Fourth Grade, Sixth Grade, & Eighth Grade Plays

FOURTH GRADE PLAY

This year for their annual musical production, the fourth grade performed The Tale of the Chinese Zodiac. This class was a dream to work with. Every day they showed up with enthusiasm and would arrive in the morning eager to see if “play rehearsal” was on the daily schedule. There was a team atmosphere from the beginning, as everyone had just as much excitement for performing in the background chorus of a song, as they did to have the solo at the front of the stage. Brimming with creativity, every day brought new prop ideas, choreography suggestions and comedic acting directives. Different leaders emerged each day to bring something new to rehearsal that could make our performance sizzle. The class had the ambition that their play would be superlative. Their efforts paid off with two outstanding and memorable performances. The school performance would not have been the same without the crowd participation at the end.

SIXTH GRADE PLAY

The class of 2024 took to the stage November 9th and 10th to present Shrek the Musical Jr. to the Dutchess Day School community. The sixth graders worked for the entire fall trimester to learn their lines, songs, and choreography. Improvisation skills were also practiced. The show was full of quick-witted banter as well as themes of endearing friendship and the valiant fight against intolerance. The students were a strong ensemble and put together a very entertaining show.

EIGHTH GRADE PLAY

Our production of Wizard of Oz, performed by the Eight grade class, was both magical and transformative. The songs from the 1939 movie, written by Harold Arlen an E.Y. Harburg, continue to be timeless and powerful. In fact, the play's principal song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow", is perhaps the most famous song ever written. As our rehearsals slowly progressed, it was inspiring to watch the leads and the ensemble players come together around these masterfully written songs and sing them with heart, intellect, and courage. The audience, both young and old, were captivated by both the music and the lyrics. In addition to music, the play’s message taught our actors and audience that many times solutions to your problems lie within yourselves. All the time that Dorothy was in Oz searching for a way home, the solution (the ruby slippers) was right there on her feet. She just didn’t know how to make them work. The musical, based on L. Frank Baum’s book, taught everyone involved with the production that the key to our heart’s desire is often within ourselves, we just have to discover how to unlock our own potential and that there is no place like home.