To Be Or Not To Be…

Kindergarteners came back from winter break raring to go in drama class! We learned what a line is when used in drama. It is not the kind that you can draw, trace or write your name on. A line is simply something a character says! Students practiced saying the famous line “to be or not to be” from Hamlet (which we all agreed was a funny name for a play) in different ways. Some said it as though they were very tired, some said it as though they were walking on hot pavement, and some said it as though they were a superhero. They learned that the same line can be said many different ways. We also practiced being in front of an audience, and in turn, being respectful audience members!

We Did It! New Performing Arts Spaces Coming This Summer!

We are thrilled to have surpassed our $1 million goal for the final phase of campaign projects – building the new performing arts spaces this summer!

Having a proper stage and rehearsal classrooms will have an enormous impact on the school day of every child at Unquowa. Our young performers and their drama, choral and instrumental teachers are so excited!

The dedication and generosity of our school community is truly extraordinary. Thank you to everyone who has supported these projects with donations, time and energy.

We will keep you posted on our progress as construction gets underway!

Come Together – A Winterfest Tale

Take a sad song, and make it better…This week was the Annual Winter Festival in the Kingdom of Unquowa, where music and joy are abundant! However, the Blue Meanies – from the land of the Blue Mountains, where it is all work and no play – have once again crashed the party and are causing trouble. Only this time, they’ve gone too far…they’ve kidnapped Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band! Sergeant Pepper and a few friends must travel to the Blue Mountains to retrieve the band, and while on their journey they pass through some familiar places where we are introduced to some familiar faces. Meanwhile, the Kingdom waits for the turn of the band, and we learn how, with a little help from our friends, the celebratory environment returns to Unquowa, where everyone is always welcome and the traditions of the Winter Festival are always upheld in grand fashion.

Pantomimed Fairy Tales in Sixth Grade Drama

Sixth grade drama students recently had the terrific experience of presenting their pantomimed fairy tale scenes! Our pantomime unit began a few weeks ago, when sixth graders learned the historical context of pantomime and how it has evolved as an art form. Pantomime is, simply, acting without the voice. Using only their bodies and facial expressions, students created moments from popular children’s stories and presented them to a lively audience of kindergarteners, who watched intently and guessed which fairy tale was being acted out. Students reflected on the process of pantomiming these scenes as well as discussing how it felt to perform for young audience members.

Second Graders Tackle Improv

Second grade had a fantastic time in drama class recently while exploring the world of improv! They learned that in its purest form, improv is acting without a script, and you make up the scene as you go. We made a list of locations (such as the jungle, the mall or school) and asked for suggestions on character types (such as an old person or a little girl). Students then got up in pairs and said several lines together in character, at their “location” and voila! We had brief improvised scenes. Everyone got to have a turn learning the basic fundamentals of this fun and fast-moving type of acting.

You’re “On the Air!”

Students in seventh grade drama recently completed their radio drama project. Using Orson Welles’s infamous 1938 broadcast of “The War of the Worlds” as a basis for our radio plays, students worked in groups and wrote brief scenes that demonstrated their knowledge of vocal expression through the voice. Acting without being seen was definitely a new challenge! Playing several different parts and adding in music, sound effects and commercials, students were hard at work putting all the pieces together and finally recording them in class. We used an iPhone to record the radio dramas, and our Chromebooks to write our scripts and find sound effects online. iPads were also used to record the sound effects. Producing radio dramas has certainly come a long way since 1938, but the students’ talents in vocal techniques – combined with their technological skills – led to some excellent final products!