A Night to Honor The Stars
(Left to Right, Front to Back) Ms.
Becky Rush (Advisor), Ben Place (grade 3), Nicole Gaedtke (grade 4),
Kylie Bocash (grade 4), Brian Levitow (grade 4), Nicholas Bowers
(grade s), Marissa Lefoley (grade 3), Scott Forrest-Allen
(Playwright), Olivia McGrail (grade 3), Kayde Corson (grade 3),
Victoria Dusharm (grade 4), Kate Laboe (grade 3), Burke Bulger
(grade 4), Rubi Garrow (grade 3), Zach Ludwikowski (grade 3), Annie
Thoms (grade 4), and Brooke Devoid (grade 4). Missing from photo:
Lane Madeja (grade 3) and Lacy Davis (grade 4)
Photo courtesy of Mr. Jason Allen-Forrest
On
Wednesday, December 18th, the Northwood community was invited to
attend a special Drama and Band performance at Northwood School. Ms.
Susan Gokey (Music teacher) and her sixth, seventh and eighth grade
Band students played five selections that delighted the audience.
Prior to the Band performance, a group of third and fourth grade
students in the Drama Club performed the world premiere of a one-act
play entitled And Then There Were Eight by Mr. Scott Forrest-Allen.
Mr. Forrest-Allen of Lynn, MA attended a cheese and cracker
reception prior to the performance, where the cast and their
families were invited to meet him and ask him questions about the
play and the writing process. Before leaving for the evening, Mr.
Forrest-Allen praised the work of the young cast and crew, and
stated that watching his work come alive on stage was “a dream come
true.”
The
play was directed by eighth grade student Kayla Pollak, with
assistance by seventh grader Derek Capo and sixth grader Ethan
Meeker. This is the second year that the Drama Club has offered a
third and fourth grade play as a part of their season. The Drama
Club Board of Officers, which is made up of eight middle school
students who have a passion for theatre, wanted to offer the younger
students in the school a unique opportunity to play dramatic roles
with scripted lines and defined characters. They had noticed that
the younger students often became discouraged being cast mostly in
ensemble roles when auditioning against more experienced middle
school actors. Their advisor, Ms. Becky Rush (World Language
Teacher) feels that the addition of the third and fourth grade play
to the season has strengthened the Drama program at Northwood
School. “This is a win-win situation all the way around. Middle
school students get the opportunity to direct and design all aspects
of a short play, and the younger students practice the skills of
acting under the guidance and leadership of our older students.”
The
Northwood School Drama program is in its seventh season. It offers 4
shows per school year, two of which are selected by middle school
students. This season, fifty-four students in grades 1-8
participated in the fall musical Seussical Jr. in November, while
five middle school students and seventeen third and fourth graders
were involved with the winter play And Then There Were Eight. Our
season continues with the middle school Dinner Theatre production of
Unplugged in March (co-sponsored by the Northwood PTA) and will
conclude with the spring comedy The Bachelor King for students in
grades 3-8 in June.
Ms.
Rush would like to thank the Drama Club students and parents for
their continued dedication and support. The Drama Club would also
like to thank the Meeker family for donating the cheese and crackers
for Mr. Forrest-Allen’s reception. As always, the Drama Club
appreciates the support and generosity of the Northwood community as
it strives to enrich the lives of the children of Northwood through
the performing arts.
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