SCH Middle School Drama students present a musical production of The Wizard of Oz: Youth Edition from Wednesday, February 26th to Saturday, March 1st.
Middle School Drama’s casting was heavy this year. Due to the very high number of students who auditioned, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Glinda, Wicked Witch of the West, and Toto, were double-cast. Due to the “success with Beauty and the Beast Jr. [last year], [the directors] knew [they] needed a show that could accommodate many students,” said Middle School Drama Director Heidi Painter. However, the decision not to have cuts this year was not based on that success, but rather on the program’s core philosophy—that every middle schooler who wants to participate in drama should have the opportunity to do so. The directors believe that the skills learned in drama, such as teamwork, confidence, and creativity, are valuable experiences for all students.
Painter and her team wanted to provide a fun and engaging theatrical experience. They decided on this show for many reasons, one being that it is a classic with a large quantity of fantastic roles for equal showcasing of the students’ talents. Each of the 71 students involved in the cast and crew is considered a valued member of the production.
According to Painter, completing a theatrical project from beginning to end fosters resilience and strengthens community bonds. Painter says that working with middle schoolers is both challenging and rewarding. Painter has directed over twenty productions throughout her career and loves how each and every one of the productions they’ve worked on comes together in the end after everyone’s hard work. Each challenge that comes with the show, like prop swapping and the sweep of illnesses from the past few months, has led to a fair share of struggles that got in the way of their production. Yet, they overcame the challenges and moved forward on time.
Limelights, SCH’s new fifth grade after school theater program led by Middle School history teacher Dorothy Sasso, includes twenty-two fifth-graders. Their fifteen-minute pre-show production is …. According to Middle School English Teacher and Spotlights Director Heidi Painter, they “have been rehearsing every other Friday since September, leading up to this week’s Tech rehearsals.” Lila Tonkon ‘32, one of Middle School Drama and Limelight’s students and playing The Wizard of Oz in the production, says, “Something I love about the Middle School play is being with my friends off stage cause they’re so supportive even when you’re terrified,” said Painter
“Everyone brings such great energy… The best part is seeing Middle Schoolers experience theater for the first time—watching them grow in confidence, learn to support each other, and truly understand the magic of live performance is what brings me the greatest joy, said Painter.
On Wednesday, February 26, they performed for SCH’s Lower School students. They will perform two shows open to the public — on Thursday, February 27 at 6:30 pm and Saturday, March 1st at 1 pm.. In between those dates will be a production given exclusively to the rest of the Middle School student body. There are a total of ninety-three students in the production.
