Eighth Grade Shares Drama Scenes

Students in 8th grade recently performed dramatic scenes featuring costumes, props, lighting and sounds selected by each group.

This project began before Thanksgiving Recess, when students reviewed scene cuttings from scripts available in the Kovler Family Library. Working in small groups, students held a cold read of their selection with their peers to determine if the scene was from a play they were interested in and its audience appropriateness. 

Students then analyzed their selected script, designed a floor plan to assist in blocking their scene, determined costume and prop needs and decided the best way to introduce their scene cutting to an audience. Each group decided how to divide duties and responsibilities, and students worked to be off script in time for their final performances.

Drama teacher and Performing Arts Department Co-Chair Leslie Holland Pryor invited younger and older students as well as employees to come to the Middle School black box studio theater to enjoy her 8th graders’ work. Student performers opened each scene with a brief description of the characters and context for the scene. Performances featured the class’s dramatic take on scenes from Macbeth, A Few Good Men, Baby with the Bathwater and more.

Older students enjoyed a trip down memory lane as they watched their younger counterparts perform. Younger students were wowed by the mastery their older peers demonstrated, and employees loved watching these students push themselves as actors, lighting designers and more.

Enjoy these photos from some recent 8th grade scenes.