Middle School Theater Arts Performances Showcase Creativity, Collaboration, and Confidence

“We do a lot of ensemble work at the beginning of the year,” said Strayer. “Students have an introduction to performance and creating a performance from scratch with a devising project. We introduced some comedy in the winter, and this is their culminating performance, which is really a celebration of everything that we’ve done up until this point.”

Each class brought a unique production to life. Strayer’s students devised an original piece titled Camp Hollow Pine: The Legend of Granny, drawing inspiration from a video game popular among the group. Auster-Hogan’s students opted to stage Employees Must Wash Hands... Before Murder, a published script they selected by vote. Meanwhile, DeVore’s class performed No Clue, an original script born from a collaborative process involving students, the instructor, and generative AI. Throughout the creative process, students not only developed technical theater skills but also formed strong collaborative bonds.

“There are obviously times in theater where people forget their lines. But being a group this whole year and being able to work together, we had a good way of improvising if someone forgot their lines and building off of it so the audience didn’t know,” said Molly Pugatch ’29. “It was a good environment—to know that if you had forgotten the line, someone would be there to back you up.”

Presley Kelly ’29 agreed that being able to build off of others was a key lesson from the class, noting that Strayer’s section had a motto: “Make each other look good.” 

Lucy Bowers ’29 reflected on a line mix-up that happened during the performance, saying, “We were able to improvise, and that’s something that we’ve been working on throughout the school year, so it’s cool to see how we were able to use what we had learned.”

“Things don’t always go as planned,” added Maggie Grant ’29. “I’ve definitely learned through this class how you need to adapt to things that happen to you.” 

Bowers said the class has also helped her learn about confidence. “I wasn’t really worried about who was watching when I was performing, because I was portraying a character,” she said. “I wasn’t nervous at all when I was doing it.” She thinks that remembering this experience could help her with public speaking in the future.

As the night of the performance approached, the intensity of rehearsals increased—but so did the students’ commitment. “With every new element—props, costumes, lights, music—they elevated their performance,” Auster-Hogan said.

“There’s inherent risk in live performance,” Strayer reflected. “But that’s what makes it so powerful. It’s truly inspiring to watch Middle School students discover that on stage.”