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2007–2008 Middle School Productions

Middle School presents Charlotte's Web
Congratulations to the Middle school on a fantastic production of Joseph Robinette’s adaptation of E.B. White’s award-winning novel Charlotte’s Web. The play opened on Friday, April 25, and continued through April 27.

With an outstanding cast of twenty-five middle-school students, the world of the play surrounded Wilbur (Connor Lohman), the irresistible young pig who desperately wants to avoid the butcher; Fern (Emily Scinta), a girl who understands what animals say to each other; Templeton (Frank James), the gluttonous rat who can occasionally be talked into a good deed; the Zuckerman family (Caitlin Hanley and Tucker Keel); the Arable family (Nick Conroy, Emily Lyman, and Samantha Kamen); and most of all, the extraordinary spider Charlotte (Cat Gallagher), who proves to be “a true friend and a good writer.”

Charlotte’s Web was directed by Trudy Wheeler with assistant direction by Julie Riggs Johnson, technical direction by Rudy Keel, and costuming by Sawsan Sheth.

Middle school stages production of Disney's High School Musical
Congratulations to the middle school drama department on a fantastic production of the Disney musical smash hit High School Musical. The production was staged at KCD over November 2–4.

2006–2007 Middle School Productions

Middle school stages Fiddler on the Roof
This middle school production gathered rave reviews from audiences and was staged on March 30–April 1 at the Clifton Center.

The play is set in the Russian village of Anatevka, Tevye, where a poor dairyman tries to instill in his five daughters the traditions of his tight-knit Jewish community. This task is complicated not only by changing social mores, but also by the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia.

The play is directed by Trudy Wheeler, and Julie Riggs-Johnson is the assistant director. Musical direction is by James Racine, choreography is by Kathy Todd-Chaney, and technical direction is by Rudy Keel, with assistance from Rebecca Gallion.

Audiences cheer heroes and hiss villains in middle school melodramas
The MiddleSchool's production spoofing early American melodramas featured beautiful heroines and fearless heroes, mustachioed villains, and plenty of audience participation—great fun for the whole family! The Middle School presented Rachel Davidson's The Pony Expresso and Joe Dickinson's The Plight of the Prospector's Daughter on November 17–19.

2005–2006 Middle School Productions

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Congratulations to the middle school on a wonderful production of the classic fantasy The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This middle school production was staged March 24–26 at the Clifton Center.

Joseph Robinette's dramatization of C.S. Lewis' novel tells the story of four children who step through a wardrobe into the magical land of Narnia. They must free the kingdom from the rule of the evil White Witch, who has wrapped the land in winter, and return the country to its rightful ruler, the lion Aslan.

The play was directed by Trudy Wheeler, with choreography by Kathy Todd-Chaney, fight choreography by Lee Look, technical direction by Rudy Keel, and costume design by Sawsan Sheth. Camille Bathurst was the assistant costume designer, and Julie Riggs was the assistant director.

African Tales of Earth and Sky
Congratulations to the cast and crew of "African Tales of Earth and Sky" on October 21-22. The play was directed by Trudy Wheeler, with technical direction by Rudy Keel. These performances were feasts for both eyes and ears and a real treat for everyone who attended.

The play, which was written by Linda Daugherty, is based on the traditional music, dances, and folktales of the African country of Ghana. The play consists of a series of stories told by the mischievous fairy Mmoatia (above center). Among Mmoatia's tales is the story of how Rat outwits Lion (above right) and how an argument between Thunder and Lightning causes a fire in the village (below center). The production is full of both music and dance, with the dance numbers accompanied by a percussion group playing African instruments (below left). These musicians were specially trained by Master Drummer Isa Uthman, who is a student at Highland Elementary. Isa's work with our students was made possible by Antoinette Crawford-Willis (see story above), who also developed the choreography for the production's dance numbers.

As always, actors are supported by a talented tech crew (below right), who skillfully blend lights and sound to create the perfect atmosphere.

2004–2005 Middle School Productions

Honk! Junior
On November 19–21, the middle school staged a charming musical production of Honk! Junior, a humorous adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's classic fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling."

In the pictures below, Drake (Ben Richter) implores his wife and mother-to-be Ida (Molly Dobbins) while other barnyard animals look on (below left). Following the birth of her first four ducklings (Nick Uhlenhuth, Aaron Berg, Caitlin Hanley, and Erin Stevens), Ida gives them a musical introduction to the wide world that awaits them (below right).

A few moments later, Ida receives a surprise when her last hatchling, Ugly (Chris Bartlett), proves to be rather different from his brothers and sisters (below left). After becoming separated from the farm, Ugly meets Bullfrog (Patrick Fallon) and his froglets, who teach Ugly a funny but important message about love and acceptance (below right).

Looking good on stage takes a lot of work behind the scenes. In the pictures below, Hayden Dry (stage manager), Karley Reibling (sound), and Danny Cooper (lights) make sure that everything runs smoothly during the morning teaser presentation.

Honk! Junior is directed by Trudy Wheeler, with musical direction by Jeannine Ary, technical direction by Rudy Keel, and choreography by Angie Dortch and Kathy Todd-Chaney. Julie Riggs is the assistant director.

To See the Stars
The middle school production of Cynthia Mercati's drama To See the Stars opened on Friday, April 15, and continued through the weekend. The Sunday performance concluded Arts Beat 2005, a KCD arts festival that included choral and instrumental music performances, an all-school art-show, and much more.

To See the Stars is set in New York in 1909 and is based on historical events. In a time when the clothing manufacturers in New York are making enormous profits, the young women who work in the factories endure brutal working conditions and barely earn a living wage. When the young women who work at Johannsen’s shirtwaist factory band together to fight for a better life, they are subjected to beatings, starvation, and even imprisonment, but ultimately prevail to win the first industry-wide strike in American labor history. In these pictures, taken from a teaser performance for upper school students on Thursday, April 14, Anya Rosen (Abby Lyman) and Ruth (Lara Shugoll) discuss the horrific conditions they must endure (above left and right) and eventually convince their coworkers to strike for better wages and working conditions (below left). Behind the scenes, Danny Cooper and Michael James keep a steady hand on the light board (below right).

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