Curtain Up at Creekside Middle School Year 2

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 72

This is the second year theatre was offered at Creekside Middle School.  This year we had three theatre 1 classes (42 students) and two theatre two classes (30 students). Last year we did one production, a spring showcase.

This year we are doing two productions. Theatre one students will be doing a showcase on Wednesday, May 1st at 6 pm. The theme is Twisted Fairytales and the students will be presenting scripts that they have written on that theme. Theatre two students will be doing a scripted play "The Redemption of Gertie Greene" on Thursday, May 9th and Friday, May 10th both at 6:30.

All of the items purchase with the grant money this year will be used in both of these productions. Twelve wireless headsets (along with XLR cables and batteries) will be used in both productions and have already been used during the incoming 6th grade orientation program. Six two way radios were also purchased. These will be used by tech and stage crew (and the director) during performances so crew in the cafeteria can communicate with crew backstage without disrupting the audience.

Also purchased were prop items that will again be used in both productions including a props box (which is a set piece for our scripted production), masks, puppets, fake meat, straw boxes, brick boxes, a cardboard house, fake shrubbery, ball caps, etc. All of which are pieces that will be used in the scripted production and the showcase. Backdrops were also purchased for our scripted productions set. These items along with the items purchased with last years grant money have meant our productions will be much more realistic this year. Of course, there are still items that the students and their families will provide, but we are continuing to build our resources and each year we will be able to do more and more. Very little construction material was needed this year, we were able to purchase items that were already constructed (or just had to be put together for our use) however, with the remaining $17 I'm going to puchase some paint that will be used for set pieces that I am borrowing from the theatre where I work.

We are still a new program and still navigating how to be successful with the resources that we have on hand. It would have been extremely difficult to get the theatre program at Creekside going and growing (we have already been certified for a theatre three class next year and the goal is to do a joint production with chorus next year and also continue doing our showcase, with next years possibly being in the spring) without the assistance of this grant both this year and last year. 

I am sincerely grateful for the generosity of the donors because the learning curve for an elective class like theatre is steep and quality programs can only be done with support from the school's administration and with sufficient funding.