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Many hands make light work! It takes dozens of dexterous hands, sharp eyes, careful ears, and creative minds to put on a theatrical performance. This week, we wanted to highlight many of the skill sets that contribute to our performing arts programs every year as well as all of the opportunities for growth and learning enjoyed by everyone who participates.
PHS performance of The Music Man - March 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, and 15th
PMS 7th & 8th performance of Something Rotten Jr - March 21st and 22nd
BRS performance of Willy Wonka Jr. - March 27th, 28th, 29th, and 30th
No one puts on a play quite like Pleasantville students.
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Arc Stages Inspires
Next Generation of Playwrights
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The first step in all creative ventures is to sit down with a pencil, a piece of paper, and an idea. Arc Stages has been a staple of the Pleasantville community for years, and their partnership with Pleasantville Schools has directly contributed to our flourishing performance arts programs. As part of the Visions & Voices Playwriting Program, Arc Stages staff fostered creativity and promoted literacy and writing skills among Bedford Road School students by practicing playwriting with second grade classes.
Our young playwrights spent time developing goals, themes, and characters for their skits. They wrote dialogue and discussed setting and perspective. Students flexed their creative muscles and learned a lot about the elements of writing, from tense to characterization to subtext.
Students became engrossed in their work, which they will have the opportunity to submit to Arc Stages later this year. A few select skits written by Bedford Road School students will even be performed in the Little Theatre by Arc Stages actors!
For more information on the Visions & Voices Playwriting Program, check out the Arc Stages website.
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Light and Sound Crews Bring
Pleasantville Performance Arts to Life
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When the night of the performance comes, and students, parents, and community members pack the Pleasantville High School auditorium, it will be the young people of the sound and lighting crews who work to make sure our choreography and dialogue are seen and heard. After months of preparation by the cast, it will be the students clad in headsets and working control panels that make sure the show can go on. | |
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“I’ve been involved in the show since my freshman year, but the lighting crew was my favorite part since it enabled me to meet and work with upperclassmen,” said junior and lighting crew head Ben Belknap. “I’m part of the pit orchestra too. The biggest thing that I’ve learned through working on the play is that you can become friends with anyone as long as you spend enough time together.”
Despite the intense work and long hours, crew members take pride in their role in putting on every show, displaying unparalleled diligence and teamwork. Even in the rush of preparing for a production, our crew members find time for growth and fun.
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“You’d think that it’s such a challenging commitment since we’re here so late in the weeks before the play,” said sound crew head Jonah Glass, “but it’s honestly so much fun. We work well together, hang out on breaks, and learn so much about sound mixing, cues, and working with hardware. The most satisfying part of the job is knowing that we’re making decisions that have a positive impact on the performance. With four hundred seats and nine performances, there are thousands of people who come to see the show.”
The students who control lighting and sound for our performances are an integral part of every show at Pleasantville High School. They have had the opportunity to gain unique experience from the technical side of performing arts both from working with the technology that makes our shows possible and by coordinating with a team of like-minded crew members to deploy those technologies to great effect for every show.
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Set Builders Set the Scene
for Another Successful Production
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As our actors are just getting started with their scripts and choreography, a tight-knit crew of handy students are hard at work far outside of normal school hours constructing the sets that will be used to set the scene during each performance.
“I’ve been on the building crew since I was a freshman,” said building crew head and senior Ashley Ruann. “I’m also in the cast, an advanced dancer in the ensemble, and a student director. Building crew is one of my favorite parts of every school year because of the friends I’ve made here and because of the unique experience it offers. Building crew has taught me how to use my own strength and how to work in a big team.”
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Pleasantville performances are always a feast for the eyes, from stunning costumes to fantastical sets. It comes down to the hard work of students and community members to build, paint, and tailor to lift our shows off of the page and onto the stage. All the while, our students are learning tangible skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
“I’ve done a lot of building with my dad and I had a lot of skills, but the building crew gave me the chance to get some more hours behind the tools. I’m always excited to come in and work on the play. Last night was like the night before Christmas for me,” said building crew head and senior Colin Neubauer. “Building crew was my way to get involved with the play in a way that let me use my skills to contribute.”
From the Pleasantville Union Free School District, thank you to everyone who makes our performances possible. From the running crew who seamlessly bring our stage to life, to our actors who crush every role, to our behind-the-scenes technical crews who make it all possible, to everyone who makes the effort to bring the love and craft of the performing arts to our students at every grade level.
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