For the last 15 years, Viewpoint’s Sixth Grade students have performed Shakespeare’s
A Midsummer Night’s Dream as part of their English curriculum. This annual production marks their rite of passage into Middle School and gives them their first taste of the great William Shakespeare.
Students are introduced to poetic storytelling; they analyze Shakespeare's ability to comment on his society, while also questioning how life in the Elizabethan era compares to the present. The opportunity for the students to actually perform an abridged version of Shakespeare’s play brings the Bard’s work to life.
Many students experience
A Midsummer Night’s Dream as their first theatrical production. They are taught acting elements such as facial gestures, how to use body language, voice projection, and staging. Every Sixth Grader is involved; if they are not performing on stage, they are behind the scenes helping actors with make-up; working the fog machine; and creating posters and programs.
Over the years, the production has grown and evolved. Students, parents, and staff work together to build props, sew new costumes, and enhance the production. It has become a multi-department effort as well: Viewpoint music teachers
Mrs. Roscigno and
Mrs. Shisley teach songs to the performers; dance teachers
Ms. Brown and
Dr. De Sal choreograph and rehearse the dancing fairies.
Sixth Grade English teacher
Mrs. Cherie Boss, who established Viewpoint’s tradition of pairing the performance of
A Midsummer Night’s Dream with the English curriculum, says that every year the play is the same, but the production is always different. “Each student brings his or her unique interpretation to the character and offers a different perspective through their performance. As actors they really come to understand what Shakespeare’s lines mean, the humor and nuance behind them. They gain a true appreciation of his work.”
Every spring this performance brings these young students together as they create something magical for the entire Viewpoint community to enjoy.
Click here to view photos from the production.
