we excited about?’ Having built performance and scene study skills over their two and half years in Lower School, the girls were more than ready to tackle this assignment. They began by making a list of hopes and ideas for their plays, considering locations that offered dramatic opportunities and contemplating different story genres.
After deciding on settings of Candy Land, a haunted house and a forest with talking animals, the students worked in small groups to construct their characters, write dialogue and craft conflicts, thus developing a cohesive and entertaining tale.
Concurrently, in Dance, the students worked in pairs to create improvised movement inspired by their unique plots. With the help of Dance Teacher Susan Strong, each class-wide dance incorporated elements and influence from each duo.
In Music, the students generated lyrics that conveyed the their play's plot and/or what their characters thought/needed. With Music Teacher Hallie Stotler’s guidance, the students chose a musical style for their song, generated a melody and produced a final piece.
Each show was funny, creative and clever! As was in evidence with “What Happens If You Play a Prank on Your Teacher” (Thompson and Edmonds), “Candy Land Crisis” (Sue and Ross) and “The Haunted House Heist” (Martel and Screen) it’s clear that our second graders are full of bright ideas! Congratulations to all on a job well done!
Browse photos HERE.