5 minute read
Students Take the Stage
St. Andrew's Students Take the Stage!
Year in and year out, the performing arts department at St. Andrew’s consistently produces beautifully directed and executed performances across all divisions, and this year has been no exception. Along with the masterfully produced musical The Little Mermaid, we were treated to three different adaptations of Stone Soup by our 2nd grade classes, a fun, whimsical, outdoor evening performance of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by our 5th graders, the 7th/8th grade production of Broadway in the Nazro Lab Theater at the Upper School, and the always impressive Senior Directed Plays by our Upper School students. Bravo to all the students and faculty involved in putting on these incredibly entertaining productions!
Adaptations of Stone Soup by the 2nd Graders:
In celebration of
gratitude, the 2nd grade continued the tradition of performing Stone Soup, a classic tale about sharing and welcoming strangers. This year, each class created its own version of the story, learning through the creative process about adapting a story from the imagination. Original plays featured animals sharing with lost children in the rainforest, narwhals helping a group of disoriented belugas in the sea, and beagles and cats overcoming great obstacles to become friends! Songs developed with homeroom teachers and in Music class added musical magic. Students also created original backgrounds in Art! The Stone Soup Festival joyfully launched the Lower School community into the holidays with a message of reaching across differences to build bridges of support and understanding, all the while encouraging great Thanksgiving feasts for all!
AT LEFT: Ms. Billups' class performs their rendition of Stone Soup.
BELOW: Mr. Boutot's class performs their take on the classic Stone Soup tale.
Patrick Berry and Eve Golson in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe."
Locke Reyna, Madelyn Gurasich, Harris Manuel, and Kendall Keller in "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe."
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
5th grade theater students shared a
magical performance of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe with families and Lower School students alike. Thanks to the generosity of Jennifer and Fred Meyers, our neighbors across from the kindergarten, the young actors performed in the outdoor amphitheater nestled alongside Shoal Creek. The garden theater was the perfect setting for adventures into the world of Narnia! Percussionists from the World Music and Percussion program under the direction of Darrel Mayers, created an original musical score to accompany the show.
7th and 8th grade drama
students, under the direction of Jason Kruger, performed their adaptation of Broadway, a 1920s crime drama set in a nightclub in New York City during the prohibition era, in the Nazro Lab Theater on the Southwest Parkway campus in December. The fantastic performances, costumes and set design came together for an all around outstanding production by our middle school students.
ABOVE: Middle school actors and actresses perform Broadway in the Nazro Lab Theatre.
BELOW: Bo Aycock, Annie McMullen, Hailey Higginbotham, and Olivia Korman perform a scene.
Each year in the Theatre
Production class with
Mr. Zoth — Milt, as he’s known to his students — students study theater from the 1890s through present day. It also requires students to participate in one of the school productions, either as an actor, crew member or stage manager. However, there are a select group of seniors in the class that have the opportunity to direct a play that their peers will act in. This unique opportunity is what sets this class apart for many seniors, giving them a glimpse into an area of the performing arts they hadn’t experienced before.
When asked, Johnny Bennett said this about his experience: The senior directing experience has been life-changing for me. As someone who is considering going into theatre as a career, it has been incredible to get on this side of the playmaking process. I have truly taken this project by the horns and have made it my own, having worked on it consistently ever since I chose the script back in March. I've even had quite a few dreams about the show! The Senior Directing program is incredibly 'hands-off,' giving us not only the valuable opportunity to fail in a low-pressure environment and learn from our mistakes but, much more importantly, the opportunity to succeed and be able to truly call this project our own. I am so incredibly proud of my actors and their flexibility and talent throughout this process. They never fail to surprise me with their skill to embody these complicated roles! I hope you can come out and see the accumulation of my last 9 months of work, Fragments of Faith.
This year, three seniors directed plays that were performed by their classmates in the Nazro Lab theater in January.
Directed by Ella Parker
Featuring Actors: Arwyn Heilrayne ‘23 Dexter Gordon ‘22 Vivien Champ ‘22 William Sykes ‘23
This romantic comedy follows high school seniors on their last day of school. From climbing ropes to valentines, it is sure to make you laugh.
Directed by Johnny Bennett
Featuring Actors: Bella Castro ‘22 Jacob Kruger ‘22 Johnny Bennett ‘22
Follow Faith as she interacts with the many men in her life. She finds and loses love and eventually, finds herself. Through a collection of vignettes, Special Days will have you laughing, crying, and just about everything in between!
'Numbers'
Directed by Mackenzie Soldano
Featuring Actors: Vivien Champ ‘22 Max Thibert ‘22 Morgan Harrison ‘23 William Sykes ‘23
Mean Girls meets Lord of the Flies.
