This month, third and fourth grade drama students delighted audiences with their class plays, showcasing their hard work, creativity, and burgeoning dramatic skills. On April 3, the fourth graders performed Matilda, Roald Dahl's beloved tale, for an enthusiastic audience of family members, friends, and Lower School students. Later in the month, the third graders took the stage with The Brand New Kid, a heartwarming story based on Katie Couric’s book about the power of kindness, inclusion, and acceptance.

Fourth graders have been focusing this year on developing their physical and vocal theater skills, and Dahl’s cast of larger-than-life characters offered the perfect opportunity for students to stretch their dramatic abilities. Matilda tells the story of Matilda Wormwood, a precocious young girl who uses her wit and imagination to overcome the many obstacles in her life. Each fourth grader shared their role with another student, and they worked closely together to craft the physical and vocal traits for their character. “They worked together to bring their character to life onstage, synchronizing their vocal delivery, timing, and expression,” notes Drama Teacher Adam Crescenzi.

Third graders have been honing many of the same foundational theater skills — learning to project their voices, enunciate clearly, and use expressive movement and vocal tone to convey character and emotion. Like their fourth grade peers, they shared roles in The Brand New Kid with one or two other classmates, and the actors playing each character were on stage at the same time, delivering their lines in unison. This unique approach required not only strong memorization but also careful listening and coordination to ensure that their delivery was clear, expressive, and perfectly synchronized. In addition to their work in the spotlight, the production also emphasized the important backstage skills the third graders have been developing. "They've been working on how to be quiet, how to stay focused, how to listen and pay attention even when it’s not their turn to speak — and I’m extremely proud of everything they’ve accomplished," adds Adam.